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James Donaldson on Mental Health – Health providers see rise in self-poisoning among young people
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BY JUSTIN VELAZQUEZ CENTRAL NY
As the U.S. continues to face mental health and opioid crises, children are often some of the most impacted. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate among young people ages 10-24 increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021.
A disturbing and growing trend among children and adolescents is the use of poison. The Upstate New York Poison Center discussed this, and what families can do to keep their children safe.
Vince Calleo, medical director at the Upstate New York Poison Center, says they’ve seen a significant rise in self-harm attempts among children and adolescents by poisoning. He can’t say this is directly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but…
“The time course with the pandemic occurring and that big rise in the number of self-harm attempts in the children and adolescents, I think, certainly, lineup,” he said.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
In a study released by UVA Health last year, suspected self-poisoning suicide attempts made by adolescents increased by 30% from 2019-2021.
“Some of the things we see most commonly used in self-harm attempts by children are going to include a lot of readily available medications, including things like acetaminophen and ibuprofen,” Calleo said.
He says a lot of factors contribute to the type of reaction someone may have from an overdose, making every situation unique. Typically, it would take a large amount of ibuprofen and other similar medications to cause a life-threatening scenario. But others can be more intense.
“There are some medications where, if you take as little as one to two pills, you could have a really severe life-threatening consequence,” he said. “Some of those ones that we worry more about are certain types of depression medications and certain types of heart medications.”
Not buying medicine in bulk can prevent these incidents.
“Keeping medications and anything that’s dangerous in a medication lockbox,” Calleo said. “This just helps to serve as an additional barrier to decrease the chances that a child, or really anyone, might have access to a medication.”
As a licensed clinical social worker, Khira Fryar helps children overcome their mental health struggles. She believes silencing children at a young age can lead to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.
“There’s a phrase that I hate, that I’ve hated forever, like ‘a child is to be seen and not heard,'” she said. “If you shut a child down enough, they’ll continue to isolate and then they’ll continue to feel like what I have to say is not important, what I bring to the table is not worthy, so why am I here?”
Talking about this with children could save their life.
“I think sometimes people think that if you talk about suicide, if you mention suicide, that you put the idea in their heads,” Fryar said. “Guarantee you, the kids have already been thinking about it if you’re at this stage.”
“Keeping things out of sight, out of reach, locked up, using lock boxes is going to be very important as well,” said Calleo.
The poison center has certified specialists trained in poison information and toxicology. They’re available 24/7 at 1-800-222-1222 when an emergency occurs.
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988.
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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