{"id":291441,"date":"2023-10-06T14:50:36","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T14:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=291441"},"modified":"2023-10-06T14:50:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T14:50:36","slug":"op-ed-reflections-on-parenting-suicide-prevention-and-mental-health-in-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/nfl\/op-ed-reflections-on-parenting-suicide-prevention-and-mental-health-in-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-Ed: Reflections on parenting, suicide prevention and mental health in athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let’s take the focus off football for a minute.<\/p>\n

Warning up front: If you’ve been affected by a loved one’s death by suicide — or if you’ve had suicidal thoughts yourself — this conversation may be triggering. Please know that before reading on.<\/p>\n

More importantly, if this column finds you in a time of distress, stop what you’re doing. Call or text “988” to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential, 24\/7\/365 support. You can also reach a trained counselor by clicking “CHAT” at 988lifeline.org. Take one of those steps right now. Not being “OK” is OK. People are standing by that care and will hear you out, lend a hand, and walk with you.<\/p>\n

For everyone else — especially parents — please stay with me. This is important.<\/p>\n

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. Every instance is a tragedy — each of the 48,183 people whose lives ended prematurely in 2021, not to mention the many that came before and since.<\/p>\n

Suicide occurs far too frequently to assume, “That’ll never happen to me or to the people I care about.” It could. Real talk here.<\/p>\n

Don’t believe me? You’re on NFL.com, so you probably understand how stats can get to the truth of a matter. Consider these: “12.3 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.7 million attempted suicide” in 2021 alone, according to the CDC\u2019s most recent data.<\/p>\n

Those numbers are scary. So is the word “adults,” because it means those millions don’t even include suicidal thoughts and behaviors by kids. Two years ago, 9% of high school students reported making a recent suicide attempt. It’s the second leading cause of death for children and young adults between 10 and 24 years old. Even more frightening is that these numbers are on the rise, particularly in communities that previously boasted numbers so low they were being studied to better understand why they were doing so well.<\/p>\n

It’s personal to me, a father of five. My wife Tommi and I are grandparents. “Vincent Country” is more than a nickname for our family — it’s everything. We protect it with all we’ve got. That’s what parents do.<\/p>\n

Part of that responsibility means being open and honest with our children about mental health.<\/p>\n

My childhood was during an era when most adults avoided having really hard conversations with their kids. We have to move away from the way these talks — if they took place at all — went down in our adolescence. Society is now at a place where it’s OK to not be OK. Are you encouraging vulnerability in your own household? Think about that. Answer honestly.<\/p>\n

Being proactive about discussions involving mental health and suicide is a game-changer. Experts say this is one of the biggest factors in suicide prevention, and asking about these issues does not increase the risk that someone will attempt suicide. Be candid, humble, and open to discomfort. You might need to build up trust, depending on your relationship with your children. But start today. It could mean their life.<\/p>\n

Maintaining that dialog is key. You’ll have opportunities to spot when something isn’t right: talking about dying or being a burden, feeling hopeless, or wanting to withdraw from friends or favorite activities. As parents, we must be in tune. That’s why it was important for the NFL community to partner with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and 988 on a four-part video series to educate individuals on suicide prevention tactics and resources.<\/p>\n

It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do. Keeping these things in mind can help:<\/p>\n