Youth Suicide Rates NZ

[Lux]

New Zealand had the third highest male youth (15–24 years) suicide death rate, after Finland and Ireland, and the highest female youth suicide death rate. New Zealand is one of a small number of countries which have higher suicide rates at younger ages than at older ages.

www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/health/suicide.html

[sparrow]

It's pretty scary isn't it?

[kokonutwoman]

Awful figures

[maire]

Shocking figures. I can remember a rash of suicides in Upper Hutt in the 90s[?] kids from Upper Hutt College mainly.
My older son has lost two of his mates through suicide, both were in that age range.
And also another very close friend of his and ours (we called him our other son) died in what could only be described as a suicidal accident.
Absolutely devastating for all the mothers and fathers.

[douweegbert]

As some of you know, I am currently working closely with someone regarding this issue and the figures presented to me where VERY alarming ... something needs to be done about this, and quickly.

It is time the government stepped in and provided the resources (funds and staff) to bring this problem to an end. Better management would also be a key issue that needs to be addressed, unfortunately I was an eye witness to a very unpleasant incident, and that proved that matters can be sorted out at very short notice, when it suits them ...

The whole system needs a damn good shake up ... a new government would be a start

[OasisNZ]

Don't blame the current government, a source told me recently that the suicide rates in New Zealand have dropped significantly over the last nine years or so...

Obviously more work needs to be done, still too many people topping themselves, 'bout time this demon came "out of the closet"?

[OasisNZ]

The system surely needs a shake up Saxophone, are you thinking of getting into politics?

[sparrow]

I blame the current Government, Oasis and also successive Governments for their poor services. Being underfunded is not the problem. It's the organisation and standards of services that in my mind is the main issue. Most places could say they're underfunded, but if you use that as an excuse for failure: then it is time for people to leave and let people in who have the energy to be there.

We have an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff mentality in this country and it's not good enough. We should be looking at ways to prevent and intervene. We have all the rhetoric and no clear plan how to execute it.

There is a school of thought that says discussing suicide is dangerous. In some ways I agree with it, but I do think suicide needs to be discussed in particular ways. One of the first things that need to be said is: suicide sux, it's bad and it breaks the hearts of those left behind. It is one of the worst things a person can do to those who love them.

Teenage suicide is particularly gut wrenching. Adolescence (especially those between 17-20) is the high experimentational age. They experiment with sex, drugs, rock and roll, and some with suicide. It is an extremely high risk age and everyone in the industry knows the risk factors.

The other group killing themselves is men in their late 50s and 60s. It's when working life stops or changes for them, and they feel life has chucked them on the scrap heap. Everyone has all the information and the question to me is why do we still so poor a job in this area?

[Lux]

I think successive Governments have let our kids down, implementing policies which have weakened the family unit. The secondary school curriculum has let our kids down for years and I'm sorry but the whole dog eat dog world mentality today does nothing to ensure the safety or self esteem of our youth.

Men need to take charge and grow some balls and take an interest in there kids day to day lives, women need to step back and stop trying to be the career woman, the mother and the father to their kids, they need to let male role models into their children's lives.

There are a great number of reasons why our youth are feeling so unhappy that suicide looks like the answer to their problems.

[douweegbert]

Apr 19, 2008 21:42:11 GMT 12 OasisNZ said:

The system surely needs a shake up Saxophone, are you thinking of getting into politics?

Ahhhhh ... someone who is observant ... there is method in my madness if you wonder why MB2 disappeared suddenly ...

[sparrow]

Apr 19, 2008 22:27:12 GMT 12 @douweegbert said:

Apr 19, 2008 21:42:11 GMT 12 OasisNZ said:

The system surely needs a shake up Saxophone, are you thinking of getting into politics?

Ahhhhh ... someone who is observant ... there is method in my madness if you wonder why MB2 disappeared suddenly ...

Hmmmmm. There are a lot of screen shots of MB2 floating around though, especially of when people's houses, addresses, places of work, racist photos, posts etc and photos of people who got posted on there. And I mean A LOT of screenshots.

[maire]

I'm going to be different and say I don't think any government
policy, or lack of, are in any way actually responsible for the state of a persons mind,
and what leads them to commit suicide. The lack of support, may cause frustration and anger
to those who have suffered a family member suicide. But ultimately that lack, imo wouldn't have been the actual "trigger".
There are many that can be seen as one though, such as .........
the use of drugs, eg, marijuana can
exacerbate some mental conditions, such as schizophrenia.
A friend who's son suffered that condition and was a habitual 'smoker',
was completely out of control and would not and was never interested in seeking help.
He ended his life in his mid 20's.
Another schizophrenia/marijuana example was one of boys I mentioned above.
Also ended his life in his mid 20's.

Imo drugs, alcohol, music (eg death metal), lack of a vision for any future
(enhanced by tales of the apocalypse .. I've listened to my son & his mates talking about there being no future for them)
are four possible reasons that can contribute to many young taking their life.

What can any govt do to change these four things?
Drugs are already banned and their use punishable, alcohol perhaps should be, but never will,
nor will music or stories from the bible.

Had to rush off before I finished this earlier.
I saw something Latrelle wrote in the thread in TM re
the police telling her that some young experiment with suicide methods [?].
This I have heard before and they think was the cause
of one of the boys who died in the rash of suicides in Upper Hutt
in the 90's. He was a well adjusted, bright, intelligent, popular etc etc, had it all boy, with no reason known to any of his family
or friends, for wanting to end his life.

Whatever the cause or the reason for the young to lead them
to do this, we can only hope we recognise the signs and something can be done to lead them away from that final desperate decision.

[Lux]

I think that the use of drug and alcohol in many cases is symptomatic of underlying conditions for example as you stated maire, schizophrenia. That is about self medicating. But prescribed drugs can be just as dangerous and life threatening in my opinion. Prosac has been linked to higher suicide rates for many years now, and yet youth among others in the population are still being dished out prosac like its candy.

Found this link which is interesting www.communicationagents.com/sepp/2005/01/01/eli_lilly_knew_prozac_causes_suicides_violence_fda_closed_both_eyes.htm


It seems like we live in a world of extremes, so specialised that down the middle common sense has become uncivilised and old fashioned, for example in the not so distanced past, depression in families was treated with a good dose of hard work/physical exercise, fresh air, and family involvement, everyone kept a loving eye on everyone else. Well thats how it works in my family, a legacy of our matriarch.

Now days it appears that getting your behaviorally wayward child off to the Doc to be medicated
a.s.a.p. is the answer to all lifes problems.

Also I think by labelling kids and putting them in particular boxes, for example "This child has adsd" then the focus for that child and his/her family is all about adsd, It quite often changes perceptions and expectations. It sometimes works that labeled kids become powerless because of their labels and will act out on there specific labels because that's where they can take back some power.

Suicide is right across the board in age, sex, social and economic backgrounds, so the causes I think must be vast. That goes for our youth too. So each case must be defined individually to be understood.