There’s no replacement for knowing your people and keeping in touch with them in the appropriate ways. Of course, a quick text message never hurt anyone if you aren’t sure. It’s not like most of us overcommunicate with our close friends and loved ones.
If someone you know is grieving the passing of a loved one, take a look at this article and pay special attention to the ones that talk about sharing memories. I am not Jewish, so I don’t quote this exactly, but I draw inspiration from a traditional Jewish saying about death – “May their memory be a blessing.”
I find that memories are the best things to hold on to. They truly are a blessing.
Unspoken in her article but implied by the risk associated with loneliness, we’d also do well to create more community. What I think takes many of these risk factors from challenging to overwhelming is when we are left to deal with them alone. We might see these trends reverse when we have the proper support and mental health resources, but we’re not there yet. Too many people are alone.
I’ve been saying it for years. Any article that claims to identify the “one thing” you need for your mental health is a lie. There is no one thing that works for everyone, but trying everything will help you identify what works for you. The things that are good for you anyway, like eating right, exercising, learning, social connections, etc., will only help. Why not do them?
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.
I can’t help but wonder how many of those teens who feel like they have no one to talk to about their emotions have parents who don’t think their teen has emotional struggles because, surely, they would talk to their “supportive” parents.
Don’t assume your kids are fine because they haven’t talked to you about struggling. They may be in that gap.
