“Our kids are not even close to being OK,” says Michelle P. Maidenberg Ph.D., MPH, LCSW-R “I’m astonished at how many patients I’m currently treating that have been directly or indirectly impacted by suicide or fentanyl poisoning. There’s a new crop of youth who are suffering with anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of the residual effects of these tragedies.
I often hear the reverberation of these youth; they’re left bereft with immense guilt, shame, anger, and sadness. They wonder, “What’s wrong with me, what signs did I miss?”; “Why didn’t I intervene?”; “What if it were me?”; and “I sensed something and should have done something; it’s my fault this happened.” I have seen youth resort to socially isolating, engaging in risky behavior, and becoming profoundly anxious and depressed because of the complicated grief.
Suicide
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among individuals aged 10 to 14 and 25 to 34 years, and the third-leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 years. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that nearly 20 percent of high-school students report serious thoughts of suicide and 9 percent have made a suicide attempt.
Teens and young adults often have a hard time reaching out and asking for help. They often feel shameful and hopeless and they can’t see a way out. Developmentally, their prefrontal cortex, the brain’s executive control center, isn’t fully developed until their mid-20s. Their underdeveloped brain may lead to impulsivity and poor judgment and decision-making.
There are individual, relationship, community, and societal factors that put youth at increased risk. It’s critical that all kids and adults are educated on the risk factors and warning signs. In Dana Smith’s New York Times article, she points out what to say and what to do if there’s concern about a loved one.
We’re also seeing that suicide rates are rising in communities that were hit the hardest by the pandemic. The cumulative stress over the past several years is directly and negatively impacting our youth.
