Community Counseling Center identifies suicide risk for children aged 10 to 13

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and is the No. 2 cause of death nationwide for youth and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24, according to a December report by the Jed Foundation (JED) — a not-for-profit group aimed at protecting emotional health and preventing suicide for teens and young adults in the U.S.

Recently, Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau identified the 10 to 13 age range as a particular area of concern for suicide nationwide, including for the children it serves in Cape Girardeau, Perry, Bollinger, Madison and Ste. Genevieve counties.

According to a September 2022 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth and young adults aged 10 to 24 account for 15% of all suicides in the United States. While overall suicide rates have increased in the United States, provisional 2022 data from the CDC shows an 18% decrease for youth ages 10 to 14 between 2021 and 2022, although data from 2023 is not available.

JED's report identified seven factors affecting youth suicide — increased isolation and loneliness; the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw global rates of childhood depression and anxiety symptoms double; increased access to firearms; fears about the future; living in a world of constant digital connection; financial insecurity; and lack of mental health treatment.

Other risk factors, as identified by the Mayo Clinic Health System, include conflict with others, family conflict and general poor relationships, feelings of worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness, a history of or current experiences with bullying, a history of suicidal thoughts or self-injury and losing close friends by suicide.

Specific groups face additional challenges. Native American and Native Alaskan youth have suicide rates that are nearly twice as high as the overall national average, and youth in rural areas are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than those in larger metro areas. Black youths in America are experiencing the fastest-increasing suicide rates, youth involved with the criminal legal system die by suicide two to three times more often than other young people and LGBTQ youth are at an increased risk of suicide with 41% having seriously considered it and 14% attempting it nationwide.

Community Counseling Center school-based supervisor and licensed therapist Paula Johnston said she's noticed an increase in mental health symptoms including depression and anxiety that "center around social and peer relationships." According to data, social media use can lead to increased pressure on young people.

"Social media is a common area of struggle, often adding significant pressure for adolescents to keep up with certain trends, interactions or knowledge, simply because their other cohorts are also seeing and engaging with these same things online," Johnston said. "A growing concern as well is increased online presence and relationships solely in this setting. It is not that having online friendships or relationships is necessarily a bad thing, however, there is a different set of interactive and communication skills needed for online vs. in-person relationships, and I have seen many adolescents turn more and more toward their online relationships when in-person settings become overwhelming or stressful. This can lead to overall avoidance of social settings outside of the home or online world."

According to Johnston, adolescents who lean into online or social media relationships can develop a "co-dependent relationship with the technology and their online presence," and many experience depression, anger and suicidal thoughts when their online outlets — such as a cellphone, tablet or computer — are taken away as a consequence.

Childhood trauma is another significant issue Johnston works with that may lead to suicidal ideation or attempts.

"The increase in depression, anxiety and suicidal ideations often come from a lack of resolve and healing from these experiences, or the trauma is ongoing in the adolescent's life and they do not know how to manage or escape from these situations," Johnston said.

As of 2021, CDC data shows Missouri experienced a suicide rate of 18.7 deaths per 100,000 people, while the national average was 14.1. That year, 1,177 total people died by suicide in Missouri.

Emergency services supervisor Shawni Miller said Community Counseling Center has completed 33 crisis assessments for all Cape Girardeau schools, public and private, between July 2023 and January 2024.

"That averages to four crises a month," Miller said. "That is, of course, daytime hours only and volume can vary from month to month. Of these months, the highest months were in September and November, as spring tends to be high as well for crisis volume."

According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, five things adults can do to help curb youth suicide are acknowledging negative feelings and providing support, being honest and validating their concerns while reminding them about the temporary nature of the problems they face, promoting social connectivity, asking questions and having conversations regarding depression or thoughts of suicide and seeking professional help.

Community Counseling Center offers several youth programs, including outpatient and school-based therapy, Youth Day Treatment, Treatment Family Home and Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center.

"We also have the youth behavioral health liaison that sees at-risk youth that do not have to be currently engaged in our services and may be involved in children's division, law enforcement, juvenile or just seen in crisis and she can assist with linking them to services and resources and provide support to the family."

For more information about Community Counseling Center's youth programs, visit https://www.cccntr.com/child-and-adolescent-services.

Anyone considering suicide, having suicidal ideation or struggling with mental health issues may call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 to speak with a professional. The resource is free, available 24/7 and confidential.