Youth suicide, depression and self harm are very real problems in our society but often we don’t hear the shocking statistics. Thankfully, Youth Focus is committed to helping young people and their families
Youth Focus is a Western Australian, non profit organisation with expertise in providing practical and effective support for young people, 12-18 years of age who are showing early signs associated with suicide, depression and deliberate self harm as well as providing support for their families.
Youth Focus has been established for 12 years and operates within both metropolitan and regional areas, servicing more than 600 young people each year and supporting some 160 families. In the last two years there has been a significant increase in demand for these services. As a consequence Youth Focus has been unable to offer assistance to an additional 240 young people each year who seek their help. It is believed that this number will continue to grow.
On the 1st of April, 40 men and women will set out on a five day bike ride from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Youth Focus in the prevention of youth suicide, depression and deliberate self harm. One of those cyclists, James Sutherland, joined me in the studio on Monday to talk about what the ride will achieve.
You can see James and me in the photo above. James is holding a tin to collect donations and I’m holding an award that was given to me on Wednesday night of last week by the Governor of Western Australia, Dr Ken Michael, AC. The award recognises the part that 98.5 Sonshine FM has played in promoting the Ride for Youth and Youth Focus over several years.
You can hear what James had to say about Youth Focus and the Ride for Youth by clicking the play button on the Audio Player at the bottom of this post.
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Often suicide isn’t reported in the news as reporting and awareness campaigns can *increase* suicide trends (as suicide becomes more socially acceptable).
Youth Suicide and depression *is* a significant problem – however because of the attention it does receive, many people assume (incorrectly) that the most at-risk demographic is young people. Teenagers are 1.5 to 2 times less likely to die of suicide than adults – and statistics show the most significant demographic for suicides are white males over the age of 70.
I don’t have the statistics, but there’s also a greater incidence of suicide and depression in rural Australia.
http://www.reachout.com.au is another Australian charity that works with young people – it doesn’t aim to rescue young people as they get near the edge (although there’s some evidence that it does do this quite effectively), but it works to promote positive mental health, coping strategies, and awareness of various problems that can lead to (and are associated with) mental illness, as well as connecting young people to support local agencies.
Anyway, I’ve rambled enough here.
Brent
Thanks for dropping in, Brent.
Suicide certainly is a widespread problem and I’m glad that there are a number of organisations trying to help people of many ages to understand that it’s never the answer.
Looks like Reach Out has similar aims to Youth Focus in reaching young people well before they reach crisis point. They’ve even started running programmes in schools for children as young as 6 to promote healthy mental attitudes as well as teaching life skills and coping strategies.