The SUICIDE Epidemic!
When a 9 year old child commits suicide as a result of class taunting….it’s an indication that we need to start paying attention.
Don’t know what I’m talking about?
As a parent to 7 year old baby girl, it’s my job to stay abreast of what is going on in the world [i.e. child suicide rates].
So of course you can imagine my amazement when I saw headlines stating that 9 year old McKenzie Adams killed herself.
For the uninformed:
McKenzie Adams; relatives said she hang herself on December 3rd in her home in Linden, about 100 miles west of Montgomery and was discovered by her grandmother.
Since the start of the school year, the fourth grader had been the target of bullying at US Jones Elementary School, where she was teased over her friendship with a white male classmate, according to her family.
Her aunt, Eddwina Harris said that the group of students taunted McKenzie by telling her to commit suicide.
“She was being bullied the entire school year with words such as ‘kill yourself,’ ‘you tink you’re white because you ride with that white boy,’ ‘you ugly,’ ‘black bitch’, ‘just die.’
After hearing this over and over, 9 year old McKenzie did just that!
But McKenzie’s story isn’t the only reason why I choose to talk about the issue of suicide in this week’s lifestyle post.
I’ve also recently sat down with tons of artist within entertainment who’ve either expressed their direct desire to kill themselves, or have heard of someone close to them having that conversation!
Why? Simply because of the pressures of the world, and not having a proper outlet.
Did you know that:
About one person in 5,000-15,000 dies by suicide every year (1.4% of all deaths), with a reported global rate of 10.7 per 100,000 population in 2015.
It’s a REAL issue!
And the sole purpose of this post was to let you guys know that life isn’t easy [even though it may be for some] but it’s definitely WORTH living/experiencing.
So if you or someone you know, may be considering committing suicide, reach out to someone to vent…. or just for help.
If you don’t have anyone, call this hotline: