Discussion #3
Hello! Sorry for the late starter. I forgot earlier to check and see if anyone had posted. Maybe we can start a rotation on who posts first by Friday night?
Anyways…
The Sternheimer chapter this week made me think of the TV movie Cyberbully. It also made me think of the movie Heathers and the ridiculous “Teenage Suicide” song played throughout.However, cyberbullying and the anonymity the internet creates really are serious issues. It’s almost like bullying has been taken to another level. I found the section “Realities of Suicide and Cyberbullying” (starts on p. 53) fairly interesting as Sternheimer uses statistics to point out the reality of teen suicide. As a recent teen it did feel like adolescent suicides were focused on a lot in the media, especially of those who were LGBT. I felt like there was a growing awareness for suicide and mental illness in general, especially for teens. I think the mental illness awareness movement (if that’s the right word) is still growing, which is great.
I was confused though, by Sternheimer writing “Ironically, children, teens, and young adults are the least likely to take their own lives but are presumed to be the most at risk,” (p. 55). If this demographic is not as “at risk”, then why do we focus so many resources solely on this age group? According to Sternheimer’s statistics at the end of this paragraph, it is adults who are more likely to commit suicide. When I think of mental illness, anti-bullying, and similar organizations, they really only seem to focus on young people (I’m thinking To Write Love on Her Arms, The Trevor Project, and The Born This Way Foundation (yes that is a thing)). Where are resources for adults? We are (unfortunately) headed in that direction as we grow older and it’s scary to think that help might not be as easily accessible to us, or even to the adults in our lives right now. Does this mean that there is more stigma surrounding adults and elderly people with depression? And I mean, what does this say about our society and how care about the previous generation(s)?
