Urgent Teen Suicide Information - Someone needs to know this now!

Quick question: Would you like some advice from someone who died once before? If you are someone contemplating suicide, or if you have been affected by teen suicide in any way...

Please do not feel that I'm being insensitive to your pain. I'm serious - some advice from someone who knows from direct experience what it means to die is useful, vital, must-have information, any time... especially considering how common teen suicide is nowadays.

If you are looking for ways to commit suicide, spend just five minutes and "read this first!", then come back.

The American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reported that teen suicide is the leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds. That was in 1998, but...

The trend has been increasing. While the overall rate has seen some decline between then and now, the problem continues to grow among teens.

Could a warped concept of life and death be a contributing factor? Even in the minority of cases, could it? Could the lack of a greater sense of the meaning of life, the purpose of life, and the HOPE - the sure and solid hope - of a better tomorrow be a missing link in stemming the tide of promising young people taking their own lives?

Let's consider this fundamental truth, though...

What is death?

Yogi Berra is said to have said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

Although this is hardly a subject for humor, it is strange how many people give advice about death when they have never 'tasted' it before.

Although the suicidal mind is really not 'thinking straight' I believe if many people had the correct notion of what death really is, they'd find it easier to dispel the feeling of suicide. Elsewhere on this site, the subject of what death really is is dealt with. But...

Let's realize that death is not the end of life as most people think of it - it is just a temporary sleep. You've got to wake up and face the judgment!

Hebrews 9:27 - "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..."

Neither do you go straight to heaven when you die: that is the devil's big lie. He has been telling it since the garden of Eden, and multitudes are still free falling for it!

Genesis 3:4, 5 - "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened..."

God says, you will die if you disobey. The devil said you shall not.

To this day, it is still taught that when you die, you continue to live in heaven. But doesn't the Bible says that not even the "man after God's own heart" - David - has gone to heaven yet since he died?

Acts 2:34, 35 - "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool."

It's true, death will be the temporary end of the pain, but the next waking moment will be unimaginably more painful.

If you're going somewhere you should have some idea of where you're going. Only the Word of God (the Bible) truly tells what death is.

And many of those who think that "to die" is synonymous with (or similar to) "going to heaven" will find Yogi Berra's statement frighteningly true one day.

Suicide Idea is of the Devil

No one can fairly say they have gone to the same extent of depression, helplessness, hopelessness, and frustration as the person who decided to end his or her life and has actually done it.

He who feels it knows it. But when you realize that the thought is inspired and encouraged by the devil himself, you don't need the will of a determined lion to stop, count to ten (again, and again if you need to) and realize that you are falling into the hands of the enemy.

It is even strange how the devil uses people to facilitate taking a life.

One French author published a book about ways to commit suicide. I wonder how many of his customers who bought that book are still around?

As said before, we must be mindful of one important fact:

2 Corinthians 5:10 - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

These are words left for us by One who knows what it is to die. Jesus also knows the pain we feel and He understands even more that we do.

Why do teens and College students kill themselves?

The sociology experts on the teen suicide problem will tell you that most young people contemplating suicide do not really want to die.

Suicide is just their desperate cry or call for help. Experts feel that the suicidal are just driven to the act by the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.

Those who can help should not sit back and think that once someone has made a decision to end their life then it is over. It's not - that person can still respond to help.

Scope of the teen suicide problem

Teen suicide is a concern all over the world today. Parents, teachers, social workers, governments and religious organizations are concerned.

Statistics indicate there continues to be cause for concern about the number of teen deaths by accidents, homicides, and suicides. Some reports seemed to suggest a decline, but the news continues to be worrisome.

A story filed on Friday, 19th September 2003 in the UK says that teen suicide among males is increasing - Ananova.

Teen Suicide - Some World News Headlines

Here are a few headlines selected from online news forums that show how widespread the problem of teenage suicide is.

PLACE: Scotland, UK

DATE: Monday, 9 October, 2000

HEADLINE: Alarming rise in suicide rate

 

PLACE: China

DATE: Sunday, 18 March, 2001

HEADLINE: Tiananmen 'suicide' girl dies

A 12-year-old girl who doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square has died of her injuries, according to reports on Chinese state television

 

PLACE: England

DATE: Tuesday, 5 March, 2002

HEADLINE: Teenager used tie to commit suicide

A teenager hanged herself after becoming upset about boyfriend problems and school gossip, a coroner has concluded. She was only 15.

Her mother said, "the teenager was upset by gossip at John Cabot City Technology College in Kingswood, and about splitting up with her boyfriend."

Go beyond the "now"

So do you think if a suicidal person saw real hope and light at the end of the tunnel he or she would end their life? I don't think so.

We need to share the hope. We need to cause as many as would look, to see and go beyond the "now".

Life doesn't end at death - not even for Judas. He - and all who killed and were killed - will be raised.

First Corinthians 15:52 says, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

The council to the suicidal and the depressed varies somewhat from case to case. However, this one thing is true in every case - God loves you. God loves us.

God is pro-life. And He knows and understands, and feels all our pain. It's hard to believe, especially when we are in our hard and uncomfortable straits, but we got to trust Him just a bit more.

Let's look (and encourage others to look) beyond the now. There is a great day coming. If we could only see it. Teens, if you could only picture yourself, then. Let's help stem the tide of teen suicide.

Jesus understands death - He's been there before. And He knows, it is not the end of life. Death does not solve our problems. Eternal life does. That's what everyone should consider whenever a depressive thought creeps in.

There is a brighter day coming. And all of us need to be there. In fact, that's heaven's hope for all of us. Embrace it.

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