Research- Suicide Statistics

(source: Samaritans webpage)

In the UK

• Suicide rate for males is at his highest since 2002
• Significant increase since 2010

Around the World

• A person dies from suicide every 40 seconds
• More people die from suicide than from murder and war combined
• Between 10-14% of people have suicidal thoughts in their life

Young People

• Suicide- 2nd biggest cause of death for 15-19 year olds
• over 100,000 adolescents die from suicide each year
• In the UK and ROI, around 16 people make the decision to end their life everyday

(source: BBC Health)

• more than 6,000 in the UK and ROI kill themselves each year
• The suicide rates from young men has increased; whilst women's rates are on the decrease
• vulnerability to suicide can arise from genetic predisposition, personality traits, and lack of support
• Many suicide cases involve those with a long history of mental health problems such as depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia 
• Women have expressed that relationships are frequent factors
• Other factors: physical illness, alcohol/drug abuse, social isolation, housing/money/job issues, sometimes impulsive: a sudden upset
• Common sources of prevention: Strong religious faith, marriage (strong relationships and having good support behind you.) 
• In England and Wales, the number of attempted suicides amongst young people, is rising each year

(source: Befrienders Worldwide- part of the WHO)

• In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 65% worldwide
• Young people are the group at the highest risk
• Youth suicide is increasing at the greatest rate

(source: Teachervision webpage)

• Every year, 10 in 100,000 youth commit suicide
• Every day, 11 youth suicides
• Every 2 hours 11 minutes, somebody under 25 commits suicide
• Estimated that for every completed suicide, there are 50-200 attempts

(source:Bullyonline)

• In the UK there is a suicide every 82 minutes
• Around 19,000 UK adolescents attempt suicide each year
• Accounts for 30% of deaths in the 15-24 age bracket

Four Little Letters Project: The Initial Idea

Just recently, somebody told me that the first step to leading a revolution is communicating the dream. Now that first sentence has probably made you think, "What the heck is this girl talking about?"Basically, there is an idea that has been forming in my head for a while now, and I hope that I will be able to translate these ideas to the big, crazy world of the internet.

first things first: Who am I?
     My name is Rehana Nurmahi, I'm 16 years old and from Southampton, England. I am currently doing AS levels in English Literature, Film Studies, Sociology, Classical Civilisations and this- my Extended Project Qualification. I am one of those people who constantly watch the world around them and can't help but think further on the little things. My dream is to be an author/ film director who encourages young people to think about things deeper; in a way that is poignant yet gripping (basically I want to be John Green).

One thing that really frustrates me is the lack of empathy and understanding when it comes to teen suicide. A girl in my class once said (in response to a girl crying about a friend who committed suicide 3 years ago) "Honestly, it's not that big a deal. It happens, she should just get over it."No. I don't think she should get over it because it's still something that happens in this country every day; and something that not enough people care about. This is where the 'Four Little Letters Project' comes in...

So- Here's the mission.
     Love. Pain. Hope. Loss. Hurt. Safe
Each of these words is made up simply from four little letters, yet they all can have significant bearing on us. They can define us; even becoming the pivotal notions between life and death. Dramatic I know, but it's a sad truth. What we say to others each and every day of our lives can change their mood, perspective, and sometimes the choices they make. Sometimes, these small words can be the reason that a person ends their life, and so many people do end their lives. To this I have another four letter word: STOP. Around 11 young people take their lives every single day. To put that into perspective, that is the equivalent of what was the whole of my gcse music class, plus our teacher.

     One of the reasons that suicide has become such a big issue is because it's a taboo topic. Adults fear that by mentioning it, young people will be encouraged to do it. Sorry to say something controversial, but teenagers can think for themselves and not stupid. Where there is a lack of communication, a lack of understanding arises. We as youth are led to believe that all those who kill themselves act out of selfishness, to get attention, or are just plain pathetic. Most of these miscommunications come from social media. However; now with the help of social media, I believe that we can clear the air with some truths on the topic. This is where my project comes in. In a similar fashion to the 'To This Day Project', the 4LLP aims to raise awareness amongst young people, of some of the reasons that teenagers kill themselves. Awareness. Nothing more, nothing less. I aim not to be a charity but to encourage those struggling, and friends of theirs, to go people (as well as charities) that will offer them support. To speak out. `to share their story with others.

     What I hope to create is a 7 part YouTube. Each episode will be the suicide note of a teenager who has killed themselves with a different motive. Each of these motives will be a four letter word. I know it sounds depressing, but I wholeheartedly believe that we as the next generation of leaders, politicians, celebrities and potential world changers, should face our problems and pave the road for a new day; but to do that, we must understand the last. Every single one of us can bring about some change in the world through little actions.

     The name of my project is 'The Four Little Letters Project' because I hope to emphasise how little things-like four letter words- can impact the bigger picture. The seven provisional parts I have lined up are:

Mind: from the perspective of a teenage girl struggling with mental illness.
Drug: the teenager is a young man who has struggled with drug abuse for years.
Home: from the eyes of a child whose parents struggle with domestic abuse.
Lust: a girl raped by her boyfriend can't handle the judgement of her peers who don't believe her story.
Peer: from the eyes of one of the many people who are bullied.
Fail: in the lead up to exams, this young person feels inadequate and decides to give up.
Time: every day is 9-5. The aims in life all seem to be financial or vain. This young person doesn't want to fall prey to the trap.

Other ideas I have are:

Sold: told from the perspective of a victim of human trafficking
Food: an eating disorder patient can no longer live up to the expectations of society
Bent: a teenager os disowned by his parents after telling them about his sexuality
Cash: from a child in a home struck by poverty
Sins: a young person from a religious background believes that they have a messed up too many times and is beyond forgiveness.

I hope to set up a website, with links to charities, stories/forums, blogs, advice and media. I also want to create a page on the website called 'Reasons to Keep Living' which contains fun and uplifting new and videos from around the world. I will update the YouTube channel regularly, with episodes as well as explanations and commentaries. I also hope to use other forms of social media: including facebook, twitter, tumblr. I have also contacted a few big name you tubers, to ask for their support with this project.

     This is a topic that I am very passionate about, and I am lucky that I have got a team of people to help me, who care just as much. I hope that this project will change people's outlook on life and death, and that people will be more open to helping those with suicidal thoughts/ tendencies.

    I will update this blog with the information I found out as I do research, as well as my progress on the writing process.