Young People and Suicide

Jun 12

June 12, 2022

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~

In my homily last Sunday, June 5th, I spoke about knowing and being in God’s Truth. In case you missed it, you can listen to it by selecting the “Resource” tab on our website and clicking on “Homilies.” At the end of the homily, I referenced the consequences of living as if God and His Truths don’t matter. One of those consequences is a very depressing life, and even suicidal thoughts, which are dangerous for all people but especially for young people. Please tell your children and grandchildren why they exist – to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ in this life; so as to be happy with Him forever in the next life. Teach them everything you can about God, His love for us, Jesus Christ, the Church, the Four Last Things, etc. These “things” are real and inescapable; thus they are life giving, loving, affirming, fulfilling, and peace giving.

Most children today have the internet in the palm of their hands, and almost none of these phones are being monitored. There are profoundly negative consequences of living in an internet fueled world of LGBTQ, pornography, social media, and video games. For children, the virtual world of the internet is reality. They naturally aspire to fit-in and model what has been modeled to them by society at large. They don’t know fact from fiction, so they become what they see, hear, and read on the internet – and they share what the internet has twisted around in their heads with their peers on the playground, cafeteria, school bus, and in their neighborhoods. Not only is that world fake in an evil and contagious way, but its really hazardous too.

I’ve attached here an article from Andrea Peterson writing for the Wall Street Journal about child suicide, which has jumped a dramatic 300% amongst 10-14 year olds (10 year olds!). We need to know about this even if we don’t have minor children anymore. We need to share God, His Truths, and meaning of life with people of all ages. They desperately want to know even if it doesn’t line up with what they are taught in school or on their phones.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, please seek professional help. Holy Redeemer has compiled a list of Catholic Counselors which you can download by going here.

May Almighty God Bless You,

More young children are dying by suicide.
Wall Street Journal
Andrea Peterson. June 6, 2022

Before 10-year-old Kelly Wright killed herself, there was no warning, says the father, Stuart Wright. The bubbly child who loved to draw, hike and go canoeing was showing her parents dance moves the night before she died, Mr. Wright says. Kelly didn't seem sad or withdrawn; she excelled in school and made friends easily. And Mr. Wright couldn't imagine that a 10-year-old could even consider suicide. "I'm never going to make any sense of it," said Mr. Wright, 63, who was living near Tampa Florida at the time of her death in January 2020.

The number of children dying by suicide has risen dramatically in recent years. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of suicide more than tripled for 10 – 14 year olds between 2007 and 2020. Among females the rate went from .5% per 100,000 to 2% per 100,000; among males the same age, the rate jumped from 1.2 per 100,000 to 3.6 per 100,000 over the same period. Although the numbers are teeny compared with older adolescents and adults, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among children in this age group.

Mr. Wright, who now volunteers for the Alliance of Hope, a non-profit that provides support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, warns other families to be aware of the danger. "This can absolutely happen to your kid," he said.

Suicidal thoughts and attempts are much more common in younger children than previously thought, new research is finding. Among 9 and 10-year-olds and their parents who were asked if the children had suicidal thoughts are made suicide attempts during their lifetime, 14.3% reported suicidal thoughts and 1.26% reported suicide attempts, according to an analysis of data from a large study of adolescent health and brain development that is following nearly 12,000 youngsters across the U.S. The paper was published in 2021 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Psychologist and psychiatrist say they don't know for certain why the incidents of suicidal thoughts and behavior is rising among American children. The numbers upend a long held belief that children who haven't hit puberty yet don't think about killing themselves, or if they do, that those thoughts are fleeting.

New research is uncovering risk factors like family conflict and early exposure to alcohol. Depression is most commonly associated with suicidal thoughts in older teens and adults, but in younger children scientists are finding that ADHD and behavior problems are also closely linked to suicidal thoughts. Some scientists point to greater access to information about suicide online, including details on lethal means. Others site the increase in gun ownership in America.

Among 5 to 12 year olds, black children are about two times more likely to die by suicide than white children, says Arielle H. Sheftall, principal investigator at the center for suicide prevention and research at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio.

Children who identify as gay or bisexual and those who have lower family income to the higher risk of suicide attempts, research shows. Some mental health clinicians also believe that exposure to violence in the home, community and in the media contributes to suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young children. And youth suicides can lead other vulnerable young people to take their own lives, and what researchers call suicide contagion.

Especially worrying to parents and therapists is that suicidal thoughts and behaviors tend to persist as youngsters use them as a way of coping with distress, says Joan Luby, a professor of child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "The older a child gets, the more seriously dangerous this behavior can become," she says.

Much of the new insight on pre-adolescent suicide is coming from the continuing 10-year study being founded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers around the country have been analyzing a wave of data available on the children collected beginning when they were around 9 to 10 years old.

High family conflict is linked to 9- to 10year-olds, according to an analysis published in 2020 in the journal JAMA Network open. “We think it taps into feeling like you're not connected to people, feeling unloved or feeling like a burden,” said Deanna Barch, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St Louis and a co-author of the paper.

Dr. Barch and her colleagues also found that low levels of parental monitoring – such as not knowing where children are after school or what they are doing online – was linked to suicidal thoughts and attempts. Dr. Barch said low monitoring might increase the chances children could access information about suicide or become victims of cyberbullying. It also might indicate that children aren't able to get help with difficult emotions and experiences.

Parents are usually in the dark about their children’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors, the researchers found. Of the children who said they had suicidal thoughts, 77% of their parents reported that their children didn't have any suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Doctors recommend that parents discuss feelings, including sadness and frustration, with even young children. Share ways to handle difficult emotions, and tell your children your love is unconditional. Ask your children directly if they are having suicidal thoughts. And secure firearms, household cleaners and medications. Mr. Wright says that since his daughter's death, he's read up on the risk factors of suicide and that Kelly had none. "She grew up in a very loving home," he said. He said he regrets not talking with Kelly, who died from the self-inflicted gunshot wound, about suicide." If I could rewind the clock, I would sit down and ask her: “Have you ever thought of hurting yourself? Do you know what suicide is?”