Post by title1parent on Oct 2, 2009 4:31:07 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=325787&src=
It's time we all talk about suicide
Daily Herald Editorial 10/02/09
Suicide may be one of the last taboo subjects in our schools.
We've come a long way in the past few decades to explore issues of sexuality, race and religion, to foster a greater understanding of our ever-diversifying communities. Of ourselves.
Teens today are much better equipped emotionally to handle whatever comes their way because they've been exposed to things that before were thought best kept private.
But teen suicide has always been more difficult to handle. Perhaps because the struggles that lead to it are often very private ones. And it's rarely easy to sort out its causes.
We applaud the efforts of a couple of suburban school districts for making a concerted effort to put suicide on the discussion list.
Barrington High School has seen four students take their lives in the last two years. Students were desperate to change that trend.
A task force called HERE (Help, Encouragement, Resources, Education) of Barrington held a series of events on Saturday called Stop the Stigma in an effort to stimulate discussion between parents and children, bring the community together to embrace the importance of the issue and, yes, inject some fun into an otherwise serious day. It held a community walk, a panel discussion with mental health experts and had bands, including Smash Mouth, play. Six thousand people participated.
St. Charles Unit District 303 lost six students to suicide over the last seven years.
Its approach to the problem was, on the whole, more serious. But powerful.
The district this spring held a series of four community meetings to explore the signs of suicide, discuss ways to intercede before it is too late. And it allowed some of those grieving a catharsis.
In the final summit, four women who had all lost someone close to them shared their insight. It's not up to the adults in the school system to solve the suicide problem, they said. Kids are most apt to turn to other kids rather than even the most trusted adults for emotional understanding.
The panelists urged everyone to not shun or avoid discussing a suicide event with people grieving the loss. The healing begins, they said, when people ask about it.
The St. Charles district plans to provide training about depression and suicide for school staffers, parents and students - as early as sixth grade. Kids will be urged to not ignore the signs and to let an adult know.
One online commenter on our coverage of the Barrington event, said: "Those in the school environment should learn more about suicide to be aware of potentially dangerous situations, but all of us can be more accessible, compassionate and understanding of others to hopefully reduce the high rate of suicide."
We couldn't agree more. Other districts that haven't addressed the issue yet should be inspired by what Barrington and St. Charles have done. Continue the conversation.
It's time we all talk about suicide
Daily Herald Editorial 10/02/09
Suicide may be one of the last taboo subjects in our schools.
We've come a long way in the past few decades to explore issues of sexuality, race and religion, to foster a greater understanding of our ever-diversifying communities. Of ourselves.
Teens today are much better equipped emotionally to handle whatever comes their way because they've been exposed to things that before were thought best kept private.
But teen suicide has always been more difficult to handle. Perhaps because the struggles that lead to it are often very private ones. And it's rarely easy to sort out its causes.
We applaud the efforts of a couple of suburban school districts for making a concerted effort to put suicide on the discussion list.
Barrington High School has seen four students take their lives in the last two years. Students were desperate to change that trend.
A task force called HERE (Help, Encouragement, Resources, Education) of Barrington held a series of events on Saturday called Stop the Stigma in an effort to stimulate discussion between parents and children, bring the community together to embrace the importance of the issue and, yes, inject some fun into an otherwise serious day. It held a community walk, a panel discussion with mental health experts and had bands, including Smash Mouth, play. Six thousand people participated.
St. Charles Unit District 303 lost six students to suicide over the last seven years.
Its approach to the problem was, on the whole, more serious. But powerful.
The district this spring held a series of four community meetings to explore the signs of suicide, discuss ways to intercede before it is too late. And it allowed some of those grieving a catharsis.
In the final summit, four women who had all lost someone close to them shared their insight. It's not up to the adults in the school system to solve the suicide problem, they said. Kids are most apt to turn to other kids rather than even the most trusted adults for emotional understanding.
The panelists urged everyone to not shun or avoid discussing a suicide event with people grieving the loss. The healing begins, they said, when people ask about it.
The St. Charles district plans to provide training about depression and suicide for school staffers, parents and students - as early as sixth grade. Kids will be urged to not ignore the signs and to let an adult know.
One online commenter on our coverage of the Barrington event, said: "Those in the school environment should learn more about suicide to be aware of potentially dangerous situations, but all of us can be more accessible, compassionate and understanding of others to hopefully reduce the high rate of suicide."
We couldn't agree more. Other districts that haven't addressed the issue yet should be inspired by what Barrington and St. Charles have done. Continue the conversation.
