Canada may be a wealthy country, but there appear to be alarming rates of depression and suicidal thoughts among its youth.
Two new surveys have emerged. One by Kids Help Phone found that one in five teenagers 13-18 years old seriously considered attempting suicide last year. Girls were twice as likely to have considered it as were boys. Almost half of all the teens had formulated a plan and almost half had not spoken to anyone about it.
Older students suffering too
The other poll found one-fifth of postsecondary students are depressed and anxious or have other mental health issues. Of the 9,000 respondents in the survey, 13 per cent said they had seriously considered suicide in the previous year. That was an increase of 3.5 per cent in 2013.
It is not clear whether there is an actual increase in young people considering suicide or whether they simply feel more comfortable reporting their feelings, said a member of the group that issued the latter study, The Canadian Association of College and University Student Services. Rachelle McGrath told the Globe and Mail that some of the statistics should raise immediate alarm and lead to action.
At the same time these older students report they are exercising and sleeping less.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.