#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – Children’s Risk Of #Suicide Increases On #School Days

Unlike in #adults, #suicide risk among #children is lowest during the summer and higher during the #school year. Understanding these patterns can help prevent and treat suicidality

• By Tyler Black

Reading about death and suicidality can be distressing. Please read this in a moment where you feel safest and ready to do so.

#Pediatricians, #child #psychologists and #psychiatrists, #socialworkers and #pediatric emergency teams know something that many people who care for #children don’t: we are much busier during the #school year. I’m a full-time emergency #psychiatrist who works at a major children’s hospital, and often when children come in for a #mentalhealthcrisis, one of the main stressors they discuss is #school.

I’m sure most people assume I commonly prescribe medications as a #physician, but one of my most common “prescriptions” is advocating for reducing #school burden and load. In a 2013 #AmericanPsychologicalAssociation survey, 83 percent of #adolescents stated that #school was a cause or significant source of stress. In a 2017 survey of #school leaders in the U.K., 82 percent reported increased #mentalhealthissues among primary #school #children during the time of national examinations. In studies in 2013 and 2015, scientists studying homework in the U.S. found that primary #school #children were averaging 30 minutes of such work per night, while high-performing secondary students were averaging more than three hours per night, at the cost of their physical health and schoolwork-life balance.

Whether we are talking about referrals to #mentalhealthprograms for crisis, presentations to emergency departments for #mentalhealthissues, admissions to intensive care units for urgent treatment of #suicideattempts or deaths by #suicide, an association with #school is clear. We are able to visualize this in a number of ways.

By using the #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention’s Wonder database to find information on #pediatric (17 years of age or younger) deaths by #suicide, I have created a “heat map” of #youth #suicide, and a #school-day association is plain to see. On weekdays and during #school months, there is a significant elevation of #suicide deaths in #children.

Looking at the monthly data, we can see that this elevation is not trivial: during #school months, the increase in #pediatric #suicides ranges between 30 and 43 percent. This is in sharp contrast with #adults, where we see #suiciderates typically peak in summer months. 

This situation has not improved over time: Compared with summer weekends, #school-month weekdays from 2016 to 2019 show a #pediatric #suiciderate increase of 62 percent. The increase was 42% from 1999 to 2015.

If we look at far more common events, such as emergency room visits for #mentalhealthconditions, we see a strikingly similar pattern. These data come from participating hospitals in a collection done by the #CDC.

#School comes with many things, good and bad. #School can be wonderful, with learning experiences, social successes and a sense of connection to others. But it can also be incredibly stressful because of academic burden, #bullying, health- and disability-related barriers, discrimination, lack of sleep and sometimes abuse. I often liken going to #school to a child’s full-time job. The #child has co-workers (classmates arranged by hierarchy), supervisors (#teachers), bosses (administrators and principals) and overtime (homework). And they have very early work hours (most #schools have hours that are very incompatible with children’s sleep patterns). Of course, work can be rewarding, but it’s also stressful.

Any time I present these data to #teachers, #parents, principals or #school administrators, they are shocked. This should be common knowledge. #Pediatric #suicides and #mentalhealthcrisis rates increase sharply when #school is in and ease when #school is out. This pattern is also found in other jurisdictions, such as Japan, Germany and Finland.

#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

www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com

There are a number of ways to potentially mitigate this distress that I wish those responsible for our children’s education would explore. Some suggestions I’d put forth:

• Reduce homework (preferably get rid of it). Some of the best educational science available shows that excessive homework is of limited benefit and in fact harms children’s health and well-being.
• Add a #mentalhealth curriculum. We have developed incredible educational goals for math, reading, science and the arts. There should be a dedicated pathway for a much more universal and necessary learning: how to take care of yourself; how to look out for and help others; and how to improve both the detection and prevention of #mentalhealthcrises.
• Take #bullying seriously and don’t just focus on the #bullies. The #bullied and #bullies often come from similar backgrounds (histories of abuse, #trauma, chaos, deprivation, parental detachment, though this certainly isn’t universally the case). But whereas the #bullied tend to be internalizors, the #bullies are more often externalizers. #Bullies who were once victims of #bullying have the highest risk of having psychiatric problems in the future.
• Restore funding for playtime, music and art in #school and de-emphasize academic overload. #Children need relaxation, comfort, beauty, fun and play. #Children who have opportunities to play and rest will learn more in their academics, and they will be able to sustain their development as they grow.
• End “perfect attendance” awards and goals. While problematic truancy should be addressed, there is no less realistic notion for the rest of one’s life than the idea of “perfect attendance.” We should all, from time to time, recognize when we are at our limit and need a break. #Children should be encouraged to report when they can do so and be supported.
• Start #school later. How many more decades of research do we need to show that #children need more sleep and that #adolescents do better in #school when the day starts later? It’s time to make serious structural changes to the early-morning wake-up times.
• Be nonjudgmental and respect children’s identity and identity formation. This is not a “woke” concept. This is a caring, compassionate concept that works for all #children all the time.
• Recognize and address #childabuse within #schools. There exist (and many readers may likely recall) #teachers who are abusive, punitive and cruel. In one 2015 study, 44 percent of undergraduates recalled a time in K–12 #school that they labeled as emotional abuse by a #teacher. And in another study published in 2019, 3.4 percent of seventh- and eighth-grade #students reported #teachers #bullied them.

Every year my colleagues in the emergency department brace for the coming mid-September wave, as every year our #mentalhealthcrisis presentation volumes double and our days become much busier. Likely not coincidentally, in my jurisdiction, #school starts in the second week of September.

In the new #school year, if you are someone who works with #school-age #children, ask yourself what you could be doing to reduce pressure or improve quality of life for the #children in your care. This would truly be #suicideprevention.

IF YOU NEED HELP
If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of #suicide, help is available. Call or text the #988Suicide&CrisisLifeline at #988 or use the online Lifeline Chat. #LGBTQ+ #Americans can reach out to the #TrevorProject by texting START to 678-678 or calling 1-866-488-7386.

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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:

www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
[email protected]
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 [email protected] 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