When you can't kiss it better: Understanding and preventing child suicide
As shocking reports emerge of children in impoverished areas seeking rat poison to harm themselves, campaigns like visits by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) to raise awareness about suicide prevention are intensifying. Yet, incidents continue as children face immense pressures beyond what is visible to the adults around them.
READ MORE | SPECIAL REPORT | Why do so many women and children go missing?
Instances like an 11-year-old in Brakpan who died by suicide or the heartbreaking case of two best friends in Ekurhuleni who consumed poison during their lunch break, highlight the depth of this crisis.
Experts, like child psychiatrist Dr Maria Dobreva, stress the troubling increase in suicides among adolescents, with warning signs often missed during routine medical visits. Research also shows younger children, often as early as age four, have a deeper understanding of death – and even acts of suicide – than previously assumed.
A growing problem across age groups
In the 15-to-24 age group, suicide is the second leading cause of death, but pre-adolescent children are not immune either. SADAG confirms assisting schools to address mental health issues in children as young as nine. Painful family dynamics, bullying, abuse, and trauma commonly underlie these cases, often leading to despair that children can't articulate but deeply feel.
As families try to navigate complex causes, the case of a seven-year-old girl sheds light on the debilitating struggle these young minds face.
After a turbulent family separation, she expressed her pain not in words but through disturbing drawings. Intervention, therapy, and innovative treatments like ketamine infusions turned her life around, offering hope and healing for her and her family.
Recognising the warning signs
Identifying warning signs can save a child's life. Symptoms like impulsivity, anxiety, self-harm, aggressive behaviors, or preoccupation with death signal distress.
SADAG urges parents to listen actively, connect with their children's emotions, and reach out for professional help. Additionally, behavioral changes, like withdrawal or decreased self-care, require urgent attention.
While depression is a known risk factor, child suicide may also be linked to ADHD, oppositional defiant behavior (ODD), or obsessive-compulsive tendencies (OCD), complicating how parents or teachers perceive warning signs. Child psychiatrist Dr Maria emphasises a proactive approach, urging families to seek not just physical health checks but also mental health evaluations when something feels off.
What can be done?
Child suicide is preventable, but it requires awareness, early intervention and collective action.
Parents are encouraged to pay attention to subtle cues – statements like 'I wish I could disappear,' or changes in social behaviour – and provide a steady source of love and support. SADAG also recommends direct conversations about self-harm, contrary to the common myth that discussing it 'plants the idea.'
Mental health challenges in youth cut across socioeconomic divides, but support from parents, schools, and professionals can make a life-changing difference. For professional guidance on child mental health or suicide prevention, consult SADAG or a local support group in your area.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
The National Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ+ youth went dead. States are scrambling to help
On July 17, the option went dead for LGBTQ+ youth to access specialized mental health support from the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said a month earlier that it would no longer 'silo' services and would instead 'focus on serving all help seekers.' That meant the elimination of the 'Press 3' option, the dedicated line answered by staff specifically trained to handle LGBTQ+ youth facing mental health issues ranging from anxiety to thoughts of suicide. Now, states such as California, Colorado, Illinois, and Nevada are scrambling to backfill LGBTQ+ crisis support through training, fees, and other initiatives in response to what advocates say is the Trump administration's hostile stance toward this group. In his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes, male and female, and while campaigning, he condemned gender ideology as 'toxic poison.' And the administration omitted 'T' for transgender and 'Q' for queer or questioning in announcing the elimination of the 988 Press 3 option. 'Since the election, we've seen a clear increase in young people feeling devalued, erased, uncertain about their future, and seeing resources taken away,' said Becca Nordeen, senior vice president of crisis intervention at The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth. Nordeen and other advocates for at-risk kids who helped staff the dedicated line said it has never been more critical for what The Trevor Project estimates are 5.2 million LGBTQ+ people ages 13-24 across the U.S. About 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously consider attempting suicide each year, including roughly half of transgender and nonbinary young people, according to a 2023 survey, reflecting a disproportionately high rate of risk. The use of the dedicated line for LGBTQ+ youth had steadily increased, according to data from the federal substance abuse agency, with nearly 1.6 million calls, texts, or online chats since its rollout in October 2022, out of approximately 16.7 million contacts to the general line. The Press 3 option reached record monthly highs in May and June. In 2024, contacts to the line peaked in November, the month of the election. Call-takers on the general 988 line do not necessarily have the specialized training that the staff on the Press 3 line had, causing fear among LGBTQ+ advocates that they don't have the right context or language to support youth experiencing crises related to sexuality and gender. 'If a counselor doesn't know what the concept of coming out is, or being outed, or the increased likelihood of family rejection and how those bring stressors and anxiety, it can inadvertently prevent the trust from being immediately built,' said Mark Henson, The Trevor Project's interim vice president of advocacy and government affairs, adding that creating that trust at the beginning of calls was a critical 'bridge for a youth in crisis to go forward.' The White House's Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to questions about why the Press 3 option was shut down, but spokesperson Rachel Cauley told NBC News that the department's budget would not 'grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents.' Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement: 'Continued funding of the Press 3 option threatened to put the entire 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in danger of massive reductions in service.' When someone calls 988, they are routed to a local crisis center if they are calling from a cellphone carrier that uses 'georouting' — a process that routes calls based on approximate areas — unless they select one of the specialized services offered through the national network. While the Press 3 option is officially no longer part of that menu of options, which includes Spanish-language and veterans' services, states can step in to increase training for their local crisis centers or establish their own options for specialized services. California is among the states attempting to fill the new service gap, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announcing a partnership with The Trevor Project to provide training on LGBTQ+ youth issues for the crisis counselors in the state who answer calls to the general 988 crisis line. The state signed a $700,000 contract with the organization for the training program. The Trevor Project's Henson said the details still need to be figured out, including evaluating the training needs of California's current 988 counselors. The partnership comes as the organization's own 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth faces a crisis of its own: The Trevor Project was one of several providers paid by the federal government to staff the Press 3 option, and the elimination of the service cut the organization's capacity significantly, according to Henson. Gordon Coombes, director of Colorado's 988 hotline, said staff there are increasing outreach to let the public know that the general 988 service hasn't gone away, even with the loss of the Press 3 option, and that its call-takers welcome calls from the LGBTQ+ population. Staff are promoting services at concerts, community events, and Rockies baseball games. Coombes said the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration contracts with Solari Crisis & Human Services to answer 988 calls, and that the training had already been equipping call-takers on the general line to support LGBTQ+ young people. The state supports the 988 services via a 7-cent annual fee on cellphone lines. Coombes said the department requested an increase in the fee to bolster its services. While the additional funds would benefit all 988 operations, the request was made in part because of the elimination of the Press 3 option, he said. Nevada plans to ensure that all 988 crisis counselors get training on working with LGBTQ+ callers, according to state health department spokesperson Daniel Vezmar. Vezmar said Nevada's $50 million investment in a new call center last November would help increase call capacity, and that the state's Division of Public and Behavioral Health would monitor the impact of the closure of the Press 3 option and make changes as needed. The Illinois Department of Human Services announced after the Press 3 option's termination that it was working to train existing call center counselors on supporting LGBTQ+ youth and promoting related affirming messages and imagery in its outreach about the 988 line. A July increase in a state telecommunications tax will help fund expanded efforts, and the agency is exploring additional financial options to fill in the new gap. Kelly Crosbie, director of North Carolina's Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, said the division has recently invested in partnerships with community organizations to increase mental health support for marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ populations, through the state's 988 call center and other programs. 'We've wanted to make sure we were beefing up the services,' Crosbie said, noting that North Carolina's Republican legislature continues to restrict health care for transgender youth. Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said Congress could put the funding for the LGBTQ+ line in any final appropriations bill it passes. She also said states could individually codify permanent funding for an LGBTQ+ option, the way Washington state has created and funded a 'Press 4' option for its Native American population to reach crisis counselors who are tribal members or descendants trained in cultural practices. The state created the option by carving out some of its 988 funding. No state has publicly announced a plan to make such an investment for LGBTQ+ populations. Federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have spoken out against the closure of the LGBTQ+ 988 option and urged that it be reinstated. At a July press conference alongside Democratic colleagues, Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents part of New York's Hudson Valley, said he and Republican Rep. Young Kim of Orange County, California, wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reverse course and keep the LGBTQ+ line. 'What we must agree on is that when a child is in crisis — when they are alone, when they are afraid, when they are unsure of where to turn to, when they are contemplating suicide — they need access to help right away,' Lawler said. 'Regardless of where you stand on these issues, as Americans, as people, we must all agree there is purpose and worth to each and every life.' This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
After being discharged from the military, running became a ‘bright point' for Jim Walmsley. He hasn't looked back since
Federal agencies US militaryFacebookTweetLink Follow EDITOR'S NOTE: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world. Jim Walmsley is the first to admit that he hates to sit still, hates having downtime. It's one of the reasons he's ended up with a job that involves running up to 140 miles a week – mostly up hills and almost always on trails. 'I'm a very over-active sort of human,' is how Walmsley characterizes himself. 'I need to go do something.' Right now, the good news for the acclaimed endurance athlete is that he's getting back to what he loves doing the most. The frustration of a lingering knee issue seemingly behind him, Walmsley has been ramping up his weekly mileage ahead of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain and the Pyrenees in late September. It's as much a boost for his general mood as it is for his running fitness. 'I get to do longer runs that take me to fun places, so I'm back to a happy part of my relationship with running and being able to do enough that's quite satisfying,' Walmsley tells CNN Sports. 'I see progression quite a bit.' For Walmsley, one of the world's most successful ultrarunners, the sport has always been more than a career or a hobby – more than just a way to appease his restlessness. During the darkest period of his life, it provided an escape route. After graduating from the Air Force Academy, Walmsley was stationed at the Malmstrom Air Force base in Great Falls, Montana, working 24-hour shifts in a small, underground room as a nuclear missileer. It was a difficult lifestyle and hardly conducive to running, which he had competed in at high school over track and cross-country. When Walmsley did find the time around his work, he would usually set off on runs into the Montana wilderness. 'Having to go into the Air Force, I kind of felt like my running career was done,' says Walmsley. 'I thought it was just on the track – I wasn't aware of this whole trail-running world.' His time in the military, however, was short-lived. Walmsley's involvement in a proficiency test cheating scandal at Malmstrom, coupled with an earlier DUI charge, ultimately led to him being discharged from the Air Force. In the period that followed, his mental health spiraled, and he found himself gripped by depression and suicidal ideation. Even now, about a decade on, memories of that time are painful to recall. 'I haven't looked back on it too much,' says Walmsley. 'I think sometimes it's still a triggering time and I like being more in the present. … Mentally, it's easiest for me to not revisit it so much.' After seeking professional help and taking up a job at a bike shop in Flagstaff, Arizona, Walmsley's love of running was reignited. He found solace in creating a schedule around his training, after each run making plans to go again the next day. 'This is kind of when life started to be more stable, and I was coming out of my getting kicked out of the Air Force and things not going as well in life,' says Walmsley. 'We identified running as a bright point and something that made me happy and something that I like talking about, and essentially the reality that I was getting positive feedback from running, where most of life wasn't as positive at the time.' The key, he adds, was in forming a routine and 'not making off-days contagious.' Eventually, that lifestyle proved addictive. 'It's telltale that maybe I was meant for ultrarunning, in that we tend to just overdo everything,' says Walmsley. 'I just leaned all the way into it and got back into making training part of my routine in life again.' Broadly defined as any distance longer than the 26.2 miles of a marathon, ultrarunning is often viewed as an entirely different pursuit to most other distance-running formats. Races, often staged in brutal conditions and across punishing terrain, can last many hours or days, with participants pushed to the very limits of their physical and mental capabilities. Here, endurance and suffering go hand-in-hand. Among this community with a penchant for the extreme, Walmsley's background in track, road and cross-country running is unique. In 2020, he even broke away from his ultrarunning career to train for and compete in the US Olympic marathon trials, placing 22nd. But it's over the trails and longer distances that Walmsley has shown his true pedigree. He previously held the world's best 50-mile time (4:50:08) and is the course record holder and a four-time champion at Western States, an iconic, 100-mile ultramarathon in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. Those four victories came after a turbulent debut at Western States in 2016: around seven miles from the finish and on track for a course record, Walmsley took a wrong turn, ran several miles off the course, then ended up 20th. That was at the very start of his trail running career, and there have been few wrong turns as dramatic since then. Around 2018, soon after signing a contract with sportswear brand HOKA, his profile in the ultrarunning community soared. On top of his Western States dominance, Walmsley is also the course record holder and the first and only American man to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), which he describes as 'basically the biggest prize you can win in trail running.' The roughly 108-mile race goes around the base of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, and is considered one of the hardest, most spectacular footraces on Earth, passing through the mountains of France, Switzerland and Italy. It has 9,900 meters (about 32,480 feet) of elevation gain – roughly 1,050 meters (around 3,445 feet) more than the height of Mount Everest. To master races like this has demanded a steep learning curve, particularly for an athlete who grew up on the comfort and familiarity of a 400-meter running track. 'Getting brought up in American running culture has set me up to have a bunch of fallacies and kind of fail in a lot of different ways in ultrarunning,' says Walmsley, 'I'd say, typically, it makes me not patient enough.' Now, he's learned that walking up a steep incline is often faster and more efficient than running, even a way to attack other competitors in a race. He's learned the need to stay on top of his fueling and eating little and often, even when his stomach revolts against it. And he's learned to force himself to slow down and stay patient, even when every fiber of his being – especially the long, bouncy, flowy stride he developed on the track all those years ago – is saying to speed up. Ultrarunning, Walmsley believes, is 'very much' a different sport to the sort of running he did in high school and college. He's now a veteran of the trail and ultra scene, enchanted by the beauty and brutality of a day-long race. '24 hours, I think, is a really long, really beautiful length of a race because you're racing one day, one rotation of the Earth sort of thing,' says Walmsley. 'Something unifying throughout every participant in the sport is that we all go through a point of doubt and questioning it, and it kind of goes to motivation to finish and that drive to keep going. 'It's a basic thing that's not so important in the grand scheme of life, but sometimes it's so amazing because it just brings you to the present to focus on going forward. And I think that simplicity in the race is a really special feeling that we can have as humans.' Walmsley, having skipped this year's Western States, will compete in the OCC at UTMB week on August 27, one of a number of races staged alongside the full-distance event. The roughly 37-mile OCC course starts in Switzerland and ends in Chamonix, the French resort which plays host to UTMB and its thousands of competitors and fans each year. The knee injury, which he exacerbated while racing 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) in Chianti, Italy earlier this year, put paid to racing the full distance at UTMB. Now a Chamonix resident, Walmsley is frustrated to miss out on the main event at his doorstep – and one in which he made history in 2023. The priority, however, is on future-proofing his knee from further injury. 'I would say I'm not very good at not racing it, and I prefer to be on the start line,' says the 35-year-old. 'But this year, I'm more afraid about regressing, and I hope to move past this injury. 'Hopefully, long-term wise, it's not a problem next year and beyond … I would rather find myself healthy and competing for UTMB again, but after last year, lining up a bit not healthy, I'm taking more time to try to be more positive that hopefully my injury won't reset again.' And patience, as Walmsley has had to tell himself time and again in his ultrarunning career, is so often the key to success. Recently, he's been relying on it to preserve his future health because he doesn't have plans to ever stop running – even when his competitive career is said and done. 'I would like to hope that I'll be a lifetime runner,' says Walmsley. 'I think I've learned that about myself – that it helps me a lot mentally to keep moving.'
News24
5 hours ago
- News24
Discovery Life paid out R11.5 billion in claims last year – mostly to people who are still alive
Life insurance has evolved. It is no longer just about preparing for the inevitable. 'Today, it's about being there for people through life's defining moments,' says Gareth Friedlander, Deputy CEO of Discovery Life. Life insurance offers far more than just cover that pays out when someone passes away. It also provides financial security in the event of a severe illness or disability as well as where these events stop an individual from being able to earn an income. Additionally, even when clients don't need to claim, Discovery Life returns value to them when they engage in their health and financial wellness. 'It covers us through all the good and bad parts that happen to us along the way,' he said. This powerful shift is revealed in Discovery Life's Claims Experience data for 2024. The data show that between January and December, the insurer paid out R11.5 billion, with the majority going toward benefits that support clients while they're still living (through 'living benefits). The total R11.5 billion is made up of: · R6.85 billion in individual life insurance claims · R2.4 billion in shared-value payments (rewards for healthy behaviours) · R2.3 billion in Group Risk claims City Press sat down with Friedlander and with Daniel Stoch, Head of Research and Development at Discovery Life, to talk through these numbers and expand on the impact of living benefits and Discovery Life's Shared-value model in particular. The R6.85 billion paid to individual life insurance clients breaks down as follows: · Life cover claims (payouts due to death of policyholder): R3.4 billion · Living benefit-related claims: R1.5 billion for the Severe Illness Benefit; R933 million for the Capital Disability Benefit; and R673 million for the Income Continuation Benefit · Additional benefits: Over R260 million paid out through Discovery Life's Global Education Protector, funeral policies and other benefits. Living benefits – a powerful financial safety net 'Our Severe Illness and Capital Disability Benefits provide a lump sum payout if you become seriously ill or disabled. These benefits are there to help pay for unexpected costs that inevitably result from a life-changing health diagnosis or a disability, such as home modifications, the cost of a care-giver, covering treatment costs, or medical equipment,' said Friedlander. · Discovery Life's severe illness product for cancer cover, has been recognised by the Independent Clinical Oncology Network, and offers the best cancer protection in the market. Discovery Life also paid R673 million under its Income Continuation Benefit, which provides a monthly payout to clients if they can't work and earn an income due to a severe illness or disability. 'The Income Protection Benefit protects one of your most important assets – your ability to earn an income, effectively protecting your lifestyle and ensuring that you can focus on what's most important, as opposed to facing huge financial pressure,' Friedlander noted. Shared-value pays you for being healthy Moreover, through its Shared-value model, Discovery Life continued to reward clients who practice the habits that keep them healthy . 'That's money paid out to clients for being healthy,' Friedlander said. This amounted to R2.4 billion in shared value payouts over the past year - money that went directly to clients who made proactive health choices: This total of R2.4 billion is made up of: R1.4 billion in PayBacks (which allows policyholders to get 50% of their life premiums back, paid in cash, every five years, which can be doubled up to 100% when clients choose to defer that payment by five years) R1 billion in Cash Conversions (which helps clients fund their retirement by paying out up to 100% of the value of their life cover through 10 yearly payments once they're 65, without reducing their cover). 'Using behavioural economics, clients who engage in positive health and financial behaviours create extra value in the system – and because they're healthier, there's less risk, resulting in fewer claims. This extra value – which wasn't previously in the system – is then returned to clients through tangible benefits like financial rewards, creating a virtuous cycle of Shared-value,' explains Friedlander Living longer, claiming later Stoch highlighted that interestingly, Discovery Life's data shows that clients who actively manage their health are living well beyond typical life expectancy in South Africa and are therefore claiming for life cover-related benefits later than the average person would. Discovery Life has reported a 57% reduction in mortality among its clients, with many living well beyond the average life expectancy. However, with older age comes more health issues, and, as Stoch pointed out, 28% of Discovery Life's 2024 severe illness claims came from people over 60 – a number that's more than doubled in the past 10 years. 'This emphasises the need for protection that matches your needs throughout your life. That's why, in 2024, we paid out R128 million in Converted Severe Illness claims – when, at a chosen benefit expiry age (either at 65 or 70), a client's Capital Disability Benefit cover automatically converts to severe illness cover,' said Friedlander. The importance of getting cover early Stoch emphasised the importance of obtaining life cover as early as possible. Young adults are not immune to life-altering events such as sports injuries, accidents, or serious illnesses like cancer. The monetary value received from living benefits enables one to continue meeting essential expenses such as rent or bond payments, groceries, medical aid, vehicle costs, and family responsibilities. 'If something were to happen to you at a young age, you could lose almost a lifetime's worth of income,' Stoch noted. 'It also highlights the need for comprehensive cover. You should not only consider death cover but also cover that includes living benefits to ensure you are fully protected against all potential risks while in your most productive years.'
