Suicidal Nin-tendencies? Screening What's on Kids' Screens In the last Daily Dose, I exposed some misleading facets of an Associated Press piece that came dangerously close to being "advocacy journalism" in my estimation. To recap, the story combined numbers from several demographic ranges to attempt to insinuate that a recent spike in late-teen suicides was due to a DECREASE in antidepressant drug use among teens… The reality is that suicides among older teens increased dramatically (around 15%) in 2003-2004, while antidepressant use among this demographic remained virtually unchanged over the same time period (it decreased less than 1% - statistically insignificant). So, the question remains: Why are there so many more teen suicides lately? Mind you, I'm not saying that this spike is unrelated to antidepressant use - it may very well be. It's entirely possible that these drugs, which are already proven to increase the suicidal tendencies of some teens, may carry with them similar, yet delayed effects on other teenagers. Such a thing hasn't been disproved, and I suspect it hasn't even really been STUDIED… But let's just say, for argument's sake, that antidepressant drugs aren't causing any MORE suicides than they have already been shown to in any typical population of teens (which is still too many). It wouldn't be too difficult to focus on some other things that might be contributing to kids' feelings of worthlessness and despair… Take video games, for instance. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), multiple studies indicate that many modern video games may be potent teachers of violent or aggressive conduct in real life. Owing to their interactive, hyper-repetitive nature that rewards simulated brutality, violent video games may be teaching our kids to be callous toward one another. A recent APA Online article cites research that correlates violent video game play with an increase in aggressive and violent thought among kids - and in a decrease of caring or helpful conduct kids display to their peers… What does make-believe Nintendo carnage have to do with suicide? Interactive video is a powerful teaching tool - classrooms have been using instructive versions of "video games" for years with great success. However, when those games are trivializing human death and equating "winning" (or advancing) in the game to the number of murders, thefts, and other violent crimes kids can commit in virtual reality, it's not so much of a leap to think that such things might have a profound impact on the subconscious. After all, video is a TEACHING medium. Couple this with the tendency of these games to isolate kids and make them hostile and more alienated from their peers and you've got a recipe for despair among the age-group that needs frequent affirmation from friends and positive imagery the most! These types of violent games aren't cheap. Necessarily, the target demographic Nintendo and other makers of these games and play systems aim for is - you guessed it - older teens with a bit of pocket money… Now, in light of all the virtual carnage and on-screen cheapening of human life being marketed to impressionable older teens, is it any wonder that there has been an increase in suicides among this demographic? And is it really so surprising that the explosion of ultra-violent video games - which has been happening since around 2002 - precisely mirrors a spike in teen suicides? I don't think it is. Nor do I think this is the only reason why the most recent data shows that kids are killing themselves in record numbers. More in the next Daily Dose… | 
