Here's the heartbreaking news of the day: suicide rates for kids ages 10 to 24, which had decreased since 1990, have now gone up by 8 percent. While rates for girls ages 15 to 19 went up by 32 percent, the
biggest jump was in suicides among girls 10 to 14. Good lord, those are still lego and doll years. Now, while we are talking about small numbers here (94 suicides in that age group in 2004, compared to 56 in 2003) think about the fact that kids as young as 10 even have moments of contemplating the end of their lives. Middle school may have been one the lowest points in my existence, but still...ugh.
So why are the numbers going up? Researchers say: Um, we dunno. An decrease in antidepressant use among kids is one possible factor cited (yeah, there's a controversy brewing there,) as is the plain old suckiness and pressure of middle school. Basically it isn't clear yet if this is an anomaly or a trend. And I don't imagine it will be easy to prevent, since the warning signs include "mental illness, alcohol and drug use, family dysfunction and relationship problems." In other words: junior high, for some of us. And as I wrote this, I remembered how crappy that time was, and you know, it got a little easier to understand. But no less depressing.
