A few hours ago the Associated Press reported a teen had committed suicide while many watched his dying process on a webcam for hours without intervening. What a tragedy for the teen’s family, and what a tragedy for us all. The family’s road ahead will be agonizingly difficult and painful.
It’s a tragedy for all of us when one teen (or adult) is overcome by their illness and seeks the only relief they can see for the moment–suicide. It’s a tragedy because it means we are not doing near enough to help them and many others through these intense medical illnesses like depression and bipolar disorder.
It’s also a tragedy for all of us when any life ends and the expected compassion, empathy and call to action to attempt to prevent the death is displaced by laissez-faire curiosity and laughter (as reported by the Associated Press in the case of this webcam suicide). This event speaks to a need for more than just education about mental illness in our country today. This tragedy reminds us of our need to reconsider what we value today. Internet voyeurism of this type seems eerily similar to coliseums full of crowds watching martyrs go to their deaths.
When Dr. Gary E. Nelson saw his teenage son spiral into depression, it signaled the beginning of a long journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Nelson and the rest of his family struggled to help Tom find a way through the darkness. Tom survived the journey his father later called “miraculous” in his new book, A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression.
Dr. Ruth Harper says about the book in her review for the August 2007 edition of Counseling Today, the professional magazine for the American Counseling Association, “…this little book demonstrates the power of it’s title, A Relentless Hope … For therapists, this book offers much to consider … For teens, those with or without a diagnosis of depression, this book radiates acceptance, empathy and hope … Throughout the book, analogies and comparisons … and a host of other everyday, often light-hearted images illustrate Nelson’s conversational, common sense approach to the complex topic of teenage depression … The book is a work of love about the power of love. That, in itself, is healing.”
The latest figures for teens in the U.S. released by Mental Health America in 2008 report one in five teens suffer from clinical depression; the suicide rate for adolescents has tripled since 1970; each year almost 5000 young people ages 15-24 kill themselves. There are around 2 million adolescents who attempt suicide in the U.S. each year.
In his new 150-page book Dr. Nelson uses his son’s story as a guide for examining teen depression, following his son’s experience of slowly losing interest in activities, and soon, in life. Nelson also draws from his years of clinical experience counseling depressed teens and their families as a pastoral counselor, as well as his experience as the pastor of local churches. The book is written in language that makes it accessible to teens, parents, counselors, teachers and pastors. The book includes insightful information about the biological, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects of teen depression. Click here for more information, or to purchase A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression.
