Besides all of the other crazy things that occur in the United States politically, economically or racially, no one is taking the initiative to bring to light that suicide is increasing in America.
Not only is increasing but the ages are dropping to as young as five years old.
You may ask yourself, “what does a five-year-old know about taking his/her own life?” Well, surprise America, because whether you know it or not depression and anxiety are real and they do not choose which age to effect. It just happens. And it can happen anytime of one’s life.
Nowadays in our school systems children are forced to have to deal with unspeakable things. Children are exposed to things such as sex, racial indifferences, and different sexual preferences. And it is quite scary that we send our innocent children to school and sometimes not knowing what they are being told, what they’re facing or experiencing, or what battles they have to fight at school.
What exactly is depression? According to the National Mental Health Institute they describe it as an “mood disorder”. Depression can cause you to lose interest in activities and it can change your eating and sleeping patterns. More than three million people are diagnosed with depression each year.
An article in Time Magazine stated that “among young people, rates of suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts all increased significantly, and in some cases, more than doubled, between 2008 and 2017.”
Also according to Time Magazine, “The CDC has also issued reports showing that rates of suicide among young people jumped 56% between 2007 and 2016.” This proves that there is, in fact, a mental health crisis among the nation.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2017, 47,173 Americans died by suicide with 1,400,000 suicide attempts, with suicide and self-injury costing $69 billion and an on average 129 suicides per day. In the 2017 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 7.4 percent ranging from grades 9th-12th have made reports that they have at least attempted suicide one time in the past year. Female students attempt suicide twice as often as male students with the percentage rate being 9.3 percent to 5.1 percent, repectively. Black students were recorded as having a 9.8 percent of suicide attempt rate with white students at 6.1 percent. The ones that required the most treatment were black students at 3.4 percent. This should be a wakeup call for America to let everyone know that our children are in danger with their inner thoughts and we have to find a way to fight this mental health crisis.
Hello America, our kids are at war with themselves killing themselves and we have the opportunity to get involved and put an end to this.
Get more involved with your kids by at least trying to listen and understand what is going on around them and what is going through their minds. If you can’t seem to get through them, seek professional help and offer it to our children as soon as possible. If you or someone you know are suffering from depression or anxiety and have thoughts of suicide call the National Suicide Life Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
