‘Increase In Pre-Adolescent Children’s Suicide Rate Frightening’ 

A new research has warned that children in the past two decades, growing number of preteens have taken medicines or other chemicals as a way to end their lives.
The findings were published recently in March, 2022  in an online journal, JAMA Pediatrics by a team of researchers who used data collected in the National Poison Data System for Children aged 6 to 18.
The study co-author, Dr David Sheridan, a pediatic emergency room doctor, at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, said mental health concerns are growing issues in emergency department patients.
“We have just seen rapidly escalating numbers of adolescents  coming in with sucidal thoughts. And it seems like we have been seeing younger patients as well”, Sheridan said.
During the study period, there were more than 1.2 million cases, about two-thirds in girls.
Nearly 29% of the cases resulted in serious outcomes, including over 1,000 deaths.
While recreational ingestion stayed constant, suicidal ingestions increased dramatically. In adolescents, the increase was 2.4 -fold higher, compared to a 4.5-fold increase in those aged 10 to12.
“It is a good thing recreational use is not increasing but is very concerning that the sucidal ones are significantly increasing “ Sheridan noted, Despite the dramatic increase, the actual number of teens with sucidal ingestion continues to be much higher than preteens, Sheridan said.
He added that, it is important for parents to know that the drugs children are consuming are sometimes those that are the most common place in households, including acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and allergy medications like Benadryl.
“Unfortunately,  there are kids who are suicidal and they are impulsive and so, they just take whatever is at home” said Sheridan, who suggested locking up even these common medications, if there are kids in this age range at home.
Though the study authors noted that sucidal thinking can be fueled by many factors and is not well understood,  they also said that many social media platforms  were launched in 2013, which happened to dovetail with the rise in cases.
Though Sheridan urged caution about connecting the two, he said that, the goal of the research was to highlight  that this is happening.
A clinical director for the society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Susan Tellone said, it is important to open the conversation about mental health so that people are able to talk about it as openly as they talk about their physical health. A positive  side effect of the pandemic is that it is happening more.
“I’m very hopeful that we can reduce the stigma and shame attached to mental health and have it start to look  like we talk about our physical health, because our brain is an organ, just like our heart , our lungs and every other part of our body” Tellone said.
Parents can do that with their own children by asking, “Are you Ok?” Tellone added.
“And if you are not OK, what’s going on in your life right now that’s  making you feel sad”, Tellone  suggested. “And to ask the question. “Has it gotten so bad that you are actually thinking about not wanting to live?”.
It is important to be able to have that conversation with your kids, Tellone said, and to help them when they are just starting to feel out of sorts . Three important words to keep the conversation going are, “Tell me more, she said.
“And just listen without advice or judgement , just I am here for you. Tell me more”. Tellone said.
During the pandemic, children have experienced isolation and uncertainty  along with everyone and they have had an enomous amount of loss, Tellone noted. Many kids were being raised by parents who were under a lot of pressure and stress.
“For our children, there are many factors that come into the rise in suicidal Ideation, but I think the pandemic and the chronic level of uncertainty has taken it’s toll on families”.
Tellone finally said.

Stories By Ibinabo Ogolo