Suicide is a very tough subject to talk about, since it is about death and could make people feel vulnerable. However, it is important to discuss so that we can reach out to people who are struggling and catch the signs to reach out and give them a helping hand. 

   Girls are more susceptible to suicide than boys. According to a study done by Johns Hopkins Medicine, girls are more heavily influenced by beauty standards that are spread through social media, which leads to a higher likelihood of girls committing suicide.   

   What drives so many teenagers to take their own lives are problems at school, family issues like divorce, other problems or changes throughout puberty, since there are kids who become transgender or feel their gender doesn’t line up with their body in the future. Besides transgender they could be any of the other genders included  under the transgender umbrella. 

   There’s an increased likelihood of trans teens committing suicide compared to regular teens, especially trans females (people who are born male but identify as female). They are 30% more likely to commit suicide than cisgender male teenagers. Trans teens have more to worry about since their bodies are changing in ways they don’t want them to, causing discomfort called gender dysphoria. Outside factors that could also lead to suicide include not being accepted by family, harassment or, being bullied at school. 

   The warning signs are still the same for trans teens as well as normal teens. Firstly, if they start sleeping more and stop commuting with friends as often as they did. Since they are emotionally tired, they will sleep to just stop the thoughts they have. Talking to friends or stopping doing anything they actually enjoyed since the person assumes if they will be gone soon there is no purpose in doing it.  

   Secondly, they might make jokes about dying, harming themselves, or anything that could put them in danger. There are some instances that people will say “Oh well just kill me,” but they don’t actually mean it. However, if they are constantly making these jokes or mentioning suicide, then it would be a good time to check up on them. 

   Thirdly, if they might say they will miss people/give people their possessions. Most people don’t give people their belongings away freely but, people if they are truly struggling with their mental health and are having a lot of suicidal tendencies; they tend to give them away since they believe they won’t be around much longer anyway. Even if you say you’d miss your friends, you usually say it when you won’t be seeing them but if they randomly say it out of nowhere, then that’s a sign you should really check up on them and see if you can get them professional help. 

   Finally, if they start getting into dangerous activities like taking drugs or drinking alcoholic beverages, that is another sign that something is going wrong for the person and they may be considering suicide. Now, they don’t have to be drinking alcohol specifically, but someone wouldn’t be doing a lot of drugs on purpose unless they want to block out things they are thinking or to be “numb” to their thoughts or feelings. They could also pick up the bad habit of doing drugs because that’s the way they want to go. 

   Most trans teens don’t seek much help either since they are the most attacked group in the LGBTQ commuity, so if you see one of your trans friends (or one of your friends in general) struggling or showing one of these signs check up on them. 

   It’s definitely not their time yet. 

Sources used, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-transgender-teen-suicide/trans-teens-much-more-likely-to-attempt-suicide-idUSKCN1LS39K  

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org 

If you are apart of the LGBTQ community and need help with suicide or any other problem and need someone to call and talk to please visit this website, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/