As the rate of #suicide among #teen #girls increases, experts look at changing the way we talk to #young #women about the topic.
We may need to rethink how we talk to girls about #suicide.
The #suicide rate among 10- to 19-year-olds has been steadily rising over the past decade, up 56 percent Trusted Source between 2007 and 2016.
Perhaps more importantly, as that rate goes up, the #suicide rate among #teenage #girls is accounting for a significantly greater proportion of those deaths than at any other point in the past 40 years, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open Trusted Source.
Researchers and doctors have long known that #girls contemplate and attempt #suicide more frequently than #boys.
However, death from #suicide has historically been higher among #teen #boys, who typically choose more lethal means, such as firearms.
Now, researchers from The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, report that #female #youth #suicide rates showed their largest increase compared to #male #youth #suicide rates between 2007 and 2016.
In that decade, #suicide rates in #girls ages 10 to 14 rose 12 percent per year, compared to 7 percent for #boys. In #teens ages 15 to 19, rates of #suicide among #girls rose almost 8 percent, but only 3 percent for #boys.
#Suicide deaths among #boys are still more common. Boys 10 to 14 are 1.8 times more likely to die by #suicide than #girls, but the gap is narrowing.
In 1975, for example, #boys ages 10 to 14 died from #suicide 3.14 times more often than #girls.
These conclusions come after researchers examined the #suicide deaths of more than 85,000 #teenagers between 1975 and 2016, using data from the #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.
The study’s authors found that deaths from #suicide — the second leading cause of death among America’s youth — steadily declined in the late 1990s and early 2000s, reaching its lowest point in 2007.
Then, the numbers started to climb again.
#JamesDonaldson 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
#Suicide in #girls made up a disproportionate amount of that increase, at least compared to the decades before.
The data from the study also pointed to shifts in #suicide means.
Traditionally, #girls have selected less lethal options, such as cutting or poisoning, but between 2007 and 2016, #female #suicide rates from hanging or suffocation increased and began approaching the rates of #males.
This study wasn’t designed to determine the reasons for #suicide among #teenagers, but the authors wrote that interventions should become a focus for parents, educators, and #healthprofessionals.
“A narrowing gap between #male and #female #youth #suicide rates underscores the importance of early #suicideprevention efforts that take both sex and developmental level into consideration,” the study’s authors wrote.
#Socialmedia and #suicide in #girls
Another thing that has become increasingly widespread in the past decade is the use of #socialmedia.
Indeed, many #healthprofessionals draw a line between the increases in #teen #suicide rates and the growth of networking platforms.
“When #boys go to #socialmedia, they are looking for excitement. They can’t stand boredom. When #girls reach out to #socialmedia, they want to find comfort through bonding and closeness,” Dr. Mark Goulston, co-creator and moderator of the documentary “Stay Alive,” a #suicideprevention documentary, and author of “Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone,” told Healthline.
But what #girls are getting back in return isn’t always what they bargained for, he explains.
“You’re reaching out for love and they will ridicule you. They’ll take delight in it. You’re baring your neck, you’re in pain and hoping for comfort, and they’ll make you feel worse,” Goulston says.
“If #girls are desperate and they can’t get the bonding, they may become exhibitionists, and when that happens, they invite further cyber bullying, ridicule, and threats,” he said.
Experts tell Healthline that any intervention for #girls has to focus on what drives #girls to #socialmedia — acceptance, bonding, connecting with others — as well as helping #girls discover a more positive environment, one that lowers the risks of rejection and humiliation that so often drive #girls to a point of #loneliness and desperation.
Feeling connected, Goulston says, rewires a #girl’s brain.
“When you cause #girls to feel ‘felt,’ oxytocin goes up,” he said. “They start to cry with relief. The blood flow returns to their upper brain and they feel relieved.”
Beyond #socialmedia, #teens today often face a multitude of factors that can contribute to #anxiety and #depression.
Indeed, one survey found that 7 in 10 #teens see the two conditions as a “major problem” among their peers.
Pressures such as college readiness, getting good grades, financial concerns, and being physically attractive were leading burdens they faced.
How parents can help
Goulston says young people pick up and recognize that their parents are often stressed and the last thing many children — both #boys and #girls — want to do is add more to their parents’ plates
“What happens when you bond with someone and you basically feel felt is it enables you to go from #anxiety and fear to crying with relief,” he says. “But a lot of #teens aren’t learning to bond from their parents because their parents are so overwhelmed.”
“An overlooked contributor to the increase in #child #suicide is the disappearance of family dinner time in many homes,” Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and author, told Healthline.
“This used to be the time when parents and children communicated about their day and their worries. Now, too many families go their separate ways at dinner and kids become invisible until it’s too late.”
If you suspect your child is depressed, anxious, or needs help with suicidal thoughts, experts told Healthline you should take these steps:
Recognize warning signs
“#Isolation from friends and family, changes in mood including irritability and #depression, a sudden dip in academic grades and performance, and avoiding school, social activities, and other responsibilities” can be signs that a problem is developing, says Fran Walfish, PsyD, Beverly Hills family and relationship psychotherapist, author of “The Self-Aware Parent,” and #child psychologist on The Doctors and CBS TV.
Talk to your #child
“Ask your #child if they have a plan to [attempt] #suicide,” says Katie Ziskind, LMFT, owner of Wisdom Within Counseling.
“Simply asking if your child has a plan will not make them [attempt] #suicide. Instead, it brings awareness that you care, that you’re willing to have these difficult and important conversations about #suicide, and you are concerned about their #mentalhealth.”
Seek help
“Getting your child [to] a safe place, such as a therapist’s office, can help prevent #suicide,” Ziskind says. “Your child will tell their therapist things they may not be able to tell you because they’re scared of hurting your feelings as a parent.”
#Teens are stereotyped as chronically hormonal or emotional, but parents shouldn’t dismiss every element of behavior as age induced.
“Adults should take it very seriously when any kid tells them or shows them by their actions that they are anxious or depressed,” Lieberman says.
“It takes a lot to admit to this, so they are making themselves vulnerable by sharing it and this information must not be mocked or it can make them feel desperate.”
Lieberman says when you’re concerned for your #child, whether they’ve expressed suicidal thoughts or not, you should set up an appointment with a #mentalhealthprofessional for an evaluation and therapy. Early intervention is best.
If you’re considering taking your own life, call the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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
