A tragic day
02/09/24 02:55
Please note. Today’s journal entry discusses suicide. This is a very difficult subject. If you have lost a loved one to suicide, your grief might be triggered by reading about the topic. If this topic isn’t right for you at this time, move on and read something else. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available. The National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call and connect even if you are unsure whether or not you need their services. Visit 988lifeline.org for more information.
I read a lot of news headlines. I have several trusted sources for news and try to be aware of the major stories in the world. There are some stories that stand out to me. I’m always looking for stories about Japan. Both of our children participated in short exchange programs in Japan as high school students. Our family hosted an exchange student from Japan for a year. Our daughter lived in Japan for 5 years and we were able to visit her twice. Each time also provided us with visits with our exchange daughter and her family.
However, I read stories from Japan with a sense of anticipation at this time of the year. Another part of my personal story that informs my reading is that for many years I served as a suicide first responder. I have had the task of informing family members of the deaths of their loved ones from suicide. I have sat with grieving people as they went through the experiences of sudden loss and trauma. I have received training in suicide prevention, facilitated support groups for survivors of suicide, and served on the board of a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for suicide prevention and for post suicide needs.
On September 1, those two interests come together. Japan is the only G7 country where suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers. The youth suicide rate in Japan is slightly higher than the rate in the US. Both Japan and the US have experienced slight decreases in the rate of suicide among the general population in recent years, but both have experienced increases in the rate of youth suicide. The rate of teen deaths from suicide is up 35% from 1999 in the US. South Dakota, where we lived for 25 years is second only to Alaska in teen suicide with 33.6 deaths per 100,000 youth.
September 1 has been the date with the highest number of deaths by suicide among youth 15 - 19 in Japan for several years. There are many factors that affect suicide statistics and every situation is unique, but pressures around the return to school are often cited as factors in teen suicides in Japan. The story from yesterday is tragic and heartbreaking. A 17-year old high school student jumped from a building in a crowded shopping district in Yokohama. She fell on a 32-year-old woman who was out with friends. Both died.
There was a sickening sense of déjà vu as I read the story reported by BBC. In 2020, a 17-year old jumped from the roof of a shopping center in Osaka. He struck and killed a 19-year-old woman. He was posthumously charged with manslaughter. The charges were dropped, but had he been convicted his family would have owed compensation to the family of the 19-year-old victim. Both teens, however, were victims. Both families have experienced irreparable loss. The exchange of money will not heal the pain of their grief.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) is a public-private partnership working to prevent suicide and to advance a national strategy for suicide prevention. The Action Alliance has declared September to be national suicide prevention month and emphasize connections that can be life saving. Research by Action Alliance partners has indicated that among the factors in rising teen suicide rates include a sense of anxiety about the future and a loss of a sense of safety. Factors include isolation, which was increased during the pandemic. Teens also report worry about climate change, the increase in school shootings, overwhelming student debt, and other issues. While Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander youth are less likely to die by suicide, Non-Hispanic White teens have higher than average rates of suicide death. Native teens suffer disproportionately from suicide with over triple the overall rate for teen suicide.
All of this research can be helpful and contribute to strategies for suicide prevention, but my experience has led me to believe that statistics are meaningless to those in the depths of suicide grief. For them all of the statistics have come home in a single instant. Even though I have decades of experience with suicide first response, I cannot imagine the grief of the family of the student whose story became international news as she left from a building in Yokohama. They have lost all sense of safety. Their visions of the future have been crushed.
Among the many changes of adolescence are complex developmental processes. Teen brains have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex when compared with adult brains. Normal brain development means that this area of the brain does not reach maturity until a person’s mid-20s. Among the results of an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex is a lack of impulse control. In the case of teen suicide, the impulse of the moment is fatal. Often simply delaying a teen’s action can prevent a suicide.
All of that is meaningless to the grieving family, however. For them it is too late. For them the impulse was not delayed. I choose to sit with them in their pain. Of course I have never met that family and likely will never do so. However, I can begin each September by reminding myself of the grief of those who have lost loved ones to suicide and rededicating myself to the never ending work of suicide prevention.
As the youth of our communities head back to school, we who are older can reach out with love and care. A conversation, a card, an email - any contact can serve to remind teens that they are not alone. May we learn to begin each autumn with renewed energy for reaching out to the teens of our communities.
I read a lot of news headlines. I have several trusted sources for news and try to be aware of the major stories in the world. There are some stories that stand out to me. I’m always looking for stories about Japan. Both of our children participated in short exchange programs in Japan as high school students. Our family hosted an exchange student from Japan for a year. Our daughter lived in Japan for 5 years and we were able to visit her twice. Each time also provided us with visits with our exchange daughter and her family.
However, I read stories from Japan with a sense of anticipation at this time of the year. Another part of my personal story that informs my reading is that for many years I served as a suicide first responder. I have had the task of informing family members of the deaths of their loved ones from suicide. I have sat with grieving people as they went through the experiences of sudden loss and trauma. I have received training in suicide prevention, facilitated support groups for survivors of suicide, and served on the board of a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for suicide prevention and for post suicide needs.
On September 1, those two interests come together. Japan is the only G7 country where suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers. The youth suicide rate in Japan is slightly higher than the rate in the US. Both Japan and the US have experienced slight decreases in the rate of suicide among the general population in recent years, but both have experienced increases in the rate of youth suicide. The rate of teen deaths from suicide is up 35% from 1999 in the US. South Dakota, where we lived for 25 years is second only to Alaska in teen suicide with 33.6 deaths per 100,000 youth.
September 1 has been the date with the highest number of deaths by suicide among youth 15 - 19 in Japan for several years. There are many factors that affect suicide statistics and every situation is unique, but pressures around the return to school are often cited as factors in teen suicides in Japan. The story from yesterday is tragic and heartbreaking. A 17-year old high school student jumped from a building in a crowded shopping district in Yokohama. She fell on a 32-year-old woman who was out with friends. Both died.
There was a sickening sense of déjà vu as I read the story reported by BBC. In 2020, a 17-year old jumped from the roof of a shopping center in Osaka. He struck and killed a 19-year-old woman. He was posthumously charged with manslaughter. The charges were dropped, but had he been convicted his family would have owed compensation to the family of the 19-year-old victim. Both teens, however, were victims. Both families have experienced irreparable loss. The exchange of money will not heal the pain of their grief.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) is a public-private partnership working to prevent suicide and to advance a national strategy for suicide prevention. The Action Alliance has declared September to be national suicide prevention month and emphasize connections that can be life saving. Research by Action Alliance partners has indicated that among the factors in rising teen suicide rates include a sense of anxiety about the future and a loss of a sense of safety. Factors include isolation, which was increased during the pandemic. Teens also report worry about climate change, the increase in school shootings, overwhelming student debt, and other issues. While Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander youth are less likely to die by suicide, Non-Hispanic White teens have higher than average rates of suicide death. Native teens suffer disproportionately from suicide with over triple the overall rate for teen suicide.
All of this research can be helpful and contribute to strategies for suicide prevention, but my experience has led me to believe that statistics are meaningless to those in the depths of suicide grief. For them all of the statistics have come home in a single instant. Even though I have decades of experience with suicide first response, I cannot imagine the grief of the family of the student whose story became international news as she left from a building in Yokohama. They have lost all sense of safety. Their visions of the future have been crushed.
Among the many changes of adolescence are complex developmental processes. Teen brains have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex when compared with adult brains. Normal brain development means that this area of the brain does not reach maturity until a person’s mid-20s. Among the results of an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex is a lack of impulse control. In the case of teen suicide, the impulse of the moment is fatal. Often simply delaying a teen’s action can prevent a suicide.
All of that is meaningless to the grieving family, however. For them it is too late. For them the impulse was not delayed. I choose to sit with them in their pain. Of course I have never met that family and likely will never do so. However, I can begin each September by reminding myself of the grief of those who have lost loved ones to suicide and rededicating myself to the never ending work of suicide prevention.
As the youth of our communities head back to school, we who are older can reach out with love and care. A conversation, a card, an email - any contact can serve to remind teens that they are not alone. May we learn to begin each autumn with renewed energy for reaching out to the teens of our communities.
