Help youth choose to live
Published 12:01 am Thursday, May 12, 2011
In January, a 14-year-old boy ran away from a Lynnwood-area group home and jumped to his death from a I-5 overpass.
In February, a 20-year-old woman killed herself in a restroom at Alderwood Mall.
In March, a 12-year-old Issaquah girl was found dead in a park days after she had sent suicidal text messages and mentioned suicide on Facebook.
These deaths were public, the reason we know about them. The other suicides that make up the startling statistics remain private, the shock and pain reserved for family, friends and schools to confront.
Every week in Washington, where teen suicide is higher than the national average, an average of two young people die by suicide and another 17 suicide attempts result in hospitalization. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24, according to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
Just as people who commit suicide may feel alone, with no one to turn to — so might family and friends trying to deal with the reality of a loved one who took their own life. For too long suicide has been a taboo subject — with adults fearing that such discussions might cause teens to contemplate taking their lives.
Experts say the opposite is true — the more we talk about it the better. And the more direct we are, the better.
Depression, substance abuse and bullying are some factors linked to increased suicide risk, but there is no “typical” type of young person who commits suicide. Unfortunately, depression and anxiety can sometimes be difficult to recognize in teens — where irritability and being withdrawn can seem a “normal” part of adolescence. High achievers can be at just as much risk as troubled wards of the state.
Arlington resident JJ Frable, who lost her 22-year-old daughter, Jessica, to suicide in 2009, tells her family’s story in the hope of preventing the loss of another young person. Frable, as Herald reporter Gale Fiege wrote Wednesday, is part of the Arlington High School Booster Club committee that has presented a series of community forums about suicide among young people, from middle school students through college graduates.
Such community efforts are exactly the right course, experts say. People willing to share their stories are invaluable educators. All adults, not just parents, and fellow students, can learn to recognize warning signs and help a young person in crisis and show that people do care. From a kind word to professional counseling, and everything in between, we can help our children see that there is reason to live, that what is so currently completely overwhelming, will pass.
