Young adults are known to be moody or very emotional due to experiencing puberty or maturation. Emotions seem to run wild and for most parents this is a common and normal stage for their children. Almost any adult would look at an overly upset teenager and simply dismiss it as “teen angst.” This is why depression, self-harm and suicide involving teenagers have become such a drastic social problem. It is easy to ignore it and simply pass it off as mood swings until the child has taken more drastic measures such as attempting suicide, committing suicide, or physically harming themselves. Last recorded in 2011, suicide was the third leading cause of death among adolescents (CDC). Parents, teachers and even teenage peers need to know more about the signs and true causes of self-harm, suicide and depression. Self-harm is when someone causes physical harm to themselves in any way, usually involving scratches, cuts and wounds. even burning various parts of the body. Some people may wonder why anyone would cause themselves physical pain in depressive or stressful situations; some might even pass it off as a cry for attention. The truth behind self-harm is most commonly to release emotional pain or distract oneself from the stress and problems they face in life. It becomes a way to deal with personal discomfort or emotional pain that they feel they cannot express in any other way (helpguide). However, as stated by Melinda Smith and Jeanne Segal, “The relief that comes from self-harm doesn't last very long. It's like putting on a band-aid when what you really need are stitches. Eventually, the pain returns and the desire to do it again returns. These problems can go unnoticed and unresolved by… paper… them. The more people who are aware of this problem and are willing to help, the better chance society has of reducing rates of suicide or self-harm among teenagers. Taking the time to learn more about the issue instead of passing it off as a simple phase could be all it takes to save a life. Works Cited Caruso, Kevin. "Self-harm among adolescents." suicide.org. Np, nd Web. March 10, 2014. Davirro, Lexi. "Self-harm and self-mutilation."pamf.org/. Np, October 2013. Web. 09 March 2014. Lohmann, Raychelle C. “Adolescent Angst.” Understanding suicide and self-harm. Np, nd Web. 09 March 2014. Smith, Melinda and Jeanne Segal. “Cutting and self-harm.” HelpGuide.org. Np, February 2014. Web. March 8, 2014. “Warning Signs of Suicide in Children and Adolescents: Topic Overview.” WebMD. WebMD, May 3, 2013. Web. March 11, 2014."What is depression?" Not my baby. Np, nd Web. March 10. 2014.