How can 1/3 teen girls be suicidal?
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Anonymous
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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/cdc-data-shows-u-s-teen-girls-in-crisis-with-unprecedented-rise-in-suicidal-behavior
Has anyone else seen all this new data? As a mother of a HS age daughter I am just not seeing this. I asked my daughter about it and she doesn’t personally know anyone who has admitted any sort of struggle. She of course knows tons of kids on meds for ADHD but that’s pretty normal these days. I keep pretty close tabs on things so I’m wondering how I’m missing this, or what the difference is? Not saying DD never struggles but generally she enjoys school and her friends and has a positive outlook. Her friends all seem the same. |
Anonymous
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People don’t advertise when they are suicidal so it’s no surprise that neither you nor your child know anyone. I spent years working with families after they had a family member commit suicide. The single uniform message from every single one is that they had no clue. Yes, they knew of mental health issues. But not a single one saw it coming. And, sadly and ironically, years later I had my own try to kill themself more than once. And, guess what. Even I, who had spent years working in the field of suicide, never saw it coming.
I don’t have an opinion about the statistics you cited. But I think that your belief that you would see it is grandiose. |
Anonymous
| You two a just dismissing it. Girls struggle in high school. Lots to do with age and hormones and everything else. Add in a pandemic and social media and there are girls you both know who are struggling. They've always been there. They are just being taken seriously now-- or not. |
Anonymous
| So what are parents supposed to do if there are literally no signs? The kids aren’t even a little depressed first? |
Anonymous
There are some signs. But you have to spend a lot of time with the person to know. BTDT. I had suicidal thoughts and masked it well in public, but my parents saw I was depressed and helped me. |
Anonymous
It's always been there but it's more talked about. The pandemic is long over so you need a new talking point. |
Anonymous
| Even in the 80s, at least three of my high school friends were suicidal and two attempted suicide. One, who was gay and extremely religious parents, later succeeded. Almost no one talked about it. |
Anonymous
This exactly. I think a huge issue is come middle school/high school parents often check out and think their kids need them less vs. more. |
Anonymous
EXACTLY. The signs are always there. But most people are too busy to notice. Back in the day, you had grandma at home who had lots of time to listen and support her grandchildren. |
Anonymous
Read this book: https://www.thecoddling.com/ We are setting our kids up to feel fragile. It is having a disproportionate impact on mental health. |
Anonymous
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Instagram.
Insta and are social media are literally causing this. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/technology/meta-instagram-investigation-teens.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teen-suicide-social-media-bullying-mental-health-contributing-to-rise-in-deaths/ The evidence is overwhelming. |
Anonymous
How? You ask.... Starting with smartphones and social media too early. If you allowed or are allowing either of these prior to them entering high school, you've increased the chance of this as well as a bunch of other undesirable impacts. |
Anonymous
| So many households are just trying to hold it together in isolation. My DD has been suicidal for three years, and it has very little to do with social media, and everything to do with surviving a sexual assault. And unfortunately, that’s a very common reason. I didn’t know about the assault until two years after it happened, but have been very tuned in to her mental health & providing every possible support this entire time. And I have a window into other teens lives, and it’s not pretty. And many parents just don’t know (that’s NIT a criticism - just reality) |
Anonymous
First PP. not at all dismissing it. I just found OP’s comments about not seeing it so questioning whether it’s true to be dismissive so I shared both my professional and personal experiences - all of which demonstrate that The problem is real. My point is that people don’t advertise being suicidal so we can’t say that because we don’t see it, it isn’t a real issue. I saw first hand how real it is and I think it’s important for all of us to understand how serious it is even if we don’t see the signs. Also I don’t think this is a problem that is unique to girls. IME, which is admittedly anecdotal, the suicide touches all genders. |
Anonymous
This is absolutely not true. 15% of suicides show zero signs. None. Not to friends, parents, teachers, counselors. None. Our area has had 3 very public suicides in the last 5 months and there has been a lot of support for kids, teachers, parents and the community. This statistic stuck out as it sadly seems to encompass one of them. |