A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Children as young as five are experiencing suicidal thoughts according to the latest data released by Kids Helpline. The Leader can reveal the national counselling service figures show that almost 10 per cent of the 400 children aged between 5 and 12 called the helpline to talk about suicide. The data also revealed out of 395 people [...]
'Are You Considering Suicide?' and other questions to ask your co-workers In a glass conference room in midtown Manhattan, a few dozen employees from Beacon Health Inc.are taking turns asking each other an incredibly awkward question: "Are you having thoughts of suicide?" There's a right way to ask and a wrong way, and they're here [...]
A 14-year-old girl from a well-known Northern Territory cattle family who took her own life last week has been remembered by her family as a "kind, caring and beautiful soul" as they launched a social media campaign to raise awareness of bullying and harassment. The family of Amy "Dolly" Everett, who was once the face [...]
Regional youth are unable to access needed mental health services despite higher rates of mental illness and suicide than their city cousins. A Griffith University study revealed 142 regional Queenslanders aged between 15 and 24 years killed themselves between 2011 and 2013. The study found in regional areas 18 people aged 15-24 died for every [...]
Children as young as six are watching internet porn, with one group linking the behaviour to sexual assaults in schools. Centre Against Sexual Violence counsellor Kate McCormick said there appeared to be "a lot of sexual assault" occurring within the school environment. "This has been linked back to early exposure to pornography," she said. "From [...]
Suicide and self-harm remain taboo topics in schools, despite the fact youth suicide has reached a ten year high. Recent statistics show around eight children and young people die by suicide each week in Australia. Around one in ten self-harm during their teenage years. This loss of life means that the topic is too important not to talk about, but [...]
Christina’s sister was 28 when she was formally diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, though Christina, who asked that we not use her last name to protect her family’s privacy, says there had been signs of the disorder for years. Beginning in her teens, Christina’s sister, now 30, struggled with eating disorders, self-harm, addiction and suicide [...]
One in 10 teenagers surveyed as part of a national study said they had self-harmed and one in 20 reported having attempted suicide. Research has uncovered worrying rates of self harm and suicidal behaviour among Australian teenagers. Data released from The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children shows 10 per cent of 14-15 year-olds reported self [...]
Facebook will allow users to livestream attempts to self-harm because it “doesn’t want to censor or punish people in distress who are attempting suicide”, according to leaked documents. However, the footage will be removed “once there’s no longer an opportunity to help the person” – unless the incident is particularly newsworthy. The policy was formulated [...]
Most research into teen bullying tends to focus only on the victim. This means we know little about how the bully is affected. A new Australian study shows that teenagers who have been both a victim and a bully are at greatest risk of mental health problems, including self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Bullies are victims [...]
