Don't Ignore Teenage Suicide

We don't typically report suicides at our television station for fear of glorifying the act, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Teenagers are more susceptible than many people know. Here's new research showing the teenage suicide rate is going up.

After 10 years of steady decline, researchers say a recent spike in the teen suicide rate is not a fluke and new prevention strategies need to be developed quickly. The teen suicide rate jumped nearly 20% from 2003-2004. That’s the largest one year change in 15 years.

Now, the most recent stats available (2004-2005) show the numbers are still significantly higher, and experts are concerned this could be a new trend. This study is being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Pediatric researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio plotted the actual suicide rates from 1996-2003 and based on that trend, they predicted the expected suicide rate for 2004-2005. Then they applied the actual 04-05 rate once it was available. While the actual suicide rate dipped slightly from the spike the year before, it was still 13% higher than it should have been based on the 10 year downward trend. That means significantly more teens committed suicide than anticipated for two years in a row.

Parents and pediatric experts are understandably disturbed about this finding. In the September 3rd JAMA, researchers at Nationwide Children’s call for action: more effort to identify why teens are committing suicide and to develop new prevention strategies.

These researchers say several factors may contribute to the continued high rate of suicides. They include: the influence of Internet social networks/bullying, a rise in military suicides, and higher rates of untreated depression following FDA required “black box” warnings on antidepressants. When the warnings went into effect in 2004, prescriptions of antidepressants dropped 22% - around the same time that teen suicides jumped 18%.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

11 year old dies by suicide

An 11-year-old girl took her own life last weekend and her mom is on a mission to help other parents see the signs. It is hard to imagine someone so young even knowing how to do it. It just seems so unlikely. Isn't that only a sixth grader? Wow, it is hard to imagine.

Christina Woods said she found out after her daughter's death that Bethany had a Myspace page where she actually talked about taking her life. And some of Bethany's friends said she had mentioned it to them. Christina said she never would have imagined, "Almost all the pictures I could find of her she was smiling and laughing and dancing. She just never mentioned having anything in her life so bad she would do this."

Here are the warning signs of suicide from Suicide Prevention:

• Talking About Dying -- any mention of dying, disappearing, jumping, shooting oneself, or other types of self harm.
• Recent Loss -- through death, divorce, separation, broken relationship, loss of job, money, status, self-confidence, self-esteem, loss of religious faith, loss of interest in friends, sex, hobbies, activities previously enjoyed
• Change in Personality -- sad, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, tired, indecisive, apathetic
• Change in Behavior -- can't concentrate on school, work, routine tasks
• Change in Sleep Patterns -- insomnia, often with early waking or oversleeping, nightmares
• Change in Eating Habits -- loss of appetite and weight, or overeating
• Diminished Sexual Interest -- impotence, menstrual abnormalities (often missed periods)
• Fear of losing control -- going crazy, harming self or others
• Low self esteem -- feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming guilt, self-hatred, "everyone would be better off without me"
• No hope for the future -- believing things will never get better; that nothing will ever change

The reason you don't hear a lot about suicide on the news is because we typically don't report when it happens. Psychologists believe reporting suicides will lead to more people taking their own lives. There is research that shows many suicidal people would feed off the media attention.

Child Psychologist John Day says when it comes kids dying by suicide, many of them don't think through the consequences because that part of their brain hasn't developed yet. Dr. Day said, "It's almost like (the child is thinking) everybody will be sorry and kind of the background thinking is then I'll get what I want. But you're not going to be around to get what you want. You don't understand that part of the action."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Another thing I wanted to mention, The reporter on this story, Laura Michels, was telling me how she learned that it is offensive to say "committed suicide." She said she was told it is more appropriate to say "died of suicide." It is interesting how sayings just become mainstream and most of us don't even realize they're offensive.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.