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Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

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191–200 of 695 posts

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#191

I'll join the chorus of the other sibling commenters here by expressing skepticism that any medication will at all help with anything. Psychiatric medication often simply numbs your brain so it stops being worried about things that legitimately and truly torment it. It reduces your sensitivity, it knocks off your normal brain chemicals balance, and it turns you into a robot. I've had a family member go through this a…

I find it offensive when I see people assume that the only reason anybody takes psychoactive medication is to deceive themselves. I know people whose lives are much better on medication (and who see the world much more accurately than without it), I know people whose lives are worse. Are you so confident that you can decide for everybody else which group they fall into? The world and the people in it don’t exist to make clean narratives for others, whether you’re a drug company rep or anti-psychiatry.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#192

I'll join the chorus of the other sibling commenters here by expressing skepticism that any medication will at all help with anything. Psychiatric medication often simply numbs your brain so it stops being worried about things that legitimately and truly torment it. It reduces your sensitivity, it knocks off your normal brain chemicals balance, and it turns you into a robot. I've had a family member go through this a…

I really used to think this way as well, and was dead set against psychiatric medication.

Unfortunately I have had multiple family members recently deal with crippling and harmful bouts of depression and extreme anxiety.

They tried many things, but ultimately it was medication (not to remove the feelings, but just to help manage them) and long term counselling that helped things get better.

The medication alone is not going to help. But when someone can’t even get out of bed, or ,eave the house, or is so sad that everything becomes a dark fog, I disagree that medication is not required.

I’m now extremely grateful that I am in a position where I am able to afford it.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#193
post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What do we do if their parents end up unable to work due to long term COVID or worse their parents die? Indeed. Parents should also be vaccinated. It would be reasonable to delay school until that point. (This is an additional delay over those previously mentioned in parent comments in this thread.) However, we should also expect that all parents will be exposed to the virus sooner or later, as we have been told fr…

It's not just about death though, it's about hospitalization and long term effects too. We've had multiple major variants. Also what number of orphans is acceptable? 30% of the US won't vaccinate. Delta has a mortality rate of 3+%(1) by the most charitable takes. Rough math would show that could add somewhere under 1 million orphans to the system. Do we also ignore medical costs for those who get sick? What about the…

Even if this 3% number was accurate, which it's not, the most vulnerable group of people typically do not have school age children.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#194
post #32
post #8

> Researchers, though, cautioned against drawing direct lines between these spikes and conditions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted nearly every aspect of U.S. life starting in the middle of last March. > A heightened appreciation about mental health in 2020 might have prompted parents to get their children mental health treatment, they said. > “Conversely, by spending more time at home together…

What a classic HN response. Humans are social creatures. How are lockdowns and social distancing not causal? There's a reason long distance relationships fail and solitary confinement is an ultimate punishment. Add to this doomsday news on loop, confusing messaging on vaccines. I also have too, too much anecdata to counter this. I spent time helping families during the COVID crisis. The amount of confusion and uncert…

A ton of things happened to many kids during the pandemic.

0) Physically away from school 1) Poor learning experience 2) Spending more time with parents 3) Relatives getting sick and dying 4) Dire medical news everywhere 5) Dire political news everywhere 6) Dire environmental news everywhere 7) Many parents lost jobs 8) Many parents lost income 9) Children pressured to (not) take vaccines 10) People (not) wearing masks / Kids pressured to (not) wear masks 11) Away from friends 12) Evictions 13) Excessive drug use 14) Excessive social media use 15) Affected by evolving social justice issues

So there could well be some causation there, but which things are causing what is not immediately clear.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#195

I'll join the chorus of the other sibling commenters here by expressing skepticism that any medication will at all help with anything. Psychiatric medication often simply numbs your brain so it stops being worried about things that legitimately and truly torment it. It reduces your sensitivity, it knocks off your normal brain chemicals balance, and it turns you into a robot. I've had a family member go through this a…

I find it offensive when I see people assume that the only reason anybody takes psychoactive medication is to deceive themselves. I know people whose lives are much better on medication (and who see the world much more accurately than without it), I know people whose lives are worse. Are you so confident that you can decide for everybody else which group they fall into? The world and the people in it don’t exist to m…

And where did I say that everyone is like this?

Christ, people. You aren't necessary everywhere with your "actually" stuff. Chill.

I'm sharing what I observe and what I find disturbing. You can just ignore it.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#196

Maybe not exactly relevant but I’m early 30s and Ive had breakout schizoaffective disorder for a year. It’s bipolar disorder and schizophrenia at the same time. And I have almost come to the point where I can’t live with it anymore in the past few weeks because the symptoms evolve over time. I just wanted to leave this here in case I do die soon. The hardest symptoms to deal with are the depression and anxiety. But t…

Ever hear of the "Living Well with Schizophrenia" [1] channel on YouTube? Lauren there's got schizoaffective disorder too. She really helped a friend of mine feel less alone with her own schizophrenia.

1. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCENqBB_xNax3mLX_WGLf2Lg

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#197
post #192

I'll join the chorus of the other sibling commenters here by expressing skepticism that any medication will at all help with anything. Psychiatric medication often simply numbs your brain so it stops being worried about things that legitimately and truly torment it. It reduces your sensitivity, it knocks off your normal brain chemicals balance, and it turns you into a robot. I've had a family member go through this a…

I really used to think this way as well, and was dead set against psychiatric medication. Unfortunately I have had multiple family members recently deal with crippling and harmful bouts of depression and extreme anxiety. They tried many things, but ultimately it was medication (not to remove the feelings, but just to help manage them) and long term counselling that helped things get better. The medication alone is no…

Sure, they can be a good temporary crutch, I can see that. But are they addressing the root causes?

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#198

I'm not even a parent, but I've been incredibly distressed by this trend. Several of my good friends have had their daughters attempt suicide (luckily, none have succeeded, although 2 extremely close calls). It's been utterly gut-wrenching to watch these talented, kind, ambitious girls spiral into shells of their former selves. Luckily, all my friends are fellow techies who are upper-middle class, and can afford medi…

It isn't even a matter of being able to pay for therapy or psychiatric visits. The mental health system has been overwhelmed throughout the pandemic. There simply aren't enough mental health professionals to help the overwhelming need of individuals throughout the pandemic. You could be waiting 3+ months before you can even be seen by someone, especially if on a state or low-income health insurance plan.

^ This ^

3 months right now is extremely fast to see someone in a clinic with a social work degree. Was told the actual Psychiatrists or Psychologists are completely full for an indefinite amount of time (As in years on the wait list).

And this is paying out of pocket.

And we were told directly from the clinics themselves, that the pandemic has led to an explosion in the number of clients.

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Should teachers be sacrificing themselves? I want to directly address this one - I think the answer is yes. I still get in the engine and answer 911 calls. My wife still goes to the hospital and attends patients. Why shouldn't teachers go to work? Sure, some teachers are old and/or have health issues, and even with vaccination might be at unreasonable risk. Those people need to do something else (sure, with a lot o…

I agree with this, have since the beginning and it's very unpopular view discussing this on places like HN. I'll never forget a passing encounter I had in March 2020 as things were starting to shut down in my area. I was at Lowe's (big box hardware store) and hadn't bought or even worn my first mask yet but knew the CDC was recommending social distance when I literally bumped into an elderly woman in a narrow aisle o…

[deleted]

Re: Youth suicide attempts soared during pandemic, CDC report says

#200
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically it is this sort of arm chair anti science bullshit that increase suicide risk among the mentally ill y contributing to a stigma of being medicated for a mental health condition.

Not at all ironically, you didn't present anything scientific either. And I don't stigmatize people for seeking help. I am skeptical if medications help because I haven't seen them work for the several people I know who tried them.

Anti-psychotic drugs helped stabilize someone I know. It did matter to find the right drug, and nothing else helped.

So there, one anecdote vs. another.

I do agree with the general sentiment, though that has to do with the rulers of this world (not politicians).

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