Friday 6 July 2012

Discussion: Increase In Canadian Female Youth Suicides

Huffpost Living
Suicide Rate Increase For Youth: Young Canadian Females At Risk
In Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death, behind accidents, for youth between the ages of 15 and 24.
First Posted: 04/ 2/2012 12:00 pm Updated: 04/ 4/2012 12:30 pm
The Canadian Press
TORONTO - The suicide rate for Canadian girls aged 10 to 19 has risen over the last few decades, but decreased for boys of the same age, a study has found.
The report in Monday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal also found suffocation — including hanging — is the most common method for both young males and females.
In 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 233 Canadians aged 10 to 19 — 156 males and 77 females — died by their own hands.
Suicide accounts for 20 per cent of deaths from all causes in this age group, compared with 1.5 per cent of deaths among the entire population. It is the second leading cause of death, behind accidents, for Canadian youth between ages 15 and 24.
Overall, the suicide rate fell on average by one per cent each year.
"However, when we analyze males and females a little bit further and by age group, we discovered that among male children and adolescents, the suicide rates are generally decreasing, while the suicide rates among the female children and adolescents are increasing,"



The Sydney Morning Herald

Suicide among children as young as 11 at alarming levels

Russell Skelton
February 11, 2012
        GIRLS as young as 11 are committing suicide at an unprecedented rate in Northern Territory indigenous communities where family violence is rife.
        Dr Howard Bath, the territory's outspoken Children's Commissioner, told The Saturday Age this week that girls now account for a previously unheard of 40 per cent of all suicides of children under the age of 17.
       The increase in young female suicides coincides with an epidemic of marijuana use and a staggering rise in the number of territory Aboriginal women being admitted to hospital as a result of violence.
"Aboriginal women are being hospitalised for assault at 80 times the rate of other women. It beggars belief.'' said Dr Bath. ''Exposure to violence greatly increases the risk of a person taking their life."
       Dr Bath said he believed the proportion of indigenous girls committing suicide in the territory was now the highest in the Western world. The method chosen is usually hanging and it is a particularly lethal method, far more than an overdose," Dr Bath said.
          Five years ago, when the Howard government launched the emergency intervention in the territory to combat systemic child abuse and neglect, the number of girls committing suicide was significantly lower. In 1980 it was zero.


Discussion: In these 2 new articles, as well as others I’ve read but did not post here, there seems to be an increase in the suicide rates in the past few years of teen girls in Canada , Australia and New Zealand and other countries, while for teen boys there seems to be a slight downward suicide trend. One possibility raised, is now that females are entering the work force more and more, this may lead to more stressful lifestyles and experiences than in the past. As females are working and becoming more and more involved in jobs that are increasingly demanding, perhaps through the desire to work, the financial demands of single parenting, or through necessity due to the cost of living, the increase in suicides seems to coincide with this increased stress.
There also seems to be considerable evidence that violence and abuse against young women is increasing, giving rise to an increase in female teen suicides. I do not have the specific statistics but I found many references to the increase in violence against females during the last few years. This is troubling to me as well as a little perplexing. One possible explanation suggested could be that as the economy gets tougher and work and money become scarcer, males are becoming more violent, particularly against younger and more vulnerable women, compounding female teen suicidal tendencies. Although violence against women and children is never acceptable, this may nevertheless be true.
It is also possible that, like the Australian Aboriginal female teens, the First Nations female teens in Canada are a significant portion of the Canadian suicide statistic but that data was not shown to verify the data collection summary by category. Perhaps the violence against the Australian Aboriginal teens mirrors that of violence against our Canadian first Nations Teens! This is another disturbing consideration and one that also should be looked at and addressed if found to be true to determine the cause, the perpetrators and solutions.
Drugs use is one of the reasons suggested for coping with depression, distressing family issues, and abuse just to name a few. In addition, drugs seem to be one of the major methods of choice for suicide attempts by teen girls. Today drugs seem to be becoming easier and easier to get on the street and are perhaps even difficult to avoid depending on the environment and circumstance.
It is very likely there are numerous possibilities that could account for the rise in teen female suicides but the reason I bring it to our attention is that any rise in youth suicide is disturbing and the reasons need to be looked at by all of us. Why are more of our young girls wanting to kill themselves!!! What has happened to cause these numbers to increase. When I hear of children as young as seven years old speaking about suicide it makes me even more certain that as I complete my BSW degree and enter into my second career in social work, I want to continue to work with children, adolescents and youth and addressing their needs. This is my passion and the need to help is great.