SUICIDE
CBC YOUTH MINISTRY: Lessons in Theology & Culture
Key Findings
- From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006. (CDC)
- Over 494,169 people with self-inflicted injuries were treated in U.S. emergency departments in 2013.1
- On average, there are 121 suicides per day.
- Firearms account for almost 50% of all suicides. In 2015, firearms were the most common method of death by suicide, accounting for a little less than half (49.8%) of all suicide deaths. The next most common methods were suffocation (including hangings) at 26.8% and poisoning at 15.4%. (https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/)
NETFLIX: 13 Reasons Why
The 13-episode drama, co-produced by actress and pop star Selena Gomez, is based on Jay Asher’s young-adult bestseller about Hannah Baker, a high school student who kills herself and leaves behind audiotapes detailing the events that led to her death. In each tape, she essentially blames her death on the actions (or inaction) of a group of classmates and a faculty member. That premise, along with a graphic scene depicting Hannah’s death, is at odds with the way experts say we should talk about suicide. (WP)
TGC (Trevin Wax) - “13 REASONS WHY” IS DECEPTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE
"The teens in 13 Reasons Why are plagued by guilt, and not just because of one girl’s suicide, but also because of the toxicity of a culture that ignores injustice and buries shame under layers of self-preservation. Guilt turns into internal bleeding that pools underneath the skin, with no release until several of the main characters make decisions that lead to literal bloodshed. The wages of sin is death."
"13 Reasons Why compounds a problem it is trying to fix, perhaps because it has no eternal solution to offer. For those who have entertained thoughts of suicide or who have friends who know the darkness of this despair, hope remains. But it will not be found on Netflix."
Full Article: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/trevinwax/2017/05/01/13-reasons-why-is-deceptive-and-destructive/
The National Association of School Psychologists
Guidance & Advice
NASP: Guidance for Families
- Ask your child if they have heard or seen the series 13 Reasons Why. While we don’t recommend that they be encouraged to view the series, do tell them you want to watch it, with them or to catch up, and discuss their thoughts.
- If they exhibit any of the warning signs above, don’t be afraid to ask if they have thought about suicide or if someone is hurting them. Raising the issue of suicide does not increase the risk or plant the idea. On the contrary, it creates the opportunity to offer help.
- Ask your child if they think any of their friends or classmates exhibit warning signs. Talk with them about how to seek help for their friend or classmate. Guide them on how to respond when they see or hear any of the warning signs.
- Listen to your children’s comments without judgment. Doing so requires that you fully concentrate, understand, respond, and then remember what is being said. Put your own agenda aside.
- Get help from a school-employed or community-based mental health professional if you are concerned for your child’s safety or the safety of one of their peers.
Bullying a Red Flag for Depression
TGC (DeYoung) - FOUR BRIEF THESES ON SUICIDE
1. The subject of suicide should be approached sensitively and compassionately.
- For some this topic is an interesting theological question. For others, they are thinking about how to minister effectively when the need arises. And for others, the mere mention of suicide summons from within them a pain too deep for words.
2. Suicide is complicated and happens for different reasons.
- Our last action–even a sinful one–does not define the totality of our existence. We are right to remember all that was good and true in those who succumb to the temptation to self-destruction.
3. Suicide is a sin.
- Suicide is a sinful choice made by an individual. This statement is neither unloving nor disrespectful. It is the truth. I dearly loved my family members that committed suicide, but their choices were sinful and not righteous” (JBC Winter: 2006, 22). Suicide may feel like the only way out, but Scripture tell us God will never lead us into a situation where violating his commands is the only option (1 Cor. 10:13). We do not help struggling saints by refusing to tell them that suicide is displeasing to God; lovingly spoken that may be one of the means by which God jolts the suicidal soul back to better, more godly thinking.
4. Suicide is not the unforgiveable sin.
- But for the truly repentant, truly believing, truly justified child of God, God is greater than our sins, even ones that grip is in our dying breaths.
Full Article: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2014/08/20/four-brief-theses-on-suicide/
HELPING THOSE WHO STRUGGLE WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Full Article: https://www.ccef.org/resources/blog/helping-those-who-struggle-suicidal-thoughts
TGC (Samuel James) - The Toxic Lie of ‘Me Before You’
Me Before You, directed by Thea Sharrock and based on a bestselling novel by Jojo Moyes, tells the story of the sweet-tempered and naïve Louisa (Emilia Clarke). She’s happy and unambitious, which turns out to be a problem when her family needs more income. Desperate for work, she becomes a full-time caretaker and companion for the disabled Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy but embittered neighbor. Though Will cynically despises Louisa’s efforts at kindness, she determines to reach him.
Eventually Will’s guard lets down, and their friendship starts to bloom. But Louise soon discovers that Will wants a physician-assisted suicide; her employment was a last ditch effort by Will’s parents to change his mind. Louise decides that she must empower Will to experience the beauty and goodness of life. Soon the two are off on a series of adventures, during which the Laws of Cinema demand that Louise and Will fall in love.
Full Article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-toxic-lie-of-me-before-you
BBC (27 April 2017) - Blue Whale: Should you be worried about online pressure groups?
What is Blue Whale?
There is some confusion about the origin of Blue Whale, but the title is believed to be a reference to an act carried out by some blue whales, who appear to beach themselves on purpose, causing them to die.
The name is apparently being used by an alleged online pressure group, which is said to assign a curator to individual participants who then encourages them to complete tests over the course of 50 days.
These assigned tasks reportedly escalate from straightforward demands such as watching a macabre video or horror film to something more sinister - even leading to suicide.Unfortunately it is not unusual for teenagers to be drawn to social media groups that ultimately have a detrimental effect on their mental health.
Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-39729819
Bloomberg (@macmargolis) - Brazil's Teens Discover a Deadly New Game
"Social media brought suicide to the surface, but it didn't invent it," said Alexandrina Meleiro, coordinator for the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry's research commission on suicide and prevention. "We have a growing public health problem." Brazil's deadly Blue Whale scare may itself turn out to be overblown. But like the homonymous cetacean, what's below the surface is too big to overlook.
Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-04-24/brazil-s-teens-discover-a-deadly-new-game
QPR TRAINING
The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. The signs of crisis are all around us. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.
CNLP 162: Jarrid Wilson On Depression, Anxiety And Suicide And The Church’s Response To Mental Health
At age 15, Jarrid Wilson told a youth group leader he was depressed, and essentially felt dismissed. By age 19, the silence felt like it was killing him and he started googling painless ways to die.
A decade later, at 29, he’s in a very different place, having battled depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. We discuss his story and why mental health is so hard to talk about—and deal with—in the church.