Teen suicide is a growing problem which should be met with prayer and efforts to help young people develop healthy use of social media, says Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver. Speaking to the Denver Catholic, Aquila spoke of the 50 Colorado teens who took their own lives in 2014, the 72 in 2015, the 68 Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Suicide’
Bike rally a symbol of Featherston’s transformed youth
Thursday, October 5th, 2017As 100 bikers arrived in Featherston last month to rally against teen suicide, our youth were there to manaaki them, and the whole community got in behind them in support. Yet only a couple of years ago, the youth were the talk of the town – but the talk was hardly positive. Alan Maxwell, an Read more
Suicide: why are so many dying of despair?
Monday, September 11th, 2017
We don’t subscribe to print publications in our house (despite the best efforts of the New Zealand Herald to get us hooked with their free “hit” of six weeks’ free newspapers – we tried it once but it wasn’t worth the numerous letters and phone calls we received afterwards trying to convince us to purchase a subscription). Read more
Depression — sobbing, empty and angry
Thursday, September 7th, 2017
When I was 16 years old, a member of my family made a serious attempt at suicide; so serious no-one could work out how they’d survived. I remember sitting on the floor in the lounge, going through the motions of doing my homework, wondering how anyone could do that. Being a self-absorbed teenager, I also wondered Read more
Boldness needed to tackle suicide rates
Thursday, August 31st, 2017
News from Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall that a record 606 people took their own lives in 2016/17, up from 579 the previous year and 564 the year before that, shows that how this country is tackling suicide is not working. This month Health Minister Jonathan Coleman announced a $100 million allocation to fund 17 initiatives Read more
Roncalli College principal has no concerns about Mike King
Monday, July 17th, 2017
Unlike some other principals in South Canterbury, Roncalli College’s Chris Comeau, has brushed off the concerns raised by the South Canterbury District Health Board (SCDHB) about Mental health crusader Mike King speaking to his students. “While I can appreciate their concerns, I think it would be far more effective for all of us to get Read more
- Mike King: New Zealand's mental health system is 'broken'
- Break The Silence: Kamo High School principal Jo Hutt proud to speak up on youth suicide in New Zealand
- Break The Silence: Education Minister Nikki Kaye says time is right for national conversation about youth suicide
- Break The Silence: Scores of secondary schools want more help to deal with student suicide
Dangerous expectations lead men to suicide
Monday, July 10th, 2017
There’s no such thing as male privilege when it comes to suicide. International statistics confirm we’re three times more likely than women to take our own lives. For guys under 45, it’s the primary cause of death. Though women are worse off in many ways in society, this is one issue that disproportionally affects men. Read more
Mental health and NZ’s suicide rate — what’s happening?
Thursday, June 1st, 2017
Mike King is a straight-up sort of guy. He calls a spade a spade. I don’t know him well, but whenever I’ve spent time with him his authenticity has radiated from his heart. King cares about mental health. He cares about saving lives. He cares about people. And he won’t waste his time with buck-passing Read more
Despair as weakness rather than sin
Thursday, May 11th, 2017
Classically, both in the world and in our churches, we have seen despair as the ultimate, unforgivable sin. The simple notion was that neither God, nor anyone else, can save you if you simply give up, despair, make yourself impossible to reach. Most often in the popular mind this was applied to suicide. To die Read more
Tackling the silence around Pacific youth suicide
Monday, May 8th, 2017
Pacific youth suicide is complex: There is no single explanation as to why our young people choose to die by their own hands. It is complex too for those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide. We are consumed by the question ‘Why?’ and caught in self-blame and tortuous Read more