About a year ago, my oldest school friend had one of the worst experiences a parent could have. At 17 (the same age we had been as best friends) her son committed suicide. She has tortured herself wondering what she could have done to prevent this terrible tragedy. She found it impossible to make sense of, not least as he had been going about his daily activities as normal and had been laughing and having fun just a couple of days beforehand.
Not all depressed young people commit suicide and not all suicides are committed by those with depression. However, depression in childhood is a strong predictor of attempted suicide in adulthood (Harrington et al, 1994). Depression, by its very definition, is long term in nature. As I know only too well from my own adolescence, the experience of depression can be painful to bare and has an unforgiving and punishing nature. In such circumstances it is little wonder some young people choose suicide as an escape route.
Harold Koplewicz, an American psychiatrist would describe the pattern of behaviour described by my friend as ‘atypical depression’ and believes this is the most common form of depression in adolescence. He notes although depressed adults may appear visibly sad, young people are more likely to be irritable and touchy. Sometimes with friends, they can even bounce back and seem like their old selves. These factors can make teenage depression hard to spot, not least as mood fluctuations are common during this life stage.
Problems identifying depression can be further compounded when other symptoms exist. As many as a quarter of young people in Scotland with emotional problems have another clinically diagnosed mental disorder (Green et al, 2005). Yet many young people do not seek help for common mental disorders such as depression or anxiety. Many therefore suffer alone, without the professional help they may need.
So how can we best work to reduce the incidence of youth suicide related to depression if mental health problems manifest in confusing or even contradictory ways and young people avoid services for fear of being labelled as having 'mental health issues'?
Population statistics about which young people are most at risk can help us gain a fuller picture. For instance, family factors can affect the likelihood of children experiencing emotional disorders. In the Green, et al. study children were more likely to have emotional difficulties where parents had no educational qualifications, were a lone parent, were not in employment or on a low income.
These factors should sensitise professionals to the potential existence of mental health issues amongst certain young people and indicate a greater likelihood of suicide. Factors within the household, such as low income and lack of employment, can significantly increase stress within households and make interpersonal conflict more likely within families (Mountney, 2012).
Interpersonal conflict was found in one study to be the key trigger for suicide attempts in young people. From a total of 287 persons aged 21 or under, researchers undertook a retrospective analysis of youth evaluated suicide attempts or thoughts in an emergency room setting. The study found arguments with parents were the most common reason for the attempt (20%) whilst other reasons included the end of a relationship (12%) or disputes with a significant other (8%). Conflicts can and do occur within any relationship, irrespective of class. This may explain why some studies on suicide have not found as strong an association with low socio-economic status as others.
It makes sense to extend preventative services to improve the mental health of young people, at the stage when problems first emerge. These interventions should focus on improving relational skills and overall well-being. Teenagers need more space, time and guidance to do this work.
With appropriate adult guidance, young people can learn greater self-awareness, self-compassion, emotional regulation and how to handle situations so they remain in control and can influence outcomes. Although research shows parents are the 'go to' person for support for children, even the most supportive parents can be increasingly shut out by their teenage child as they move towards adulthood and independence from family. In a world fraught with challenges and competitive striving our service, other guiding adults such as teachers or support workers can help young people develop a positive view of their future.
Positive Realities provides these opportunities through our life coaching service – a non-stigmatising way of addressing mental health difficulties - and provide the space for this work by young people. We believe such opportunities will considerably improve life chances and self-worth amongst our youth today and help create a society where greater levels of emotional intelligence are displayed by its citizens.
We inspire young people to value and be kind to themselves, improve their relationships and work towards realising their future dreams. Our data shows significant improvements in the overall well-being of young people who use our life coaching service. If more services like this are provided for young people, hopefully fewer will experience long term distress and ultimately reduce the incidence of suicide, with all its attendant trauma and despair for those, like my friend, left behind.
Suicide rates, in my opinion, are a measure of how well a country supports its citizens to deal with life's difficulties. Of how much helplessness and hopelessness about life and the future exists to tax individuals in our society. Lets work together to make sure that young people develop the emotional intelligence and resilience skills they need to be versatile, adaptable and truly bounce back from life's adversities. Not in a superficial way, but in a sustained and meaningful way. Over time, this would not only transform the individual but would contribute to a massive societal leap in consciousness.
If you know of a young person or adult aged 12-25 years living in Edinburgh who would benefit from life coaching please feel free to submit a referral through our website: www.positiverealities.org or call 0131 629 4800.
Not all depressed young people commit suicide and not all suicides are committed by those with depression. However, depression in childhood is a strong predictor of attempted suicide in adulthood (Harrington et al, 1994). Depression, by its very definition, is long term in nature. As I know only too well from my own adolescence, the experience of depression can be painful to bare and has an unforgiving and punishing nature. In such circumstances it is little wonder some young people choose suicide as an escape route.
Harold Koplewicz, an American psychiatrist would describe the pattern of behaviour described by my friend as ‘atypical depression’ and believes this is the most common form of depression in adolescence. He notes although depressed adults may appear visibly sad, young people are more likely to be irritable and touchy. Sometimes with friends, they can even bounce back and seem like their old selves. These factors can make teenage depression hard to spot, not least as mood fluctuations are common during this life stage.
Problems identifying depression can be further compounded when other symptoms exist. As many as a quarter of young people in Scotland with emotional problems have another clinically diagnosed mental disorder (Green et al, 2005). Yet many young people do not seek help for common mental disorders such as depression or anxiety. Many therefore suffer alone, without the professional help they may need.
So how can we best work to reduce the incidence of youth suicide related to depression if mental health problems manifest in confusing or even contradictory ways and young people avoid services for fear of being labelled as having 'mental health issues'?
Population statistics about which young people are most at risk can help us gain a fuller picture. For instance, family factors can affect the likelihood of children experiencing emotional disorders. In the Green, et al. study children were more likely to have emotional difficulties where parents had no educational qualifications, were a lone parent, were not in employment or on a low income.
These factors should sensitise professionals to the potential existence of mental health issues amongst certain young people and indicate a greater likelihood of suicide. Factors within the household, such as low income and lack of employment, can significantly increase stress within households and make interpersonal conflict more likely within families (Mountney, 2012).
Interpersonal conflict was found in one study to be the key trigger for suicide attempts in young people. From a total of 287 persons aged 21 or under, researchers undertook a retrospective analysis of youth evaluated suicide attempts or thoughts in an emergency room setting. The study found arguments with parents were the most common reason for the attempt (20%) whilst other reasons included the end of a relationship (12%) or disputes with a significant other (8%). Conflicts can and do occur within any relationship, irrespective of class. This may explain why some studies on suicide have not found as strong an association with low socio-economic status as others.
It makes sense to extend preventative services to improve the mental health of young people, at the stage when problems first emerge. These interventions should focus on improving relational skills and overall well-being. Teenagers need more space, time and guidance to do this work.
With appropriate adult guidance, young people can learn greater self-awareness, self-compassion, emotional regulation and how to handle situations so they remain in control and can influence outcomes. Although research shows parents are the 'go to' person for support for children, even the most supportive parents can be increasingly shut out by their teenage child as they move towards adulthood and independence from family. In a world fraught with challenges and competitive striving our service, other guiding adults such as teachers or support workers can help young people develop a positive view of their future.
Positive Realities provides these opportunities through our life coaching service – a non-stigmatising way of addressing mental health difficulties - and provide the space for this work by young people. We believe such opportunities will considerably improve life chances and self-worth amongst our youth today and help create a society where greater levels of emotional intelligence are displayed by its citizens.
We inspire young people to value and be kind to themselves, improve their relationships and work towards realising their future dreams. Our data shows significant improvements in the overall well-being of young people who use our life coaching service. If more services like this are provided for young people, hopefully fewer will experience long term distress and ultimately reduce the incidence of suicide, with all its attendant trauma and despair for those, like my friend, left behind.
Suicide rates, in my opinion, are a measure of how well a country supports its citizens to deal with life's difficulties. Of how much helplessness and hopelessness about life and the future exists to tax individuals in our society. Lets work together to make sure that young people develop the emotional intelligence and resilience skills they need to be versatile, adaptable and truly bounce back from life's adversities. Not in a superficial way, but in a sustained and meaningful way. Over time, this would not only transform the individual but would contribute to a massive societal leap in consciousness.
If you know of a young person or adult aged 12-25 years living in Edinburgh who would benefit from life coaching please feel free to submit a referral through our website: www.positiverealities.org or call 0131 629 4800.
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