Teen Suicide

The article "Teen Suicide", written by the American Academy of Child&Adolescent Psychiatry, provides many facts and statistics about teen suicide. In addition it includes signs and symptoms of a teen who is planning or thinking about committing suicide.The article shows no bias or slant which leads me to infer that the author's purpose was to inform. Also in the fine print at the bottom of the page it states "The information on this website is provided for general reference purposes." Basically, that means to educate, or inform. The author's viewpoint is that its important to seek help from a physician or a qualified mental help proffesional if a child or teen wants to commit suicide or if they are feeling depressed. The author mentioned this a couple of times, for example, "Parents need to talk to their child about their concerns and seek professional help from a physician or a qualified mental health professional. With support from family and appropriate treatment, children and teenagers who are suicidal can heal and return to a more healthy path of development." The author does not include any conflicting evidence. Conflicting evidence for teen suicide would be that the teens need to sort it out for themselves and that suicide thoughts are healthy. Obviously no one thinks that so any conflicting evidence would not be credible information. This article is reliable and written by qualified proffesionals with experience. For anyone who's looking for solid facts and statistics with no bias or slant, this is a good article to read.

Bill's Story

The article "Bill's Story", written by Gabi Clayton, is a true story about a 17 year old who committed suicide. I figured out that Gabi Clayton is Bill's mom from the quote "Alec (my husband and Bill's dad, who had always been the one of us who handled public speaking with more ease) stepped up to the microphone and said:". If Alec is Gabi's husband, and her husband is Bill's father, that makes Gabi Bill's mother. The purpose of this article was to inform at a very personal level. The author states "I am sharing his story in the hope that it can help in some way to put an end to the hate and homophobia." She created this story to inform the readers about her son, so that they would feel sympathetic and try to make a difference, for example a bully who read the article, would feel bad and turn his personality around to become a better person. Thats what she hopes will happen. The author presented no conflicting evidence, which in her story wouldn't make sense if she did use conflicting evidence She most likely didn't include conflicting evidence because, she is still recovering from her loss, and to her, there isn't any conflicting evidence. The story is a narrative from the perspective of a mother who lost her son to hatred. So its definently biased, and she only includes her own point of view. For those who are looking for examples of a suicide story, "Bill's Story" could be helpful. However for those who are looking for facts and statistics, try somewhere else, "Bill's Story" is not the way to go.

About Teen Suicide

           The article "About Teen Suicide",by an annonymous author, is an article that provides relevent information about teen suicide.  The author includes statistics, facts, and how to cope with teen suicide. Although the article adds how teens, parents and family members might feel, there is not a specific viewpoint. However, the authors perspective seems to be a bystander who wants to help out with parents who might have a suicidal teen. At times the author even sounds like a counselor. For example he states "It's important to keep the lines of communication open and express your concern, support, and love. If your teen confides in you, show that you take those concerns seriously". The writer switches back and forth from writing in third person to writing in second person and describes how others may feel. I believe he writes it like that because he wants to sound more proffessional, giving facts with third person and having a more personal connection with the reader by using second person and giving advice. The author never refers to himself. The author states "It's important to understand the forces that can lead teens to suicide and to know how to help". This leads me to think that the authors purpose is to inform. This article was reviewed by Matthew K. Nock, PhD in 2008, however the website has been updated in 2012. This article is reliable and provides useful information for a parent or teen who is somehow involved in a suicide situation.