Assignment: Visual Metaphor

During last week's class, we were asked to come up with visual metaphors for our issue. These are the ones I've come up with.

Assignment: Screen Design

TITLE

Youth Suicide – A long term solution for a short term problem

ABSTRACT

This report provides a brief research and literature review on youth suicides issue specifically among higher education institutions students aged 19 to 24 years old.Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the age of 24, deliberately ends their own life. Recent studies shows that there are more than 4,600 youth from the age of 10 to 24 committed suicide annually in the U.S.

Thus, based on these problems the objectives of the project are to create awareness especially among teenagers aged 18 to 21 on the issue of youth suicide

ISSUE

Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below age 24, deliberately ends their own life.

Suicides among young people continue to be a serious problem. Each year in the U.S., thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5-to-14-year-olds.

Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up. For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, or moving to a new community can be very unsettling and can intensify self-doubts. For some teens, suicide may appear to be a solution to their problems and stress.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “In teenagers, depression is considered the leading – if not the leading – the cause of teen suicides”. Youth attempt suicide at an alarmingly high rate: among 15-24 year olds, there is one suicide for every 100-200 attempts.

Statistics for youth suicide in the U.S

Also, according to research carried out by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian in 2007, 39% of all youth suicides are completed by young people who have lost someone of influence or significance to them to suicide.

 Picture of the late Alviss Kong who died by suicide at the age of 22, back in 2010

Alviss Kong last Facebook message before committing suicide

In Malaysia, a suicide attempt is categorised under Section 309 under the Penal Code but it hasn’t stop our highly pressurized youth. Suicide has become the 3rd leading cause of death among Malaysians aged 15-25.
A study has been done and published in 1995 which involves 295 lay persons and 10 forensic pathologists that rated the lethality, time and agony of 28 different suicide methods for 4,117 cases of completed suicides in Los Angeles County.


Therefore, this issue is crucial to be addressed as the number of youth suicides has been increasing at an alarming rate throughout the years and continue on to climb. Awareness should be done in order to inform the youth that there are other ways to solve a problem besides suicide.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Teenagers are more vulnerable to indulge in the suicidal thoughts 

• Teenagers (13-19 years old)
• Young adults (20-24 years old)
Reasons: It is due to the fact that this age group falls under the jurisdiction of youth suicides.

GOAL

To create awareness specifically towards youth on the topic of youth suicide.

OBJECTIVE

• To engage user about youth suicide using visual and audio elements
• To stimulate awareness on youth suicide using visual and audio elements
• To trigger audience’s action and reaction: To think twice before contemplating suicidal thoughts.

BENCHMARK

Soon to come

REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_suicide
http://www.suicide.org/teen-suicide-and-youth-suicide.html
http://lostallhope.com/suicide-methods/statistics-most-lethal-methods
http://www.psychiatry-malaysia.org/article.php?aid=802
http://www.ipedr.com/vol20/7-ICHSC2011-M00018.pdf
http://www.statisticbrain.com/teen-suicide-statistics/