Horrible scenes a few days ago in Tyrol: an 18-year-old jumps to his death, his girlfriend (17) is stabbed in the car. The young age of the two makes the act particularly tragic.
Sad as it is – when a woman is murdered in Austria, it usually follows the same pattern: the perpetrator is almost always her partner or ex-partner. The woman almost always wanted a divorce or has already separated. But court psychiatrist Reinhard Haller lets the 17-year-old’s murder and the alleged 18-year-old perpetrator’s subsequent suicide sit up, noting, “It’s not a classic femicide.” The emotions are particularly strong at this age, for example when you are really in love for the first time. This contributes to the fact that such tragedies can happen.
“Impulsivity increases in adolescents”
The “Krone” wants to know exactly and asks Kathrin Sevecke, director of the child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in Hall and Innsbruck and forensic experts for children and adolescents with a chair at the MUI Innsbruck. How does the adolescent brain differ from the adult brain?
“The brain undergoes a complete remodeling in adolescence. The maturation of the brain continues into adulthood. The personality also matures. There are certain traits like compulsion or anxiety – they are usually stable – but other personality traits change throughout life.’ She can also confirm that impulsivity is higher in adolescents – the ability to self-control should be consolidated.
“Is there a difference whether I scream or die”
“But there is a difference between someone screaming about their emotions and killing someone. There are exceptions, such as delusions, where a person is believed to be a demon. But there is a growing sense of morality that prevents or inhibits hurting or killing others. By the time you’re 18 or even 14, you’re usually mature enough in your moral development to know you can’t kill anyone. Children from the age of three can already understand that they are not allowed to hit anyone. With this act, we know that the 17-year-old wanted to break up. The murder can in no way be justified by increased impulsivity in adolescence.”
Suicidal thoughts should be taken seriously
And yet many young people seem to have particularly strong emotions. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people. But something like this isn’t “the rule”: “The adolescent teenager feels unloved every now and then, but has no urgent suicidal thoughts, so he doesn’t really have a concrete plan for committing suicide. If young people express suicidal thoughts, it should definitely be taken seriously. If this is discovered in the environment, you should immediately seek help and support,” says the doctor. Sevecke also advocates significantly more school psychology and preventive measures.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
