Three things happened this week that may seem unrelated, but in truth are tied together in ways we must pay attention to.
The first was the terrible incident outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, in which 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey was fatally stabbed and two other teens charged with murder. The senseless killing left a city stunned and communally grieving. Family, friends and complete strangers are numbed and shocked even days later, filled with questions, anger and an understandable need to learn what went wrong and how Devan's death could have been prevented.
Second was the release of the Hamilton Community Foundation's latest Vital Signs report, which contained — among other things — alarming numbers about youth and child mental health issues.
For example, hospitalization rates for anxiety-related disorders among children have grown shockingly from 20 per 100,000 to 187 per 100,000 since 2010. Hospitalization rates for mood disorders among children jumped from 95 to 222 per 100,000 people in the same period. The rate of ER visits for self-harm among young women under 20 jumped by almost 30 per cent between 2014 and 2017, more than three times higher than the rest of the population.
Mental health experts point out the rising numbers are not necessarily due to more mental health problems, but also to a greater willingness among people to seek treatment once symptoms are recognized. That's relevant, but it doesn't change the fact that the picture painted in Vital Signs is alarming.
The numbers are not just academic. They have real life outcomes and ramifications, and Devan's death could be one of them.
Last is news from Queen's Park that the Ontario government is pledging about $40 million for student mental-health initiatives, including permanent funding for about 180 mental health workers in high schools across the province.
That number is better than nothing, and better than more cuts from the Ford government. But it is dwarfed by the actual need that exists and even though the government is working hard to portray the commitment as indicative of how much it cares about kids and education, it doesn't come close to undoing all the harm the government has already done to schools and families with its misguided efforts to save money under the guise of "finding efficiencies." But if that $40 million is a beginning, and demonstrates the government is finally paying attention, it's good news.
There is much we don't yet know about Devan's story. Family and friends have said he was bullied, but it's not known if that is directly linked to his killing. Tempting as it is to assign blame to others aside from the killers, it is not helpful to prejudge.
We can be certain of a few things. No one is denying he was bullied. No one is arguing we are winning the fight to reduce bullying, or to make a lasting difference in mental or emotional health among children and young adults. No one is denying that classrooms are more needy and dangerous places — for students and teachers — than in the past.
Collectively and individually, we can and must to do more to insist decision-makers, particularly Queen's Park since it holds the purse strings, take definitive action on mental health and wellness, particularly among young people. They didn't ask for the world we're leaving them. The least we can do is to prepare them better to cope with it.
Three things happened this week that may seem unrelated, but in truth are tied together in ways we must pay attention to.
The first was the terrible incident outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, in which 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey was fatally stabbed and two other teens charged with murder. The senseless killing left a city stunned and communally grieving. Family, friends and complete strangers are numbed and shocked even days later, filled with questions, anger and an understandable need to learn what went wrong and how Devan's death could have been prevented.
Second was the release of the Hamilton Community Foundation's latest Vital Signs report, which contained — among other things — alarming numbers about youth and child mental health issues.
For example, hospitalization rates for anxiety-related disorders among children have grown shockingly from 20 per 100,000 to 187 per 100,000 since 2010. Hospitalization rates for mood disorders among children jumped from 95 to 222 per 100,000 people in the same period. The rate of ER visits for self-harm among young women under 20 jumped by almost 30 per cent between 2014 and 2017, more than three times higher than the rest of the population.
Mental health experts point out the rising numbers are not necessarily due to more mental health problems, but also to a greater willingness among people to seek treatment once symptoms are recognized. That's relevant, but it doesn't change the fact that the picture painted in Vital Signs is alarming.
The numbers are not just academic. They have real life outcomes and ramifications, and Devan's death could be one of them.
Last is news from Queen's Park that the Ontario government is pledging about $40 million for student mental-health initiatives, including permanent funding for about 180 mental health workers in high schools across the province.
That number is better than nothing, and better than more cuts from the Ford government. But it is dwarfed by the actual need that exists and even though the government is working hard to portray the commitment as indicative of how much it cares about kids and education, it doesn't come close to undoing all the harm the government has already done to schools and families with its misguided efforts to save money under the guise of "finding efficiencies." But if that $40 million is a beginning, and demonstrates the government is finally paying attention, it's good news.
There is much we don't yet know about Devan's story. Family and friends have said he was bullied, but it's not known if that is directly linked to his killing. Tempting as it is to assign blame to others aside from the killers, it is not helpful to prejudge.
We can be certain of a few things. No one is denying he was bullied. No one is arguing we are winning the fight to reduce bullying, or to make a lasting difference in mental or emotional health among children and young adults. No one is denying that classrooms are more needy and dangerous places — for students and teachers — than in the past.
Collectively and individually, we can and must to do more to insist decision-makers, particularly Queen's Park since it holds the purse strings, take definitive action on mental health and wellness, particularly among young people. They didn't ask for the world we're leaving them. The least we can do is to prepare them better to cope with it.
Three things happened this week that may seem unrelated, but in truth are tied together in ways we must pay attention to.
The first was the terrible incident outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, in which 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey was fatally stabbed and two other teens charged with murder. The senseless killing left a city stunned and communally grieving. Family, friends and complete strangers are numbed and shocked even days later, filled with questions, anger and an understandable need to learn what went wrong and how Devan's death could have been prevented.
Second was the release of the Hamilton Community Foundation's latest Vital Signs report, which contained — among other things — alarming numbers about youth and child mental health issues.
For example, hospitalization rates for anxiety-related disorders among children have grown shockingly from 20 per 100,000 to 187 per 100,000 since 2010. Hospitalization rates for mood disorders among children jumped from 95 to 222 per 100,000 people in the same period. The rate of ER visits for self-harm among young women under 20 jumped by almost 30 per cent between 2014 and 2017, more than three times higher than the rest of the population.
Mental health experts point out the rising numbers are not necessarily due to more mental health problems, but also to a greater willingness among people to seek treatment once symptoms are recognized. That's relevant, but it doesn't change the fact that the picture painted in Vital Signs is alarming.
The numbers are not just academic. They have real life outcomes and ramifications, and Devan's death could be one of them.
Last is news from Queen's Park that the Ontario government is pledging about $40 million for student mental-health initiatives, including permanent funding for about 180 mental health workers in high schools across the province.
That number is better than nothing, and better than more cuts from the Ford government. But it is dwarfed by the actual need that exists and even though the government is working hard to portray the commitment as indicative of how much it cares about kids and education, it doesn't come close to undoing all the harm the government has already done to schools and families with its misguided efforts to save money under the guise of "finding efficiencies." But if that $40 million is a beginning, and demonstrates the government is finally paying attention, it's good news.
There is much we don't yet know about Devan's story. Family and friends have said he was bullied, but it's not known if that is directly linked to his killing. Tempting as it is to assign blame to others aside from the killers, it is not helpful to prejudge.
We can be certain of a few things. No one is denying he was bullied. No one is arguing we are winning the fight to reduce bullying, or to make a lasting difference in mental or emotional health among children and young adults. No one is denying that classrooms are more needy and dangerous places — for students and teachers — than in the past.
Collectively and individually, we can and must to do more to insist decision-makers, particularly Queen's Park since it holds the purse strings, take definitive action on mental health and wellness, particularly among young people. They didn't ask for the world we're leaving them. The least we can do is to prepare them better to cope with it.