Suicide is a huge issue in America. In 2005 a person would successfully commit suicide every 16.1 minutes in the United States. But can suicide be linked to sexual activity? Statistics would say yes.
In a study taken by the Heritage Foundation we find that:
• About 25% of sexually active girls say they are depressed all, most, or a lot of the time; 8% of girls who are not sexually active feel the same.
• About 14% of girls who have had intercourse have attempted suicide; 5% of sexually inactive girls have also attempted.
• About 6% of sexually active boys have tried suicide; less than 1% of sexually inactive boys have also attempted.
• Studies show that 86% of suicides are male and 14% were female (because men tend to use firearms, while women tend to use pills. Over dosing on medication does not always kill the person attempting suicide, while firearms are affective in almost all attempts).
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people, in America. Worldwide, nearly a million people commit suicide every year. A large percentage of successful suicides, were those who have engaged in sexual activity.
Another issue linked to suicide, is cutting. The concept of cutting would be to give oneself release from emotions, or a “lack”, or suppression of emotions. Teen sex comes with a lot of guilt, and because of that guilt, and added stress due to pregnancy, STD’s, and relationship problems, cutting is used as a way of releasing that pain, or causing a distraction. Cutting also, can become addictive. Once someone is in the mental state associated with cutting, it is hard to get out, because the mentality has become in a sense comfortable to them, and so cutting can lead to suicidal thoughts, and after time, can lead to attempts, and successes.
Sexual activity before marriage causes in a sense, a domino affect that can cause other “dominos” in life to fall in any direction. Cutting and suicide are just some of the after affects of sex before marriage.
Correlation does not equal causation. The first thing you learn in any statistics class. Yes, the trend does seem to be that teens who have sex are more likely to commit suicide. But is it that having sex causes a teen to want to commit suicide, or is it that the same feelings that make a teen have sex also make them want to have suicide?
If girl A has a really, really low self esteem, and some guy pays attention to her, she'll start to be happy. When the guy wants sex, she readily gives it to him, in order to keep the relationship going. When they don't work out, she sees herself as worthless once again, which could lead to suicide.
Girl B has a really low self esteem, but doesn't want to have sex with anyone until she can feel better about herself. Thus, when she gets into a relationship, she gets into it for much healthier reasons, and is thus much less likely to commit suicide.
While I don't know if this is true or not, it does illustrate the problem with your statistics. Just because more sexually active teens commit suicide doesn't mean that sex leads to suicide.
~C
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im not saying that sex leads to suicide...im saying that it CAN.
because the emotional trauma that comes with sexual activity before marriage, can lead to such things. much like it can lead to alcohol consumption, and drug use.
it can lead to many things. this is simply one of the things it CAN lead to...and these statistics are showing just that.
Please use the reply link at the bottom of a comment to respond to it. It makes the flow of conversation easier.
I restate my assertion: there very well could be an underlying factor that links pre-marital sex and suicide. Obviously sex doesn't lead to suicide, because there are people that have sex that don't commit suicide. Even your statistics show that. But you're still linking them, and I'm still showing you the folly of linking them in such a way.
Emotional trauma, as you say, only comes when a person is in a bad position. If there is a healthy relationship, there is very little to no emotional trauma. Thus, it is not premarital sex that leads to this emotional trauma, but rather the state of mind of the individual. Why did they have sex in the first place? If it was to merely keep their significant other, then yeah, there's gonna be emotional trauma, because that's not a healthy reason to be having sex. If they were forced into having sex, then yes, there's gonna be emotional trauma. If they wait until they're ready and are in a healthy, loving relationship, then there will be much less, if any, emotional trauma. It isn't the sex that leads to it; it's the state of mind of the person going into the sex.
Do you see my point now?
~C
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i see your point. and i disagree.
kind of.
because i am talking about TEEN sex.
This is not about adults. I still believe that emotional trauma can be caused by premarital sex in adults, but that is an entirely different subject, because of the circumstances.
i am referring to TEEN SEX.
Teenagers don't really understand the ins and outs of love at that age.
and so sex before marriage, causes more trauma than sex before marriage at the adult age.
that is why these statistics, and the points i have made, are relevant.
We're going to have to agree to disagree then, and with that, I direct you to my blog on underestimating teens (which I honestly thought I would never link to again, since it's been a year and a half since I wrote it).
~C
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"Teenagers don't really understand the ins and outs of love at that age."
At what age are you referring to? I disasgree because individual teenagers might understand the in's and out's of love while others may not...but that doesn't mean we should tell all teenagers to abstain. Because I have many friends who're sexually active and have never once tried to commit suicide and they never got depressed because of love, but because of outside circumstances. Maybe teens who have sex are doing it because like drugs, sex can feel good and be an escape.
Like mvenus929 though, I'm sure we'll have to agree to disagree on this.
Another issue linked to suicide, is cutting. The concept of cutting would be to give oneself release from emotions, or a “lack”, or suppression of emotions. Teen sex comes with a lot of guilt, and because of that guilt, and added stress due to pregnancy, STD’s, and relationship problems, cutting is used as a way of releasing that pain, or causing a distraction. Cutting also, can become addictive. Once someone is in the mental state associated with cutting, it is hard to get out, because the mentality has become in a sense comfortable to them, and so cutting can lead to suicidal thoughts, and after time, can lead to attempts, and successes.
Sexual activity before marriage causes in a sense, a domino affect that can cause other “dominos” in life to fall in any direction. Cutting and suicide are just some of the after affects of sex before marriage.
Your theory is flawed because I have experienced many of these things. I have been a depressed person off and on most of my life for about 10 years. 7 of those years I did not engage in sexual activity. (until I got with my long time boyfriend of 3 years). I had tried numerous times to commit suicide and cut.
Most people who cut do not plan on commiting suicide. Teen sex is definately not a very common factor in cutting. People who engage in cutting cut because they can not express their emotions other wise, like you stated. Many people that cut have family issues, depression yes, and other deep rooted issues that have nothing to do with sex. Well there is of course people who have been raped or molested normally cut. But that was not their choice to have sex. So maybe they do start having sex, but not because of the reasons you are thinking of.
I was verbally and physically abused and I was not allowed to cry, so if I couldn't cry then I would have to become angry. I could not be angry because then I would be yelled at. Therefore the only solution I found was cutting. None of this had to do with sex. Sure maybe some teens but just about ALL I have talked to have either been molested, told they had to be perfect, mentally or physically abused, or all of them.
Maybe you should study or talk to people that cut because 99% of the time people do not cut because they are having sex and they feel guilty. Although you were trying to raise a good point, the correlation does not fit.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
Love comments? I do too!
it CAN cause it.
believe it or not, ive had the same issues, and never had sex.
i am not saying (and neither are the statistics) that sex leads to cutting and suicide..
it only means that it has, and it can.
Sorry I hope I didn't come off as attacking you. (I'm sure that it seemed like that) It is just alot of people will write about things and have no idea about it. And that annoys me! lol. I understand what you are saying and I'm glad you actually understand and have had the same issues then talked about it. Rather than not knowning what you were talking about. :)
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
Love comments? I do too!
:D I don't see the whole depression and sex link. Not having sex is depressing to me. :)
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I think that is why depressed people have so much sex.
:)X
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
lol good point.
I have never had sex, and I won't until I know I am ready.
But as a teen, I feel that once I truly love a man and I know I am ready...then I'm obviously ready. I don't like the fact that it is considered an emotional trauma to have sex before marriage. I believe if consent is on both sides, and you truly love that person it can be a beautiful thing...not a traumatic experience.
I agree. I think a lot of young girls have sex too young and are unable to handle the emotions that arise from that.