Why do young people commit suicide?
While there are numerous factors that contribute to a person's decision to commit suicide, these factors can be broken down into four categories: biological, emotional, intellectual and social.

Biological
Depression due to chemical imbalance, physical illness, physical disability, learning disability, chemical changes during puberty, or physical dependency on drugs or alcohol.

Emotional
Inability to cope with sadness, stress, impulsive behavior, a sense of powerlessness, loss, grief, loneliness, low self-esteem, anger or rage, guilt, hopelessness, a sense of being overwhelmed, anxiety, confusion about sexual identity/orientation, emotional dependency on chemical substances.

Intellectual
Inability to communicate feelings, perfectionism, pressure to achieve or perform, self criticism, unrealistic view of death, revenge, or exaggeration of faults.

Social
Isolation, withdrawal, friendlessness, lack of social skills, unpopularity, feelings of not belonging, embarrassment before peers, labeled as crazy, stupid or different, in trouble at home, school or with the law.

This information was reviewed by
Leighton Reynolds, Ph.D.