A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
When Northern Territory teenager Dolly Everett tragically took her own life in January after being mercilessly bullied online, the nation was rocked to its core. Dolly’s death may have provided more questions than answers, but it became a topic of public discussion. A 2016 report by mental health organisation Orygen found that suicide rates among [...]
An anonymous website where children can report harmful behaviour is uncovering self-harm clubs, drug dealing, bullying and illegal activity at an increasing rate. Former Sunshine Coast teacher Rachel Downie started Stymie several years ago to provide a safe space for bystander children to speak up without fear. After a school signs up to the program, students can [...]
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 [...]
In October 2010, Tom Rogers, a head of history and acclaimed Tes columnist, travelled down to Cardiff to hear a speech by the then Welsh education secretary Leighton Andrews. "I was sat at a table with a number of my colleagues who’d made the trip. I can’t remember a thing that Leighton said in a [...]
"A washing machine tummy”; “a volcano inside of me” – these are some of the ways young children can describe anxiety and other mental health issues, according to staff at YoungMinds, a mental health charity. In 2016, Childline reported a 15 per cent in suicidal calls, with children as young as 10. There has been a steep [...]
Severe mental illness is challenging enough for adults to manage. Many spend years seeking treatment before they find something that works. For children, the picture is even grimmer. New research suggests that the rate of suicide and suicidal thoughts among children is skyrocketing. What’s behind this crisis in child mental health? Here are five key [...]
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 [...]
