NURS4000 Community Case: Mental Health
NURS4000 Community Case: Mental Health
Community Case: Mental Health
Case Part 1
Seventeen-year-old Justin Sutton took his own life last night with a handgun owned by his
parents. Recently, several of his peers had posted photographs and demeaning comments about
him on social media, suggesting that Justin was gay. This was only the most recent incident in a
long history of bullying and depression experienced by Justin, who had been meeting with his
guidance counselor regularly. The counselor had referred him for mental health services, and
he’d been waiting for his first appointment. NURS4000 Community Case: Mental Health
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Questions for students:
1. What risk factors are commonly associated with teen suicide? Which risk factors are observed in Justin’s situation?
a. Suicide rates for adolescent males are 4 to 5 times higher than the rates for female adolescents. Sources state that suicide is the third leading cause of death in this age group of 15-19-year old individuals. In addition to these risk factors, being bullied or having untreated depression can also increase the risk of suicide.
Bullying was an ongoing problem in Justin’s case, and he also falls into the gender and age range of risk factors.
2. Think of your high school days or the community where you grew up (if you are older, you could consider the experience of your children). What do you remember about classmates with severe depression or anxiety and suicidal tendencies? What kind of supports were available in your school or community? To what extent was the issue of teen depression and teen suicide discussed in your school or community?
a. I remember classmates dealing with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies from a young age. I remember several people admitting to cutting themselves starting in middle school, and they concurrently admitted to their home life situations causing stress on them. It seemed to be a mixture of hitting an emotional age along with a lack of support and environmental factors in their home life. There were counselors available at school, and friendly staff that had open door policies, but the big difference was the friends who gave them advice on how to handle the stress. This subject was not ignored in my school, and there were several auditorium meetings along with a mandatory health class that
discussed mental health. NURS4000 Community Case: Mental Health
