By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
According to the 2021-2022 Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth data, 21.4% of Brandon students surveyed seriously considered suicide.
MiPhy anonymously surveys seventh, ninth and eleventh grade students every two years to track health and safety data. According to the CDC, rates of suicide are also higher in January.
“I think there are probably a variety of reasons,” said Adam Hamilton, clinical director at Oakland Community Health Network. “You’ve got a number of things going on where people are generally more susceptible to depression, such as seasonal depression, long periods of darkness, shorter days, difficulty accessing activities, and we’re also kind of coming out of a holiday season. It can feel lonely or you could not have connections with family, the impact of that loneliness is probably more acute as we go into the cold, dark months of winter.”
This may be especially true in children and teens, and Hamilton said the first signs for parents to look for would be withdrawing from important social activities, withdrawing from friend groups and isolating more.
“Not engaging and talking about things I would expect my child to talk about,” he said. “You’ll see kind of a loss of interest in other important activities, such as grades slipping or general attention to school work or staying on top of things. Suddenly not wanting to participate in a sports team or dance class.”
While adolescents may be struggling, parents can help by making space in their lives to connect with their children, especially those who fear their child is struggling, said Hamilton, while still understanding a need for privacy.
“We have to be extra patient, it’s not the case that adolescents are going to open up right away,” he said. “We have to expect they’ll hesitate a bit. How we have those conversations is important, don’t interrogate or corner them, don’t put them in a situation where they feel they might be chastised or criticized. To the degree that we can be open, warm, engaging, understanding and validating. Facilitate better conversation and be ready to play the long game. It’s probably not going to be one conversation.”
Parents who have significant concerns that their child might be verging on crisis or are aware that their child is having suicidal thoughts, hopeless thoughts, or thoughts of being burdensome to others can reach out via the suicide hotline, 988, or for behavioral health crisis services through the Oakland Community Health Network, 877-800-1650. Parents should also get their child in to see a mental health professional as soon as possible, but the emergency services can be a resource in the meantime.
“If we’re very concerned, we need to be with them, we need to be monitoring them,” he said. “Put together a short-term plan to mitigate and keep a child safe and a long-term plan. In an immediate crisis, stay close, keeping conversations open.”
Another important topic for parents to have is about access to lethal means, according to Hamilton.
“As children become adolescents, they tend to select for more lethal means,” he said. “So suicide is more likely to occur if someone has access to a firearm. We’re taking that option off the table and creating a space in time where someone doesn’t have access to something and they have more time to think, which reduces the likeliness of rash activities.”
Hamilton said early intervention is key, and that warning signs of a teen or child beginning to struggle include increasing social problems at school such as bullying.
“If I’m getting bullied at school in 2024, that can follow me home via social media,” he said. “Be attuned to things going on socially. It’s hard when valuing their privacy and independence. If my child’s being harassed or bullied, as a parent, I’m thinking it makes sense for us to be cognizant of what’s happening in those spaces. Keeping connections with our children is extremely important. We want them to come to us, we want to know, we want to be available. We want to be positioned to help when these needs arise.”
Even with all of this, the best thing parents or adults can do is to foster a meaningful connection, said Hamilton.
“I’ve seen some data that suggests one meaningful connection to a caring adult, teacher, coach, a volunteer, one meaningful connection to a safe, caring adult can be profoundly impactful,” he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call 988. Find more resources and information on mental health and wellness from Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance the first Saturday of each month in The Citizen newspaper..