Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Hidden Story of Teen Suicide, Unreported, in Spokane, and the World Thursday April 23, 2015

This has been a beautiful Spring in the Pacific Northwest, with many days of blue skies and colorful flowers blooming. So, today's event is thrown into tragic relief, with the loss of a first year student at one of the area high schools, Lewis and Clark. The principal sent phone messages saying that a freshman had died, and asking all of us to be extra special and sensitive to our LC students as they experience this sad time. The area news stations are not reporting this, and perhaps we need to make this more of a news, and do all we can to keep all our young people, and people of all ages, safe and knowing how special they are.

Here's a link with advice for parents and guardians, on helping kids live through the tragedy of losing a friend or loved one.
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=141&id=2384

Via the Mayo Clinic:
"If you're a teen and you think you may be depressed — or you have a friend who may be depressed — don't wait to get help. Talk to a health care professional such as your doctor or school nurse. Share your concerns with a parent, a close friend, a spiritual leader, a teacher or someone else you trust."

...get help right away. Take all talk of suicide seriously. Here are some steps you can take:

  • Call a suicide hotline number — in the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) to reach a trained counselor
  • Seek help from your doctor, a mental health provider or other health care professional.
  • Reach out to family members, friends or spiritual leaders for support as you seek treatment

Here are just a few other links on symptoms of depression in teens and others:
  • Teen depression Symptoms - Mayo Clinic
    www.mayoclinic.org/.../teen-depression/basics/symptoms/CON-20035222
    Teen depression signs and symptoms include changes in your teen's emotions and behavior, such as the examples below. Emotional changes. Be alert for emotional …
  • Teen Depression: Causes, Symptoms, Heredity, and ... - WebMD
    www.webmd.com › … › Depression Health Center › Depression Guide
    Here’s information about teens and depression -- the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment -- that parents can use to help prevent serious problems.
  • 10 Signs Your Teenager Is Depressed | World of Psychology
    psychcentral.com/.../07/21/a-few-signs-your-teenager-may-be-depressed
    Jul 21, 2012 · Symptoms of Teen Depression. How do you tell the difference between clinical depression and ordinary teen moodiness? These are some of the signs
  • A Parent's Guide to Teen Depression: Learn the Signs of ...
    www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teen-depression-signs-help.htm
    Parent's Guide to Teen Depression Learn the Signs of Depression in Teens and How You Can Help In This Article. Teenage depression isn’t just bad moods and the ...
  • Teen Depression: Get the Facts on Symptoms and Warning Signs
    www.medicinenet.com › … › teen depression index
    Read about symptoms of teenage depression, learn about causes, and get the facts about medications used in treatment.
  • Related searches for signs of teen depression
  • Depression Warning Signs | Teen Depression
    www.teendepression.org/info/depression-warning-signs
    Adolescence is an unsettling time, with the many physical, emotional, psychological and social changes that accompany this stage of life. Depression is very common in ...
  • Recognizing teen depression - National Library of Medicine
    www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000648.htm
    Know the Symptoms of Depression. If your teen is depressed, you may see some of the following common symptoms of depression.
  • Psych Central - Teenager Depression Symptoms
    psychcentral.com/library/teen_depression_symptoms.htm
    Symptoms of teenage depression. Teen depression is a serious issue, but can be helped when you know the symptoms.
  • REGARDING GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING:

  • via: http://www.afsp.org/news-events/for-the-media/reporting-on-suicide
    "Two Viennese studies on suicide contagion* found that less extensive and dramatic media coverage of subway-related suicides resulted in fewer suicide deaths following the reported suicides. In fact, subway suicides and non-fatal attempts actually dropped by 80 percent in the six months following initiation of a campaign to encourage safe media reporting. The total number of suicides also declined."

    This site has notes about the under-reported and unreported problems in Spokane, with suggestions for solutions.
    https://inlandnw.wordpress.com/about/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-3