Keeping Achievement in Perspective Suicide accounts for half of all gun deaths in the United States. Make sure anyone at risk for suicide does not have access to lethal means. “Means restriction,” as it’s called, is important because of the role impulsivity plays in suicide. The highest rates of suicide among teenagers occur among white males who have a history of impulse control problems, and alcohol and drug use. Teenagers can have a hard time finding perspective, and that’s when impulse-control becomes a problem. “In my opinion, for teenagers, impulsivity plays a much larger role in suicide than it does in adults,” says Dr. Frank Fortunati, director of inpatient programs at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. “They become very tunnel- visioned, particularly with information that relates to them in some way in terms of feelings of shame or guilt.” A child who is high-achieving at school should be able to put a setback into perspective, says Fortunati. These students should be able to move past a setback, for example a low grade in a class. “It would be normal for a teen who wants to achieve to be briefly upset or distressed by not achieving at the level they would expect. It would be alarming if they didn’t quickly get by that in a day or two, put it in perspective, move on and look at the next opportunity. If the teen becomes more intense with achieving in the face of a recent setback, if they seem to be more shut off from family, more irritable as they’re trying to make up for what they see as lost ground, that would be a concern.” Teens can not only be tunnel-visioned, but today they inhabit a 24-7 social media echo chamber their parents never experienced. Psychiatrists and suicide prevention groups are trying to learn more about the complex role social media plays in suicide among teens. There has been an increase in the number of patients admitted to hospitals for evaluation for risk of suicide because a friend saw something posted on social media and alerted friends or authorities. Research has shown there is no direct correlation between bullying and suicide. In conjunction with other risk factors, bullying can add to a person’s sense of hopelessness, but bullying or being bullied alone cannot be considered an independent risk factor for suicide. Teens are also acutely aware of how they measure up and pick up on conflictual messages from their parents. “[Parents] might say they’re okay with a B,” says Fortunati, “but the way they might talk about the success of another kid in town sends the message to their child that that’s really what they expect.” When suicide strikes a community, it struggles to understand who or what was responsible. But social explanations like trouble at work or pressures at school cannot explain suicide. Teens across the country face the same kinds of pressures and most never become suicidal. Says Walkup, “People who end their lives are not people who are well or misunderstood or struggling with routine challenges. These are people who have made a decision in a disturbed state of mind to end their life.” Families can feel guilty for failing to notice signs of emotional distress. Says the AFSP’s Dr. Marshall, “Above all else one of the most important messages I think we can convey to parents, teachers, is that it’s okay to ask if kids are thinking about suicide.” Teenagers are more likely than adults to give an honest answer. --- Natalie Axton writes about mental health, the arts, and Fairfield County. She is the founder and editor of Critical Read. WESTONMAGAZINEGROUP.COM 39 *
HELPFUL RESOURCES: NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE 800-273-TALK IN CT, 211, THEN PRESS 1. MORETHANSAD.ORG YOUTHANXIETY.NYP.ORG
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