Nineteen reported suicides by school learners in less than two years. Nineteen. The last week alone has seen two: a grade 12 learner at Rhenish Girls High School in Stellenbosch, and another student from Camps Bay High School. Just a week ago, 15-year-old Tamar Snyman allegedly hung herself in the school’s sickbay at Scottsville High school in Kraaifontein.
It’s evident that the when and where of these reports carry no definitive common denominators. Suicide, and thoughts thereof, are not particular when choosing its victims.
This past week, I’ve received a bounty of emails, direct messages, and social media commentary lashing out against the “over-reporting” of suicides on Cape {town} Etc, writes editor, Robyn Simpson. To this I argue, we are not “over-reporting” suicides, there are over-occurrences of suicide. Period.
Parents, friends, and teachers all over the country grapple with the concept of somebody wanting to take their own life. It is a heavy burden to bear, and it is a conversation that elicits a bounty of complexities. Factors contributing to suicide are broad, and often it’s the case that those left behind were unaware of a teenager’s suffering.
UCT Children’s Institute researcher, Neziswa Titi, emphasised the multifaceted nature of suicide and the events and thought patterns that lead up to it. She said the following to IOL.
“Teen suicide has to do with the mental wellbeing of an individual and is multi-dimensional. Currently, we rely on universal Western and adult-centric approaches to understand teen suicide whereas we should recognise that adolescents are not homogenous and thereafter acquaint ourselves with the different cultures of teenagers so that we can learn the languages they use to communicate unhappiness, de-stress and suicidal ideation.
“We often pin one event as the cause of suicide whereas there may be various contributing factors that may have led the child to think that death was the solution to their problems.”
SADAG operations director, Cassey Chambers also said to IOL:
“It is usually a combination of factors, never just one thing, that may lead to a teen thinking that suicide is the only solution to their problems. These include relationship problems, family issues, trauma, abuse, bullying, chronic illness and death.
“Some more recent contributing issues could also be the extra strain of the current state of the world with the global pandemic and all the added anxiety, stress disruption, adjusted way of life and routine. These can all be contributing factors.”
While I am by no means an expert on the topic, I am particularly aware of and passionate about mental health. I think it’s more than fair to add here that social media has contributed significantly to the deterioration of optimal mental health in teens.
I find Dove’s latest campaign particularly telling with regards to the pressures young teens face as a direct result of social media, enhanced by increased screen time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a country, more needs to be done to protect our youth. Where to start? At the very least, by educating ourselves and becoming more aware.
Here are a few “warning” signs, as per SADAG.
Be concerned about depressed persons if at least five of the following symptoms have been present nearly every day for at least two weeks:
- Depressed mood
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Change in appetite or weight
- Speaking or moving with unusual speed or slowness
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach or guilt thoughts of death or suicide
Additional factors that point to an increased risk for suicide in depressed individuals are:
- Extreme anxiety, agitation or enraged behaviour
- Excessive drug and/or alcohol use or abuse
- History of physical or emotional illness
- Feelings of hopelessness or desperation
Taking these signs seriously is serious. 75% of all suicides give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member.
Suicide shouldn’t be a secret and the taboo which surrounds it needs to be de-stigmatised in order to create a safe place for those suffering to come forward without fear of judgment.
“We cannot measure the value of life cut short by suicide. We cannot calculate the impact a person might have had on the world around them or on the people whose lives they may have touched. But through a partnership between survivors, business and community leaders, scientists and dedicated individuals we can vanish this needless tragedy,” said SADAG.
Emergency helpline numbers:
- Dr Reddy’s Help Line
0800 21 22 23 - Cipla 24hr Mental Health Helpline
0800 456 789 - Adcock Ingram Depression and Anxiety Helpline
0800 70 80 90 - Suicide Crisis Line
0800 567 567 - SADAG Mental Health Line
011 234 4837 - Akeso Psychiatric Response Unit 24 Hour
0861 435 787 - Cipla Whatsapp Chat Line
076 882 2775
For more information, from signs, warnings, triggers and assistance, to post-traumatic follow-ups for family members, I urge you to visit SADAG’s website. Here you’ll find an abundance of resources.
#RobynintheHood
Insta: @Robyn.inthe.Hood
Twitter: @Robynhoodcpt
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