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Sharing – Most young people who die by suicide in the US do not have previous mental health diagnoses, study suggests
I think there are two things that stood out to me about this research.
Young people who need help aren’t getting it. Part of the reason why there is no diagnosis is that many of these young people are suffering in silence. They are vulnerable for a number of reasons but we are not taking the steps to identify the issues and get them help. That’s on all of us. It appears to be a larger issue with minority kids, males, and other groups who historically have been underserved my mental health resources.
Guns are so effective at killing that kids with access to guns only need to consider it one time. It’s hard to get to a diagnosis when the method works so often. Only 33% of those lost to suicide by gun had a diagnosis, compared to 40% overall.
Shared Links (weekly) Jan. 12, 2025
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Link – You Can’t Expect People To Understand
If you have never stood on the shore and looked at the ocean, you don’t know what that feels like. If you have never flown on an airplane, you don’t know the sensation of take-off or ascension. Mental illness = same thing. Yes, it’s true. You cannot expect everyone around you to really understand what…
Link – U of T experts explain difficulties of reporting on suicide – and why it’s important to focus on resilience
Most of us probably don’t consider ourselves “the media”, and we certainly don’t reach nearly as many people, but with the rise of social media, blogs, podcasts, etc. there are many, many of us who are a voice that others listen to. Given that, it would benefit all of us to understand the correct ways…
Shared Links (weekly) June 8. 2025
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Sharing – Is Mental Illness “Abnormal” If It’s Super Common?
I like this comparison to the flu, because the flu is something we all deal with in one form or another, and most people struggle with it for a time, and then get better. Some get treatment, and get better. Some get treatment, and don’t get better. Some have it worse than others, some let it linger without treatment and it becomes a more serious problem, etc. And some people, just don’t get the flu much at all, for some reason.
That sounds a lot like the diverse ways many of us deal with mental health struggles. Some are more dangerous than others, but many, many people end up dealing with it, even if just for short time.
Perhaps, if we viewed depression, anxiety, as something closer to the flu, as opposed to something to be kept secret at all costs, more people would have minor cases that are treated and recover quickly, as opposed to letting them fester and become more complicated. And the folks with more complex issues, akin to pneumonia, would not be told to just suck it up because it’s all in their head. They’d get the treatment that their illness requires, because we all recognize that mental health issues are easily as common as physical health issues, and there’s no weakness associated with them.
