############################Dear Chris:
I think we can all appreciate your perspective, both in terms of the work that you do and in terms of your more personal context. I would expect nothing but thoughtful, supportive comments from a list such as this, given the nature of who's involved. Few of us are truly experts on the subject, but I suspect that many have some familiarity with the research and some have published in the area. Just a brief couple of points based on my own background and knowledge of the subject matter.
First, I always try to get a handle on the most reliable data. Suicide rates have been climbing steadily upward in the U.S. for the past two decades, for example, but perhaps not quite as dramatically as the media have portrayed. Back in 1950, the death rate for suicide in the United States stood at 21.2/100,000 for males and 5.5/100,000 among females.By the year 2000, the figures had dropped to relative "lows" of 17.7 and 4.1 for males & females. But there has been a steady climb over the past two decades, such that in 2017, there were 22.4 male and 6.1 female deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population. Hence, we are confident that the problem has been increasing over the last two decades.
The key question, of course, is "why"? That's where people like Gregg and perhaps others on the list can offer some greater insights. For example, you ask about whether social media adds to feelings of depression and anxiety that could lead to self-harm and even suicidal thoughts. The short answer would be, "yes" - but that has to be placed in the broader context of social and cultural changes that have occurred, and not just purely a matter of technology or the introduction of the iphone. But technology and e-communications are profoundly changing the way in which we interact and connect, as many on this list can attest and comment on further. My concern is that we have only the most limited and imperfect research to try to demonstrate the "causal" linkages between social media and these influences that you have mentioned. We need far more robust research and longitudinal studies, in my view, to tease out the mechanisms that produce higher (or lower) rates of depression and anxiety. These are not "new" phenomena, to be sure, but the degree to which social media may have an adverse impact has not been studied adequately in my opinion - and I've been looking for good research on the subject for the past few years. I've shared a few articles with our academic counselors on the depression among students in universities, but, again, the studies only show broad corollary effects of social media on depression - but the degree of that impact has not been separated from the host of other social, contextual factors such as living arrangements, degree of connectivity or community participation (e.g., we know that getting students out of their dorm rooms and involved in activities has a positive impact in reducing depression), or family situation and stressors, etc. And I'm not even getting into the psycho-biological foundations! Much more to be said, by many on this list and others. Yours kindly, -Joe
Dr. Joseph H. Michalski
King’s University College at Western University
266 Epworth Avenue, DL-201
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 2M3
Tel: (519) 433-3491
Email: [log in to unmask]
______________________
eiπ + 1 = 0
From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Christopher Hadnagy <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 10:27 AM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Why are teens killing themselves at alarming ratesAll information transmitted hereby is intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution of confidential and privileged information is prohibited. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient(s) or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you must not read this transmission and that disclosure, copying, printing, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify the sender by return e-mail and delete the original transmission and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner. Thank you. ############################I rarely comment in this thread, as I feel wholly unqualified to sit at the table with the minds that Gregg has collected here. But this topic is one I often come in contact with during my work running the ILF (www.innocentlivesfoundation.org)
I have questions, that I want to pose but I feel they are questions that can start a fiery debate and I do not want to be a the receiving end of scathing criticism as I realize my knowledge on these topics is probably not up to par with the rest of you, so please take these are real questions I am asking as a parent, as a person who works with saving abused kids and as a 40 something that grew up in a world that went from low tech to all tech and from hard lines to almost invisible lines.
The topic of growing teen suicide is troubling to me, my daughter who is 15 has an ever increasing number of friends who cut, burn, self harm and talk about ending it all. We have lost over 5 friends in the last 1.5 years to suicide, not counting the ones I know I would not consider close. Yes it seems easy to want to medicate it away, but I sit back and I observe my daughter and her interactions with friends both IRL (real life) and online. And here are my questions.
Do you think that the usage of social media adds to feelings of depression and anxiety that could lead to self-harm and even suicidal thoughts? I have noticed with my daughter the constant need to compare herself to the “life” she sees others having online.
Do you think the push to allow even very young children to choose a gender or be fluid with their identities is creating a rift in peacefulness and mindfulness? I find it so anxiety inducing to speak publicly, I do this a lot as part of my job. But something as simple as “Ladies and Gentlemen” will get met with harsh, SJW angst that makes me out to be a racist because I used that phrase.
I read an article that spoke about, even though the “metoo” movement was so positive for helping women find a voice for bad treatment, most young men who are not predators are so afraid of being accused they avoid sexual contact – do you think this lack of human contact and expression can lead to the increase in these behaviors?
(re: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-fertility-birth-rate-decline-jodi-kantor/)
Anyhow, I will stop here, I am not one for long emails, I do apologize that my first time being involved in this discussion is at such controversial topics.
I look forward to your comments and thoughts.
Chris
From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of "Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 9:54 AM
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Why are teens killing themselves at alarming rates
Hi TOK List,
As you know, I have been tracking the mental health crisis in our youth. Here is a brief op-ed in the times reviewing some of the disconcerting data on depression and suicide rates among teens.
It is by a psychiatrist, and, as is too often the case in psychiatry, depression is characterized in the piece as a disease like entity. Indeed, the author seems to believe that if we would only prescribe more meds, teen mental health would be better. I strongly disagree.
I also believe the piece is a good reminder why we need clear and straightforward discussions on what depression IS. FYI, I was invited to do an NPR academic minute on this topic, which will becoming out in march. Here are the takes if you want to get ahead of the release 😊.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dms79kvhllm5mmt/AAAVQPmCkLBwLok1gKghcFipa?dl=0
Here is the basic question I would ask regarding these alarming rates: Are we raising our children in an anti-fragile way that fosters in them the capacity to grow into adults who can love, play, and work with deep purpose?
Here is what the kindergarten teachers are saying about the job we are doing in the schools:
Best,
Gregg
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