One in Ten MI Teens Has a Suicide Plan.

[DetroitDad]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...uicide_attempt

Another result of suburbia perfecta. One tenth of Michigan teens admit to having a suicide plan. When is enough enough!? When will people stop living that way of life!?

[Sstashmoo]

Victims of the modern day lifestyles and attitudes. Whenever I hear a mother or father regarding their divorce say: "I did it for ME" I always think, what about the kids? There's your answer.

[Detroitej72]

As if the world isn't lousy enough, now we hear this bit of joy...

[mjs]

Is this a change or the same it was a decade ago or half century ago? Is this just hormones and being a teenager? I don't know and I know close to nothing on adolescent psychology. I'm just asking an important question that may put this in context.

[aoife]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...uicide_attempt

Another result of suburbia perfecta. One tenth of Michigan teens admit to having a suicide plan. When is enough enough!? When will people stop living that way of life!?

I am sorry- what exactly does this have to do with suburbia? City kids don't think about suicide? That is certainly not my expreience.

You really need to either grow up or get out more.

[rjk]

One tenth of Michigan teens admit to having a suicide plan.

That's an attention grabbing line to be sure, but what exactly does that mean?
I always wonder what questions were asked and how they were asked in situations like these. A lot of times people who do these surveys or people who are paying for said surveys have an agenda and are looking for a certain result. You can get a certain result you're looking for without technically straight out lying.

What is a suicide plan? How is that all that different from just thinking about it?
When you get right down to it, killing yourself isn't all that difficult and really doesn't need a "plan" or much thought. You "plan" for your retirement or for a vacation.

[Maple Leaf Rag]

The uptick is that this should reduce unemployment roles by 10%. That is, unless all of the ghost employees of the DPS file.

[DetroitDad]

I am sorry- what exactly does this have to do with suburbia? City kids don't think about suicide? That is certainly not my expreience.

You really need to either grow up or get out more.

No, it's the model I'm talking about, not anywhere in particular. The City of Detroit might as well be on the suburban model at times [[See the "Livonia is attacking thread"). It's a model where parents actually like that their neighborhoods don't have sidewalks so that kids can't wonder off. It's over-protection. Kids need to be toughened up, not protected from the world. Also, it takes a village to raise a child, not an isolated house "pod".

Drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, depression, obesity, it's all the result of that way of life. I just don't get it, it seems like such a destructive lifestyle to me. It's a case of the solution causing more problems than the original problem. How much Hell would I catch on here if I say that our culture as a whole is downright suicidal?

I don't care where a better system is built. I think the old city center makes the most sense because the city infrastructure is already there. If you can make a point to me that something better should/could go for the same money at 23 mile, well I'm all ears. This isn't a city versus suburb issue. This is Michigan after all, there aren't really any cities left. You have unsustainable and destructive suburbs in decline or you have those in gutted otherwise self destructive urban centers who are trying to rebuild them.

[allaboutthed]

I know this boy to a small extent. My daughter goes to school with him. She said he was an "ok" guy, and kind of "emo". After the fact, we "heard" he apparently had a myspace account and his mood was always listed as "depressed". It seems terribly sad that if this was the case [[and who knows the truth anyhow) that nobody notified the school psych. Yes, we were all 14 and everything seemed so raw and overwhelming, but we managed to get through it. We received one notification during the school year that this had happened. Afterward, nothing. No update, nothing. Which ticked me off. This only fueled the rumor mill. Regardless of what kind of kid he was or how badly he felt things were at home, his life, his family's life, his friend's life have all been changed forever. Sad. I felt terribly for his grandpa.

[dcmorrison12]

I can kind of understand DetroitDad's argument. I grew up in suburbia for 18 years, in Birmingham. I came across a lot of kids there who were plain old bored. There's not much to do in the suburbs, especially if you're a teen with a low paying job. The majority of kids in Birminham, hell the whole area, we're recreationally using soft and hard drugs such as x, coccain, etc - out of boredom and nothing else better to do.

DetroitDad has a point on the fact that the suburbs don't harbor an environment of - walkability, easily accessible [[close proximity) entertainment items, neighbors looking out for one another. It's just one large, sprawling, massively [[but quietly) polluting, cultureless, overly protective, BORING, segregated... future wasteland [[unsustainable). I can see how this can effect the state of minds of teens who need adventure, culture, excitement and a sustainable environment.

on the other hand.... city kids can't be suicidal either?

[DetroitPetanque]

It is a shame that none of the City Council have such a plan...

[DetroitDad]

I can kind of understand DetroitDad's argument. I grew up in suburbia for 18 years, in Birmingham. I came across a lot of kids there who were plain old bored. There's not much to do in the suburbs, especially if you're a teen with a low paying job. The majority of kids in Birminham, hell the whole area, we're recreationally using soft and hard drugs such as x, coccain, etc - out of boredom and nothing else better to do.

DetroitDad has a point on the fact that the suburbs don't harbor an environment of - walkability, easily accessible [[close proximity) entertainment items, neighbors looking out for one another. It's just one large, sprawling, massively [[but quietly) polluting, cultureless, overly protective, BORING, segregated... future wasteland [[unsustainable). I can see how this can effect the state of minds of teens who need adventure, culture, excitement and a sustainable environment.

on the other hand.... city kids can't be suicidal either?

Presumably not as many would in a more rewarding environment, a community that is more sustainable, walkable, creative [[culture), nurturing, has real public space, and a community oriented environment with mixed incomes. A culture that values family togetherness and time as opposed to the suburban model of money buys happiness [[consumerism) would logically have less of such problems, as Sstashmoo alluded to. Many Rustbelt, Sunbelt, and Western cities were reduced to, or built on the suburban model. Urban design and architecture alone can affect mood.

[Retroit]

Yes, I'm sure that whether a kid lives in the suburbs or in a downtown high-rise has everything to do with the probability of them committing suicide.

[Detroitnerd]

Hey, at least, unlike our actual leaders, they have a plan.

[firstandten]

I don't know if this is a matter of "toughen up kid, its a cruel world out there deal with it" or is it signs of depression and other mental illness that sometimes pop up around that age.

Kids now days have to deal with too many grown up issues when they should be going to school, playing and doing whatever work needs to be done around the house.

[Detroitnerd]

Also, instead of doing investigative journalism, news organizations are happy to lard their content with lurid stories like this. Teenagers, like anybody else, do commit suicide. And that sucks. But this is garbage news.

[alsodave]

Poor suburban kids with nothing to do. They're just fated to do drugs and work on their suicide plans.
The suburban kids I know go to school and work, even in the summer. They plan trips to Windsor and Cedar Point. They must live in the wrong suburbs...

firstandten, I agree that some kids are dealing with adult issues long before they're emotionally ready. Some of them, though, suffer from overprotection. At some point, they do need to learn to take care of themselves.

[lilpup]

The tendency toward suicide is biologically based - it's a combination of depression and impulsivity. The stressors seem to be what narrows a depressed person's vision to the point they see no other way out but it's the impulsivity that makes them take action. Also, the more depressed a person is the less likely they will have the energy to commit suicide - it's when the depression lifts just slightly that they are motivated to take action but not motivated and/or supported enough to cope with the stessors.

[jtw]

Where did the 1 in 10 stat come from? I only skimmed the video.

Anyway, there is suicidal ideation, and then there are suicide plans. Ideation is "step 1", the thought of killing oneself, which is certainly not harmless and often a sign of larger psychiatric issues. However, a suicide plan is "step 2" in the process, and requires intervention. I doubt that 10% of teenagers have a real suicide plan, although I wouldn't doubt that many teenagers have occasional thoughts about it.

[Johnlodge]

Also, instead of doing investigative journalism, news organizations are happy to lard their content with lurid stories like this. Teenagers, like anybody else, do commit suicide. And that sucks. But this is garbage news.

The only thing that is bigger garbage than this news is Sean of Detroit's attempt to use it to pass judgement on those who choose to live a different lifestyle than he does. Or at least that he has for the last couple of months. [[This, BTW, makes him an expert on all things Detroit, and all you stupid suburbanites should listen up to his 20 something wisdom)

[dcmorrison12]

DetroitDad - sorry, not to get on your case, just wanted you to clarify your argument. I give you major props for doing what's right and putting your trust in the city of detroit. I'm impressed at how enthusiastic you are about raising a child in the city. One day, when my time comes for kids, I'd absolutely love to raise them in Detroit.

[irish_mafia]

It is a shame that none of the City Council have such a plan...

Ha!

I believe the 1 in 10 ratio would come about just before finals [[or shortly after receiving their report cards)

[Sstashmoo]

Quote: "Also, the more depressed a person is the less likely they will have the energy to commit suicide - it's when the depression lifts just slightly that they are motivated to take action but not motivated and/or supported enough to cope with the stessors."

That makes sense, and I know of a situation personally, that it parallels perfectly.

[Blarf]

Nothing wrong with having a suicide plan. If things get bad enough, suicide is always a way out.

[Sstashmoo]

Quote: "Nothing wrong with having a suicide plan."

There is everything wrong with having a plan. There is never a reason to commit such an act. I can tell you first hand, if you really want to cause your family as much pain as possible on your departure that is the way to go about it. Not only will they mourn your loss, they will also blame themselves in part for it. The feeling they could have done more had they only known. The feeling, they could have probably stopped you, had they known.
Suicide is an selfish act and a permanent fix to a temporary problem.

I've never had suicidal thoughts, and at an early age, coming up through the recession of the late 70's, I resigned myself to the understanding, I would do whatever was required to survive.