By Stephanie Caron – Staff Reporter

A recent nationwide survey of high school students in the United States found that 16% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13% reported creating a plan, and 8% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Milford student, “Jenny Parkers” is all too familiar with that statistic. She is still dealing with the death of an 18-year-old family member who took his own life in October 2017.

“I’m still not over it,” Parkers said. “It’s better now, it’s been two years, but it is also still hard. When the day it happens comes around, and his birthday.”

Suicide and depression affects many more people each year. Suicide also affects an entire community, families of the victim, and friends.

With suicide increasing in teens and young adults it has now become the second leading cause of death for 10- to 24-year-olds.

In Dallas County, Texas, the numbers are alarming. “The suicide rate for children 14 to 17 in Dallas County increased 79 percent from 2015 to 2016. Between 2008 and 2015, rates of children seen for suicidal ideation and behaviors in hospitals and emergency rooms almost doubled,” Psychiatrist Betsy Kennard said. “The Children’s Medical Center has also experienced a similar increase in those seen for suicidal thoughts and behaviors during that time period”

This begs the question: Why are these numbers on the rise? Why are more and more teens depressed or committing suicide? There are many theories as to why it has increased greatly in the past years.

One theory is that there is more stress on families and teens which may be a factor to depression and other mood disorders.

“Disruption in family structure can lead to several adverse events impacting both the mental health of children and their parents. Not all disruptions have equal effects. More emotional and behavioral problems occur in families disrupted by divorce than compared to other types of disruptions, for example, death of a parent,” Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist  Dr. Aniruddh Prakash said. “ Certain characteristics have been identified in caregivers as well as the children themselves that serve as risk factors for abuse. Young age, depression, substance abuse, poverty, and history of mothers being separated from their own mothers during childhood serve as risk factors.”

Some believe the popular Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” has been big factor in the increase of teen suicide. The show is seen by some to glorify suicide in teens. A recent study that was conducted by using segmented quasi-Poisson regression and Holt-Winters forecasting models assessed monthly rates of suicide among individuals aged 10 to 64 years grouped into 3 age categories (10–17, 18–29, and 30–64 years) between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, it was shown that, “After accounting for seasonal effects and an underlying increasing trend in monthly suicide rates, the overall suicide rate among 10- to 17-year-olds increased significantly in the month immediately following the release of ‘13 Reasons Why;’ Holt-Winters forecasting revealed elevated observed suicide rates in the month after release and in two subsequent months, relative to corresponding forecasted rates,” Jeffrey A. Bridge, PhD said.

In another study, American Academy of Pediatrics researchers found, “in the days following the premier of ‘13 Reasons Why,’ a significant spike in internet searches using terms such as ‘how to commit suicide’ and ‘how to kill yourself.’”A more recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health found a 29% increase in suicide among U.S. adolescents between ages 10-17 after the release of Season 1. In April 2017, the month after Netflix released all 13 episodes for streaming, the teen suicide rate in this age group reached a 19-year high. It remained high the rest of the year, with 195 more suicides reported in this age group than would have been expected.

Depression is increasing in teens at a rapid rate. Twenty percent of adolescents experience depression before adulthood, and 80% of that percent goes undiagnosed. Many of those adolescents show warning signs of being suicidal, or having suicidal thoughts that go unnoticed.

There are many signs to depression, such as poor performance in school, withdrawal from friends and activities, sadness and hopelessness, lack of energy or motivation, anger or rage. But although it might not seem someone is going through depression, most of it is very secretive and goes under the radar for many families, or friends to notice. Something parents are having a hard time noticing is; is it normal teenage blues or are they dealing with something more serious. If you take a closer look it might come clear to if it is just teenage blues, or something way more serious. Paying closer attention could save many more teenagers’ lives. The family of Natalie, a 13-year-old who took her life due to bullying,said there weren’t any warning signs.

As the bullying continued and Natalie’s behavior spiraled, her family says the school proposed moving Natalie to an alternative school in Nashville,” Natalie’s grandmother, Colleen Lindsay said.  “They never got that far. On March 3, the day of her 13th birthday, Natalie was found dead. I don’t think Natalie meant to do it. She just made a rash choice that went too far.”

Another theory is that teens don’t have any escape from negative communication and bullying because it happens online and over text messaging. Social media is so popular with impressionable young people and could be a factor in the increase in suicide and depression. Kids who might be getting taunted at school could also experience it at home through social media or text messages. This could leave kids feeling like they have no escape from the rude comments or taunting words they could be receiving at school.

A study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh found social media has played a huge role in increasing depression rates. One study out of the University of Pittsburgh, for example, found a correlation between time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback. Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who spent less time on social media. The participants who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk. 1 Results from a separate study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed that the more time young adults spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping and report symptoms of depression. And another small study of teens ages 13-18 from the UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that receiving a high number of likes on photos showed increased activity in the reward center of the brain. Further, teens are influenced to like photos, regardless of content, based on high numbers of likes.

The best thing people can do is to become aware of the rising risks of teen and early adolescent depression. Many people are devoted to publishing educational articles and studies on how to notice when teens are showing suicidal signs or signs of being depressed. These articles give tips on how to try to prevent suicide and what to do after you might suspect that someone might be battling with depression or suicidal thoughts. Another aspect these articles provide is advice to someone who thinks their friend might be dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts. They encourage peers to talk to a trusted adult if they see these warning signs in a friend.

To decrease the alarming rising number in teen suicide, it is important to learn the warning signs. Having the knowledge of the first signs of depression and or suicidal thoughts can and will save many lives. Experts say that reaching out to the peers or family members you may be concerned with and offering help or advice can be a significant factor in the decrease of the suicide rates within the teens.

“Jenny Parkers” is just one example of someone dealing with the lost of a loved one from suicide. She hopes she is one of the last.

(Some information courtesy psycom.net healthychildren.org mayoclinic.org mentalhealthamerica.net usatoday.com)