Hi everyone,
This was a really hard article to read. I found myself in tears a couple of times. While I appreciated the narrative format that brought awareness to the issue of childhood suicide, I also found myself desperate for more than just awareness. As an educator of kids, I have been surprised by how many kids I see with what I would consider a lack of emotional regulation inappropriate to their age. I've often blamed the pandemic, but it seems that, according to this article, these trends were developing before that time. This article made me worry more for my students and wish for solutions. It seemed like a lot of systems failed these children, both in the schools and in the psychiatric hospitals. Connection with others and sharing really seemed to help, but this seemed to come only after suicide attempts had been made. My heart really broke for the parents and siblings as well. It's like a bomb of grief and guilt exploded in their lives. I'm not sure society has in place a really solid structure to support family members after suicides and overdoses. That's such a tricky thing. Truly heartbreaking.
Best,
Melissa