Suicide Among the Young: How to Try to Prevent It

To the Editor:

Re “After Three Suspected Suicides, a Shaken Cornell Reaches Out” (front page, March 17):

Suicide is a tragedy, made worse when occurring in youth. Many university campuses, not only Cornell, are beleaguered by this excruciatingly painful problem. After all, they have our youth and promise in their classes, seminars and dormitories.

The continuing neglect of the major cause of suicide among youth is shocking. The bulk of coverage in the media largely misses it. It is not only about stress, long winter nights, school challenges or failures, loneliness or social isolation. After all, most people who face these stressors do not kill themselves.

Thus, although stress might precipitate it, it is about mental illness, most commonly mood and substance abuse disorders. Until we as a country face the challenge of reaching our youth and providing high-quality mental health services, until we can reduce the stigma of seeking help for psychiatric conditions, we are crippled in our efforts to stem this scourge.

Our future is our youth. We are duty-bound to reach them and maximize the likelihood not only of their survival but also of their success.

Maria A. Oquendo
New York, March 17, 2010

The writer is a professor of clinical psychiatry and vice chairwoman for education in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University.

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Why Symptoms of Schizophrenia Emerge in Young Adulthood

ScienceDaily (Feb. 26, 2010) — In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don't develop until young adulthood. Both types of anatomical glitches are influenced by a gene known as DISC1, whose mutant form was first identified in a Scottish family with a strong history of schizophrenia and related mental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to treat, prevent or modify the disorder or its symptoms.

full article can be found at this link

Online Community for Young Adults Living with Mental Illness

NAMI has embarked on a project to build an online community that consists of a resource center and a social networking Web site specifically designed for young adults (ages 18 to 26) living with mental illness.


Young adult consumers have been driving the development of the online community, StrengthofUs, from the very beginning. We have been receiving and incorporating an incredible amount of input and feedback on various elements including design, applications and resource topics, and have been working on an ongoing basis with an Expert Advisory Group of young adult consumers.

We are now seeking additional young adults who are interested in becoming involved with any of the activities below. If you know of any young adults who would interested in participating, please have them email Dana Markey, Program Coordinator, at danac@nami.org.


1. WHAT DOES STRENGTH MEAN TO YOU?

In conjunction with the online community project, we would like to hear from young adults on “What Does Strength Mean to You?” This question can be answered in the following forms:
Artwork
Photographs
Short Vignettes
Poems
Videos

Submitted content will be reviewed for incorporation into the online community. The deadline for submissions is Monday, January 4th. Submissions should be sent to Dana Markey, Program Coordinator, at danac@nami.org.

2. BETA TESTING THE ONLINE COMMUNITY

StrengthofUs includes a social networking Web site where young adults can link with each other and their local communities by creating a profile, sending messages, participating in discussion groups, posting blogs and other content and using calendars.

We are seeking a group of young adults to actively participate in beta testing the social networking Web site and reviewing the online community as a whole. The beta test of the online community will begin in January.

Those interested in beta testing the Web site should contact Dana Markey, Program Coordinator, at danac@nami.org as soon as possible.

StrengthofUs will publicly launch in late March 2010. We are extremely excited for the opportunity to work with young adults on this project and address the unique needs of this age group. Thank you for your time and we look forward to hearing from you!

Detailed Project Description:

NAMI’s Online Community/Social Networking Website for Transition-Age Youth

NAMI’s Child & Adolescent Action Center (CAAC) has received a two year grant to develop an online community/social networking website for transition-age youth between the ages of 18 to 24. The website will be geared toward those who are living with a mental illness as well as those who want to learn more about mental health or how to support their friends or family members living with a mental illness.

The website will include information and resources on topics pertaining to mental health and transition-age issues, including:
· Advocacy
· College-Based Services and Accommodations
· Connection to Community Activities
· Employment
· Relationships
· Housing
· Independent Living, Social, and Coping Skills
· How to Support a Friend or Family Member with a Mental Illness
· Information on Diagnosing and Treating Mental Illness
· Peer Support and Services
· Strategies for Overcoming Social Isolation
· Social Security

Equally important, the website will also have a social networking component that will allow website users with shared interests and concerns, and those seeking information, to connect with one another and their local communities. The website will enable youth to create a profile and communicate with each other within a safe and secure environment.

In order to ensure an effective web community is developed, NAMI surveyed over 250 transition-age youth to collect their input and feedback on what they want and need from an online community/social networking website. NAMI has also created an Expert Advisory Group of transition-age youth to provide the young adult perspective and guide NAMI’s work throughout the development of the website. This group will provide ongoing guidance on the layout, design, content, and promotion of the website.

The website will be launched March 2010. For more information about this project, please contact Dana Markey, Child and Adolescent Program Coordinator, at danac@nami.org.

We are extremely excited to develop an online community/social networking website that will better meet the unique need of transition-age youth. Stay tuned for more details!