#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – Thinking About #Suicide And #Self-Harming Alleviates #Stress

Summary: A new meta-analysis study finds people engage in #self-harm and think about #suicide as a means of reducing some types of #stress. The perceived #stress release from embarking on destructive #behaviors indicates a potential for therapy and other types of intervention.

Source: #UniversityofWashington

Nearly one-fifth of #teens and young #adults engage in #self-injury, while just as many #teens seriously consider attempting #suicide. Both are considered a risk for #suicidalbehavior, but studies of why people harm themselves, or think about #suicide, haven’t been examined in a comprehensive way.

Now, a new meta-analysis of 38 studies finds consistent results and themes: that people engage in #self-injury and/or think about #suicide to alleviate some types of #stress; and that the perceived #stress relief that results from thoughts and #behaviors indicates potential for therapy and other interventions.

Over the past 10 years, researchers have started to ask people at risk of #suicide to complete surveys multiple times per day. This type of data allows for researchers to understand the thoughts, emotions and #behaviors that precede self-injurious thoughts and actions.

The #UniversityofWashington conducted the data aggregation of these types of studies involving more than 1,600 participants around the world. It was published April 28 in Nature Human #Behavior.

“Many researchers have been collecting this data and testing for the same finding, but there were mixed findings across studies. We wanted to see if we saw this effect when we combined these datasets,” said Kevin Kuehn, lead author of the meta-analysis and a UW doctoral #student in clinical psychology.

With #suicide a leading cause of death among #youth and the role of #self-harm, or non-suicidal #self-injury (NSSI), as a risk factor, Kuehn and his team wanted to look collectively at separate studies of NSSI and #suicidalthoughts.

By analyzing data of individual participants in these studies, the UW researchers found that high levels of emotional distress precede both #self-injury and #suicidalthoughts, followed by reduced #stress.

Researchers point to additional data on #suicide—that a majority of people who die by #suicide do not receive #mentalhealthtreatment, for example—and consistent findings from the meta-analysis that #stress precedes #self-injury.

They say this can inform prevention and intervention efforts, such as learning how to replace #self-injury and #suicidalthoughts with other means of reducing #stress.

“The good news is that we have effective #behavioral interventions, such as cognitive #behavioral therapy and dialectical #behavioraltherapy, which teach skills for managing intense emotions to replace self-injurious thoughts and #behaviors. Increasing access to these types of treatments is likely to reduce the prevalence of them,” Kuehn 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

Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book,
#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:
From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

One limit of the meta-analysis, researchers said, is that participants in the various studies were predominantly young white #women.

Further research into self-injury and related thoughts and #behaviors should focus on increasing the age, #gender and #racial and #ethnic diversity of study samples.

In addition, the meta-analysis found only modest evidence that #stress, while a connection to self-harm, could be used as a means for predicting when an individual might injure themselves.

Future studies could try to identify more precisely when and how #stress leads to self-injurious thoughts and #behaviors.

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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
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