Why…
did I write a book about a child who becomes a killer? I am often asked that when people who know me discover I wrote a thriller. The answer is simple but really twofold. First, I love crime and suspense and after years of reading decided I would try my hand at writing about it. Second, I have worked with many kids over the years and have seen a lot of them appear on mugshots later in life. This made me wonder about what was going on that was driving youth to a life of crime and I have come to the conclusion that it all boils down to a lack of mental health instruction for youth. Read on to learn a bit more about this topic.
Disclaimer: all opinions are mine.
Nine. It’s just a number. Or is it? Nine percent of high schoolers attempted suicide last year.
In an average classroom of 25 students, five of them are struggling with substance abuse, anxiety, and/or depression.
Many studies reveal there is a direct relationship between mental illness and mass public violence.
According to the World Health Organization by the age of 14 up to half of all children experience some form of mental health crisis. If left untreated it can morph into serious issues as they age. Children and adolescents who struggle with their mental health are quite often the object of bullying. Frequently the torment is in the nature of verbal taunts and jabs. The old sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me is not true when it comes to the mean and harmful words often hurled unthinkingly at juveniles.
In my book, Silent Rage, I depict the troubled life of a thirteen-year-old boy. He has no one who stands up for him and guides him through the pitfalls and snares of being a kid in today’s world. His mom is busy struggling to make ends meet and is also suffering from her own addictions and traumatic memories. The character in my book, Russell, is bullied and abused with no one to come to his defense. It all builds up until one day when he snaps and discovers his power over tormentors is simply to get rid of them, permanently.
To find out more about Russell and what happens to him, please read my book which is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can get it as an eBook or order a paperback copy. Click on the links I provided. (Thank you.)
So, what can we do to help the kids like Russell, so they don’t become a kid like Russell? I believe it is in mental health courses. They are slowly gaining in popularity among school districts as an additional curriculum resource. According to some studies I read, the number of deaths by suicide of middle school aged children surpassed that of deaths by car accidents in the same age group. (Suicide is the second leading cause of death in children even through college age.) Driver’s ed is required before obtaining a license to get behind the wheel of a car, so why shouldn’t mental health instruction be a required course as well?
Over the next few months I will post a few insights I have about dealing with mental health. If you or someone you know struggles with any form of mental illness please seek out help. It’s as close as your fingertips by simple search on the internet.
Don’t know where to start? The government has a website devoted to mental health and the world health organization can provide links as well.