By Jen Christensen, CNN
“It’s life or death”: #Teen #mentalhealth in crisis
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with #suicidalthoughts or #mentalhealthmatters, please call the 988 #SuicideandCrisisLifeline, or visit the hotline’s website.CNN —
There has been a steady increase in the number of #children who are seen in emergency rooms for #suicidalthoughts, according to a new study – and the increase started even before the #Covid-19 #pandemic, which brought record high demand for psychological services for #children.
The pandemic’s effects drew renewed attention to #suicide in #teens and young #children. In June, the Biden administration called the recent rise in rates of #depression, #anxiety and #suicidalthoughts among #kids an “unprecedented #mentalhealthcrisis.”
2021 US firearm homicide and #suicide rates were highest since the 1990s, #CDC data shows
The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, used data from hospitals in Illinois. The researchers looked at the number of #children ages 5 to 19 who sought help for #suicide in emergency departments between January 2016 and June 2021.
In that period, there were 81,051 emergency department visits by young people that were coded for #suicidalideation. About a quarter of those visits turned into hospital stays.
The study found that visits to the ER with #suicidalthoughts increased 59% from 2016-17 to 2019-21. There was a corresponding increase in cases in which #suicidalideation was the principal diagnosis, which rose from 34.6% to 44.3%.
Hospitalizations for #suicidalthoughts increased 57% between fall 2019 and fall 2020.
#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
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
US #suicide rates rose in 2021, reversing two years of decline
“It just really highlights how #mentalhealthconcerns were really a problem before the #pandemic. I mean, we saw this huge increase in [emergency department] visits for #kids of all ages, honestly, in 2019, and it’s very concerning,” said study co-author Dr. Audrey Brewer, an attending #physician in advanced general pediatrics and primary care at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a researcher in the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We saw more #kids than we typically do that we … wouldn’t necessarily have thought would have problems about #suicidalideation. We saw 5-year-olds.
“To see them presenting to emergency departments for #mentalhealth or for #suicideideation-related visits is very concerning.”
Calls to #suicidepreventionlifeline rose 45% after changeover to 988 number
Brewer thinks the true numbers are probably much higher than what the study found, because not all #children who struggle with thoughts of #suicide go to the emergency room.
Experts say it’s not a problem unique to any one state.
Dr. Nicholas Holmes, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, said the increase in the number of #kids seeking help in his #healthcare system has been “profound.”
HOW TO GET HELP
Help is there if you or someone you know is struggling with #suicidalthoughts or #mentalhealthmatters.
In the US: Call or text 988, the #Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.Globally: The International Association for #SuicidePrevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.
“Over the last nine years, where we would see about anywhere from one to two #patients a day that were having a #behavioralhealth crisis, now we’re seeing 20-plus a day,” said Holmes, who was not involved in the new research.
He said Rady, the largest pediatric hospital on the West Coast, is fortunate to have an inpatient #child and #adolescent psychiatric unit.
To help more of these #children, Holmes’ hospital system is working with county health and human services to help create a pediatric-focused #mental and #behavioralhealth campus. It will double the size of Rady’s inpatient #behavioralhealth unit, in addition to beefing up services for #children who need therapy but don’t need to be hospitalized.
Other places in the US aren’t so lucky. There is a nationwide shortage of beds for #kids who need #mentalhealth help, research shows. A 2020 federal survey found that the number of residential treatment facilities for kids had fallen 30% from where it was in 2012.
The care shortage has come alongside a significant increase in the prevalence of #mentalhealthchallenges that can lead to #suicide. In 2019, 1 in 3 #highschoolstudents and half of all #female #students reported persistent feelings of #hopelessness and sadness, up from 40% in 2009. And there was a 36% increase in #students who reported considering #suicide, according to the US #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.
Debunking myths about #suicide helps encourage compassion and understanding
The new study cannot determine exactly why so many more young people are going to a hospital with thoughts of #suicide, but Brewer thinks it may be a combination of factors.
Many of the #children who were hospitalized with #suicidalthoughts had other #mentalhealthproblems like #anxiety, #depression and #substanceuse, she said.
#Children also are responding to #trauma in their lives and social influences on their health like poverty, historical #trauma and marginalization, trouble at #school, online #bullying and the pressures brought by #socialmedia, in addition to a lack of access to counseling and therapy.
Brewer said #adults can intervene when a #child is thinking about #suicide. She advises caregivers to be on the lookout for problems at #school or among friends and to watch for a #child who is isolating themselves or showing signs of more #anxiety or aggression than usual.
“They may act out or have problems sleeping. Irritability and being more withdrawn and isolating themselves are a lot of things that we oftentimes will think about,” Brewer said.
It never hurts to seek help from a #pediatrician about how to help a #child who’s struggling.
“It’s important for #parents to feel empowered to really sit back and listen to their kids and talk to them. Really try to relate and understand what is going on with them and help promote positive relationships,” Brewer said.
She said she hopes #mentalhealthcare will become less stigmatized and more available to #children.
“We really need to develop more of a strategy to help support all kinds in different ways and really focus on some of those traumas and social influences of health,” Brewer said. “We need to make sure more #children will have safe places to grow and thrive.”
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
