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 rates among young people in the United States have been on the rise for almost 10 years, with the sharpest increase found among #girls. That information comes from a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
The study found that suicides among girls aged 10 to 14 increased by about 13 percent each year between 2007 and 2016. Suicides among boys in the same age group rose by 7 percent per year.
Donna Ruch is a researcher at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the state of Ohio. She was the report’s lead writer. She said the research shows a “significant” increase in younger female rates of suicide.
Ruch said she believes the bigger increase in deaths among girls is related to changes in the methods girls choose to try to kill themselves.
“Now they are using more lethal means,” she said. “And that really concerns us.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 19 in the United States.
To take a closer look at suicide trends among the young, Ruch and her team examined nationwide data on suicides among people aged 10 to 19 from 1975 to 2016.
The researchers identified 85,051 deaths among U.S. youth between those years. About 80 percent of them were boys.
Rates of suicide in children aged 10 to 14 went down between 1993 and 2007. After that, they began to rise again, by 12.7 percent per year among girls and by 7.1 percent among boys.
Similar trends were seen among people aged 15 to 19, with a decline until 2007, then yearly increases of 7.9 percent among girls and 3.5 percent among boys.
Ruch and her team cannot explain the increases. But she said finding a reason is “an important next step.”
For now, she advises parents to know the warning signs that a child might be in danger: “Is the child making suicidal statements? Are they unhappy for long periods of time? Are they withdrawing from friends and school activities?”
If they are, Ruch said, “that’s when you should start to consider taking your child to a mental health professional.”
Suicide expert Ian Rockett suggests that the numbers in the study actually underreport the number of girls who kill themselves.
“We know that females are more inclined to use drug intoxication as a method,” said Rockett, a professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown and the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
“That’s less likely to be picked up as a suicide,” Rockett noted.
Rockett believes that media may play a role in the rising rates of suicide among young people in general. He points to a soon-to-be-published paper he helped write that links the Netflix television series “13 Reasons Why” with increased suicide rates among both boys and girls.
“The association we found is actually stronger in females,” he said. “And that should be a cause for concern related to exposure to mass media.”
I’m Ashley Thompson.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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
