News Archive: June 2016
June, 2016
Teen Bullies And Their Victims Both Face A Higher Risk Of Suicide Bullying and cyberbullying are major risk factors for teen suicide.
And both the bullies and their victims are at risk. That’s according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that urges pediatricians and family doctors to routinely screen teenagers for suicide risks.
NPR, June 28, 2016
The Suicidal Brain: Studying differences in the brains of suicide attempters and depressed individuals who never attempt suicide may help in developing better treatments.
Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a sobering new finding: Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among teenagers, with nearly 2,000 taking their own lives annually. That contributes to a rising incidence of suicide among the wider population, which sees roughly 40,000 Americans take their lives each year. In 2014, there were 12.93 suicides per 100,000 people, up from 10.9 in 2005, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists suicide as the tenth leading cause of death nationally.
Undark.org, June 28, 2016
Suicide Now 2nd Leading Cause Of Death Among IL Youth
Springfield, Ill. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among young people in Illinois and across the country, according to new research published today. The report, titled “Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents,” updates an American Academy of Pediatrics report from 2007, when suicide was the third-leading cause of death for people age 15 to 19. The new research lists bullying and internet use as big risk factors for that age group.
104.1 WIKY, June 27, 2016
Why scientists think your social media posts can help prevent suicide
Take a moment to look at your emoji keyboard. Scroll through the angry face, ghost, stiletto, doughnut, flashlight and cigarette until you reach the hearts. There it is: love. Amid the mundane and humorous, those vibrant, colorful little shapes can easily become a rapid-fire display of affection to a friend, parent or partner. But notice, too, the broken and blue hearts, and their restrained reminders of sadness, loneliness or grief.
Mashable, June 26, 2016
UMass researcher receives grant to prevent suicide in young people.
In 2012, the state recorded 624 suicides compared to 135 homicides. From 2009 through 2013, the suicide rate among Massachusetts youth from 10 to 24 years of age increased 62 percent, from 3.9 to 6.3 per 100,000 persons. And it is that group that Researchers at the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, along with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, are particularly trying to help.
MassLive, June 25, 2016
Crisis Text Line takes suicide prevention into the age of texting.
The hardest part for Lily Rayne was feeling alone. Rayne is deaf and didn’t grow up with sign language. When she had suicidal thoughts, she couldn’t communicate or sign with a trained professional or a therapist. Nor could she pick up a phone to call a crisis hotline.
USA TODAY, June 25, 2016
As I See It: How we talk about suicide matters.
When the media covers each individual suicide, this informs the community about the deaths but does little to reduce the pain for individuals who are suicidal, their families, and friends. We know that individuals who have lost peer or family members to suicide are at higher risk themselves. When a suicide occurs, it is important to focus on those left behind and offer them hope and resources.
Corvallis Gazette-Times, June 24, 2016
Hanson Walk planned in memory of teen lost to suicide.
Eighth-grader Sam Andrews played Little League, had his heart set on studying engines and mechanics in high school, and loved riding dirt bikes. “He was always working on something in the garage. He was a very sweet kid, had a great sense of humor,” his father, Phil Andrews, 43, recalled recently. On May 11, Sam, a handsome, energetic 14-year-old who attended Hanson Middle School, took his own life.
The Enterprise, June 23, 2016
Canada’s Christian Doctors Fight Assisted Suicide Law.
Christian doctors across Canada are standing against a government regulation they say forces them to take part in assisted suicide and euthanasia.
CBN News, June 23, 2016
The Suicide Project is a website devoted to allowing people to share their stories of desperation and depression… and ultimately of hope. We hope that by allowing people to share their stories of despair with one another, they can find a reason to live, a reason to survive another minute. Another hour. Another day.
www.suicideproject.org
California’s Assisted Suicide Law: Are Some Lives Not Worth Living, or are All Lives Precious?
At what point can we say that a life no longer matters? Is it at the point when medical expenses become too costly or burdensome for relatives? Is it at the point when someone feels they have outlived their usefulness, or are just not able to do the things they love to do anymore?
Population Research Institute, June 22, 2016
Brownley’s bill to help prevent suicide among female veterans moves to president’s desk
The House passed a measure Tuesday evening aimed at finding and implementing the best ways to prevent suicide by female military veterans. It is now headed to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Ventura County Star, June 22, 2016
Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Construction is one of the top nine industries at risk for suicide. As such, it is an industry imperative to shatter the mental health stigma and create caring cultures within our companies.
CFMA, June, 2016
Why is the Yakima Valley’s suicide rate so high?
On April 6, 2008, Willeena George got the worst phone call of her life: Her 16-year-old son Dominique Nappo hanged himself in his grandparents’ basement.
Yakima Herald, June 22, 2o16
Canada Doesn’t Want to Be a ‘Suicide Tourism’ Destination
New York Magazine, Science of Us, June 21, 2016
Against suicide, a century of little progress
Federal report reinforces need for more research, Nock says. Professor Matthew K. Nock directs the Nock Lab at Harvard’s Department of Psychology, where he researches suicide and self-injury.
Harvard Gazette, June 21, 2016
Untreated depression a big factor in cases like Brockton murder-suicide
The expert said untreated depression is the biggest factor in murder-suicides
Taunton Gazette, June 20, 2016
Researchers Study New Ways to Treat Suicide Risk
The drug ketamine shows promise in early study as doctors work to address the symptoms suicidal patients exhibit
The Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2016
Christchurch teenager depressed and ‘muddled’ after losing 10 friends to suicide, four in car crashes
A teenager who has lost 10 friends to suicide in recent years, and four more in car crashes, started stealing after becoming depressed and “muddled”
Stuff.co.nz, June 20, 2016
Social workers adopt new national policy on suicide prevention thanks to Waterloo students
‘I had no idea that message would go to the national level,’ student Natasha Ekelman says
“Facebook Offers Tools for Those Who Fear a Friend May Be Suicidal”
New York Times, June 14, 2016
“As Suicide Rates Rise, Scientists Find New Warning Signs
Computer algorithms, biomarkers and other advanced techniques help flag trouble earlier.”
Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2016
Matthew K. Nock, psychology professor at Harvard and one of the country’s leading suicide researchers is quoted in this article. Professor Nock was a participant – along with several of his colleagues – in our 2015 Overnight Walk in Boston.
April, 2016
“U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High”
New York Times, April 22, 2016