By Olivia Carville
...King has been a crusader (click here) in raising awareness on youth suicide across New Zealand since an unprecedented cluster of teen suicides in Northland in 2012. He has spoken to students in dozens of schools about this issue and last month he Controversially stepped down from the Government's suicide prevention panel, claiming its draft plan to prevent suicide was "deeply flawed" and self-serving....
..."New Zealand has become a country where we expect others to fix everything while the rest of us sit around in judgment and make excuses. Poverty, the housing crisis, colonisation and the growing gap between rich and poor were all listed as reasons why young people are dying by their own hand....
Wall Street priorities have a direct connection to mental health in New Zealand. As young people begin to take on the world seeking a productive life and are disappointed in their outcomes, it becomes an issue of self-esteem and why they can't succeed.
"Self-esteem is a huge issue for young people and is often the first step on the road to suicidal thinking. Young people with self-esteem issues - who deep down think they are 'bad' - are battling demons that no one can see because they battle them alone, often behind a mask of happiness....
..."However, the statistic we should all be concerned about is that 80 per cent of kids who have recurring thoughts of suicide never ask for help, from anyone, ever.
"For some it is because they don't know who to ask, or they believe they can fix it themselves. For others it's embarrassment, fear of looking stupid or hurting people they love. But for the overwhelming majority it's the fear of judgment. In a world that worships perfection they are worried what others will think, say or do if they disclose their true feelings.
"And it doesn't help when our health and education system discourages any type of open discussion around suicidal thinking for fear of contagion. Can you imagine how traumatic that must be for a young person? I've just diagnosed myself with an incurable disease but if I open up and talk to any of my friends about it they might catch it and die.
"There are three reasons kids give me for wanting to end their lives:
1. I am hurting! 'I am in so much pain and I just want it to stop. Everybody tells me that with time things will get better but everyday I wake up and it's worse. I just need it to stop!'
2. I am causing hurt! 'I feel like I've become a burden to everybody and everyone would be better off without me.'
3. I want to cause hurt! 'You hurt me, so now I'm going to hurt you.'...
In the USA, it is believed teen suicide is treatable. From the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Last Updated:
- 10/18/2016
- Source:
- Teen Suicide, Mood Disorder, and Depression (click here)
- Strongly overreact when things do not go their way
- Become hyper, agitated, or aggressive
- Be overwhelmed with thoughts or feelings
- Sleep less
- Talk a lot more
- Act in impulsive or dangerous ways
- Feel they can do things they really can't
- Spend money they do not have or give things away
- Insist on unrealistic plans for themselves or others
- Feel sad, down, or irritable, or not feel like doing things
- Have a change in sleeping or eating habits
- Feel guilty, worthless, or hopeless
- Have less energy, or have more difficulty paying attention
- Feel lonely, get easily upset, or talk about wanting to be dead
- Lose interest in things they used to enjoy
Thousands of teens commit suicide each year in the United States. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.
Suicide does not just happen. Studies show that at least 90% of teens who kill themselves have some type of mental health problem, such as depression, anxiety, drug or alcohol abuse, or a behavior problem. They may also have problems at school or with friends or family, or a combination of all these things. Some teens may have been victims of sexual or physical abuse. Others may be struggling with issues related to sexual identity. Usually they have had problems for some time.
Most teens do not spend a long time planning to kill themselves. They may have thought about it or tried it in the past but only decide to do it after an event that produces feelings of failure or loss, such as getting in trouble, having an argument, breaking up with a partner, or receiving a bad grade on a test....
The words teens and young adults hold dear are opportunity and achievement. American teens and young adults have to be provided a path to success. That means their government is sensitive to the financial infrastructure that has to exist to succeed. The USA grossly lacks in educational achievement on a global scale.
...One of the biggest cross-national tests (click here) is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which every three years measures reading ability, math and science literacy and other key skills among 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries. The most recent PISA results, from 2015, placed the U.S. an unimpressive 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science. Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which sponsors the PISA initiative, the U.S. ranked 30th in math and 19th in science....
And the USA wants to fly to where? Mars? Really? With what Japanese immigrants doing the math on EB5 Visas?
Teens in a manic or a mixed state may:
Teens with depression may:
Mood disorders can be treated. Ask your teen's doctor about treatment resources.
Give them a future they can believe it, damn it!
And I don't want to hear how Jeb Bush's 3 year olds are going to lead the world someday. Believe that and you may as well hand me a rainbow. Take it away Dorothy!
