Alarming new statistics show that our children are increasingly at risk of suicidal thoughts, attempts and deaths.
A new study led by Vanderbilt University, published last month in the academic journal, Pediatrics, reports a more than doubling from 2008 to 2015 of school-age children and adolescents hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or attempts.
Just more than half were youth between the ages of 15-17, followed by those between the ages of 12-14 (37 percent), and those ranging in ages from 5-11 (nearly 13 percent).
But there's more. The study also found two-thirds of children hospitalized for thinking about or trying to kill themselves were girls. But as we've seen with alarming frequency in national incidents of school gun violence, boys are more likely to die by suicide.
The sad truth: Suicide among our youth ages 10-24 was the second leading cause of death, behind unintentional injuries, in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pace has quickened since 2006.
This is a crisis in which adults — parents, family members, medical professionals, school officials, clergy and others — must intervene bravely and immediately.
Why do people take their lives?
In his book, Why People Die by Suicide, Dr. Thomas E. Joiner, a psychology professor at Florida State University, attributes the desire to die by suicide to two things:
Joiner notes that desire alone is not enough. The ability to die must also be present, and a person’s ability is developed over time, usually gradually.
A 2017 study co-authored by Joiner and published in Clinical Psychological Science investigated increased media use — social media, news on the Internet, computer and video games, etc. — and learned it is a potential contributor to the national jump in suicide rates among adolescents.
School-year angst also plays a part. The Vanderbilt study found suicidal thoughts and attempts peak in the fall and spring when many teenagers’ performance pressures, college-entrance exams, AP tests, auditions and competitions are off the charts.
The rejection children feel when they are cut from a team or not selected for a school play fires a physical and painful response in the brain, Joiner reported.
Sleep deprivation, especially during the school year, can be a factor because it impacts a child’s judgment and decision making. Substance abuse is a consideration, especially because it fuels impulsiveness, too.
You can make a difference
How to help? From the start, moms and dads must form and foster a sense of worth in their child. One simple, effective way, costs nothing and reaps myriad rewards: Tell your child you love them, every day.
Make sure they know there’s nothing they could do to lose your love, and reinforce it with frequent hugs and words that build up and don’t tear down. Tell your children that you are proud of them. Avoid making them feel like a burden. These simple acts can help mitigate the risks for suicide.
Be present in your child’s life
Watch for these signals
Children don’t decide overnight to attempt suicide, rather, their thoughts and plans build. Watch for these signals your child may be approaching distress:
Take action in crisis
If your child is in crisis, face the situation head-on:
More help:
- Teen Lifeline, 602-248-8336 (TEEN) or 1-800-248-8336 (TEEN)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255
- Suicide Resource Center (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
- Terros Health, www.terroshealth.org
Larry Villano is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed independent substance abuse counselor, and the Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Population Health Officer at Terros Health, a healthcare company that specializes in combining behavioral healthcare with primary healthcare.
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