Content warning: This post will contain discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.
According to the McCreary Centre Society, 18% of students aged 12-to-18 considered suicide in 2023. A 2019 report by the BC Coroners Service showed that suicide is the leading injury-related cause of death for youth. As elementary educators, we are going to be working with young people and need to be aware of the risk factors associated with suicide and think about the ways that it impacts young people.
One interesting consideration that I came across in my inquiry was that suicide rates are often underreported for kids under the age of 12. Why is this? Often, it’s because death under age 12 that may have been by suicide are often reported as accidents. Even with this underreporting, it is still thought that approximately 1.3 in every 100,000 Canadian children die by suicide each year, making it fourth highest cause of death among this age group. It’s not just a teenager issue! It is also significant because a suicide attempt in childhood is one of the greatest predictors of a suicide attempt into adolescence.
In terms of specific treatments, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) are seen as the best therapeutic approaches for reducing the risks of suicidal behaviour. To effectively develop a care plan for youth experiencing suicidal thoughts, a family-based approach is also key, as parents of children experiencing these thoughts often feel guilt and shame.
I am curious if anyone has anyone has experience in this particular field, and thank you for reading a heavy post this week.
Markus
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