Wow!!!
This hits “close to home” for me because for almost a decade now, I’ve been working with Chinese high schools and Universities in preparing the students to come to American and “Study Abroad”.
It’s difficult enough just having the students leave their country for a school year at a time, but when you take into consideration that some of them don’t adjust well or run into situations that they don’t know how to deal with, it’s troubling.
James Donaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, 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 suicidal thoughts 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
A Victorian coroner says international students need encouragement to use mental health services following 27 suicides between 2009 and 2015.
Struggling with a language barrier and battling insomnia, Chinese national and Melbourne university student Zhikai Liu ended his life in March 2016.
Sadly, his story is not that rare and a Victorian coroner has found improved strategies are needed to encourage at-risk students to seek help.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson’s investigation into the 24-year-old’s death found 26 other international students also killed themselves between 2009 and 2015 – although that number is likely to be an underestimate.
The Coroners Prevention Unit compared the circumstances of the 27 international student suicides with a cohort of suicides among Australian-born students and found there was a lower number of diagnosed mental illness in those born overseas.
It also found only 22 percent of those international students saw someone about their mental health within the six weeks of their death.
In contrast, 57 percent of Australian-born students seeking help in the same period.
Ms. Jamieson found that despite the absence of a suicide note, Mr. Liu exhibited signs of undiagnosed and untreated mental ill-health after relocating to Australia to study in November 2015.
She ruled his death as a suicide.
She recommended the Department of Education and Training work with Victorian education providers to identify strategies to help vulnerable international students seek mental health support.
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:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
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
