I realize that this post may not get as many hits as a celebrity gossip story or who got who pregnant story, but the number of  African-American youths completing suicidal is now a very serious issue that we must address immediately. People we can no longer turn our backs on the mysterious illness of depression, because if not treated, IT IS FATAL. The thing about depression is that it is actually more deadly than hypertension and diabetes that also plaque many of our communities. Both of those illness are usually slow and silent killers that creep up on you over time. However, this suicide thing can be quick, sudden via a gunshot to the head or hanging in the closet. Parents it is now real.

If you notice behavior changes in your child, do something. Yes, pray is always appropriate but you may also need to seek out medical attention to help you and or your child deal with emotional pain. Please be advised that in many African-American denominations our clergy are not trained to deal with mental illness, chronic medical illness or hospice. Be honest, we just are not! I listen to some declarations that are made from some clergy and I would love to just take them out back and….! LOL

We will continue to hear the sad and bad stories about suicide if we don’t take action. If you see behavior changes such as: 1) increased sleeping 2) increased missed days from school 3) increased consumption of alcohol beverages and other substances and 4) more aggression; Gingerly talk with your child, neice, nephew, grandson and or granddaughter to see just what may be going on. We can no longer keep our head in the sand or other places and not address the issues. I know that it is hard and sometimes there is a lot for us to do during the day but we can’s continue to turn our backs on our kids.

Let’s pull it together and do what we need to do to save the next generation. By the was, if you haven’t perused my site, take a little time today and visit my site @ AskDrO .Com. There are a lot of great articles about ADHD, Bipolar Illness and even recognizing Depression in Children.

Thanks for stopping by,

Dr.O