Suicide rates among young adults (11-25) are at an all-time high. Many young persons feel overwhelmed, hopelessness or frustrated. They don't have the tools to cope with stress and start to have suicidal thoughts. 

 

Suicide is a leading cause of death in 10 - 20 years old in the USA. 

60% of high school students thought about killing themselves. 

9% tried to kill themselves.

 

There is pressure to fit in socially, to perform academically, to act responsibly, and to perform to the teacher's and parent's expectations. Adolescence is also a time of sexual identity, physical and mental changes in the body and brain, and an increasing need for independence. 

Add to that the pressure of deciding what to do with their lives, choose a career path that will satisfy their parents and themselves. 

 

Lack of emotional support at this critical age leads to feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness that often come with depression and tragic consequences. 

 

Thailand has the highest suicide rates in ASEAN, according to a recent study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO ranked Thailand 32nd worldwide in its annual suicide rate report, with 10,000 deaths by suicide per year, much higher than other ASEAN countries. 

 

Depression can have many causes, but when combined with mental imbalances, it can lead to suicide when left untreated. 

 

Teenagers must learn to deal with their emotions and not run from them. 

Their toolbox for coping with stress and challenges is empty. They fill their toolbox with negative thoughts, low self-esteem, and death. 

 

The needed tools are widely available, but they are not provided by schools. 

 

In December 2017, Thailand’s Department of Mental Health (DMH) estimated that one million teenagers suffer clinical depression, many of whom are going untreated. 

Additionally, two million more are at risk, making an upward of three million among a population of eight million teens at the time. 

 

The Covid-19 pandemic worsens the situation to alarming suicide rates that cannot be ignored. 

 

What Can Be Done?

Schools often do not have time to teach Emotional Skills because they have so much pressure to teach the mandated curriculum. Unfortunately for the kids, some very important skills are left out. 

 

Children are dying due to an outdated system that ignores the important things and focuses on the irrelevant. Science and maths may be important to a child's development, but if this child is dead, we kinda missed the target... 

 

In June 2019, DMH stated that in the first six months of this year, 40,635 calls were made to DMH’s hotline; 13,658 of the calls were from children and young people aged between 11 and 25 years old. That was before the COVID-19 pandemic that spiral things out of proportion worldwide. 

 

DMH said that stress and anxiety may affect a student’s ability to concentrate and perform well at school, and they may show several warning signs, such as lack of attention, loss of interest in daily activities, sadness, and sleeping issues. 

 

Since schools are not teaching the neccesary skills, we must look for solutions somewhere else. 

Young adults must learn the important life skills that schools don't teach. 

 

Research shows that: 

 85% of job success comes from soft skills. 

 15% of job success comes from hard skills (technical skills). 

 

What teens need is undivided attention and someone who REALLY listens to what they have to say. They also need guidance and a set of tools to cope with stress, challenges and emotions. 

 

Due to stressful environments and unrealistic social media, they are creating a distorted view of the world. A world they don't know how to cope with, so they are pretending to be OK when they are breaking to pieces inside. 

 

The Life Skills Academy is on a mission to equip teens with the necessary tools to not only survive through their adolescence but providing them the tools to thrive as adults. 

 

Contact us to learn more about how we can help your teen take control of their lives.