Western culture is facing a crisis affecting a wide swath of its population. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in loneliness, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and a broad range of other mental and behavioral disorders, including domestic violence and child abuse. At the height of the pandemic, one-quarter of all 18- to 24-year-olds said they’d “seriously considered” suicide in the last month.
In The Suicide Solution, which is being released Sept. 14, 2021, during National Suicide Prevention Month, authors Daniel Emina, MD, (Amen Clinics psychiatrist) and Rick Lawrence (award-winning author and minister) explore how conventional approaches to this crisis are falling short. In this excerpt from the book, the authors reveal how false narratives are contributing to the problem, and they offer a glimpse at a better path out of the valley of the shadow of death.
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The wave of emotional distress has prompted a spike in mental health diagnoses and the meteoric growth of the self-help industry. Unfortunately, the common solutions offered to those beset by anxiety, depression, and “suicidality” are often shallow—they lack both efficacy and real hope, and they perpetuate an internal focus that isolates and builds on false narratives.
The common thread among those who are scrambling to avoid slipping even deeper into suicidal ideation (perpetual thoughts about planning your own death) is their inability to overcome stuck patterns of destructive thinking. Conventional approaches to dealing with this crisis often have a “surface” feel—pay attention to your mood swings and behavioral changes, then seek counseling or pharmaceuticals when you see warning signs. These are reactive, not roots, not just its fruits. “Destructive narratives” that become embedded in our internal “story” keep us stuck in this slow-moving avalanche of hopelessness.
The Hardware and Software of Suicide
A computer’s hardware is made up of the tangible and physical components that are necessary for storing and running software. Hardware serves as a delivery system for the set of instructions, or “code,” the software provides. Software is intangible—a collection of programs or instructions that enables users to interact with the hardware to accomplish specific tasks. Both work to determine the functional capabilities of a computer system.
In human beings, our “hardware” is our biology (specifically, our brain), and our “software” is our thought process or psychology. Together, they guide how we experience and interact with our world, in predictable and adaptive ways. And together, our hardware/software identity forms our experiences, capabilities, limitations, susceptibilities, and possibilities. Suicide is generally the culmination of a malfunction or failure of the brain’s hardware (biology) and software (psychology) which are hard-wired to support self- preservation. This is the result of a “multi-system failure” that coincides with what seem to be insurmountable stressors.
When Your Story Keeps You Stuck in Suicidal Thoughts
McAdams says we tell ourselves two basic self-narratives: 1) Redemptive Stories, and 2) Contamination Stories. The first kind of story is transplanted from the Kingdom of God, where redemption is not only the mission of the Messiah but the heartbeat of life. The second kind of story is exported and propagated by the Kingdom of Darkness, where “killing, stealing, and destroying” (John 10:10) is the mission.
The “bugs” (or viruses) in our story are destructive narratives that operate, often undetected, in the background of our emotional/spiritual/psychological operating system— distortions that cause us to perceive reality, and our own story, inaccurately. Vulnerabilities to these bugs are sometimes pre-determined by our “hardware”—the biology we inherit through genetics or that are written into our code by our experiences, upbringing, or choices (which introduce viruses or buggy software). When bugs go undetected or unchallenged, they grow into contamination stories, sometimes so subtly that we can no longer separate our true identity from the corrupted version the contaminants have produced.
Some of us never overcome our bugs—and when that happens, we are susceptible to recurrent bouts with mental illness, or we can inadvertently infect others with our way of thinking. Many of us—really most of us, according to the National Institutes of Health—go through seasons when we are stuck so deeply in our ruts that the walls closing in on us make it seem as though we are at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
3 Steps on the Journey Out of the Darkness
Along the path out of the valley, there are mileposts:
1. Understand the multiple contributors to how we feel and behave.
Our genetics, life experiences, unique temperaments and personalities, brain injuries, chronic health challenges, infections, and toxin exposures are stacked stressors that generate brain illness. Hardware that is compromised, and software that is corrupted, have an inexorable dragging impact.
2. Know who you are—your strengths, goals, and passions.
Our giftings come pre-packaged with vulnerabilities (for example, analytical, empathetic, and creative people all have distinct “soft spots” that come into play when the person is exposed to trauma or repeated life stressors that can’t be controlled, explained or resolved). Our vulnerabilities are charged with emotional impact. They can be further complicated by a lack of quality community connections or an unhealthy interior narrative.
3. Maintain your hardware and software, using routine debugging or “virus protection” practices.
This means living a lifestyle that continually refreshes your story, maintains an open invitation to the “co-authoring” presence of Jesus, nurtures a healthy thought life that matches your values, and pursues a healthy nutritional and exercises lifestyle. Maintenance also involves nurturing your creativity, your healthy relational connections, contributing to your community, and having an intentional approach to life.
The Suicide Solution by Daniel Emina, MD, and Rick Lawrence offers hope and a practical toolbox for people who are struggling to find their way out of a cave of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts—and for anyone who cares for someone who’s been lost in that cave. Informed by the clinical realities of anxiety, depression, and suicide, the authors draw from the transformational relational strategies of Jesus to chart a path into life and freedom. As much as everyone wishes discussions about the COVID-19 pandemic could be a thing of the past, the reality is that the consequences—not only of the virus but also from what we endured—will continue to be a part of the conversation for years to come.
Even though many places have returned to at least some semblance of “normal” as things reopen and everyone tries to get back on track, many people still struggle with the stress of the past year and a half. And there isn’t a more vulnerable population doing just that than the children and adolescents around the globe whose lives were greatly disrupted by the pandemic.
A study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics tells us just how profound the toll on the mental health of children has been. Through what is called a meta-analysis, meaning a review of multiple studies on a particular topic, the researchers analyzed 29 studies on anxiety and depression in children and adolescents from January 2020 to February 2021. Altogether, this encompassed 80,879 youth participants from North America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
The outcome of this study found that rates of anxiety and depression in children between the ages of 4 and 17 had nearly doubled during the above-referenced time period, compared to pre-pandemic levels. This means:
Cases of depression rose from 12.9% to 25.2%
Anxiety cases increased from 11.6% to 20.5%
According to the researcher’s data, 1 out of every 5 kids has experienced an increase in anxiety symptoms, while 1 in 4 teens are suffering from depression. The prevalence of both conditions was higher in females—although that is consistent with statistics from previous years.
Pandemic Stressors Contributing to Mental Health Problems
For instance, children need consistency in their lives in order for them to feel safe. However, the ongoing uncertainty prevented many from having the schedules and predictability they had been used to. In addition, changes to their lifestyles and home environments likely compounded the emotional strain that kids had to endure, including challenges such as these:
Social isolation and inability to interact with peers
Absence of extra-curricular activities
Missed milestones, like graduations and birthday parties
Household stress and financial problems
Also, many children get specific needs met at school, including support from teachers and coaches, as well as receiving services for mental health. The absence of having these buffering relationships was an added challenge to their resilience.
Signs of Anxiety and Depression to Watch For
When children or teens have anxiety, it often manifests as having uncontrollable worries and feeling fearful, as well as hyperarousal which can present itself as:
Isolating (intentionally) and not spending time or communicating with their friends as often
While there is more freedom to move about now, the ongoing unpredictability of the pandemic and the related stressors are destabilizing for many kids. This can lead to feelings of hopelessness, which is one of the primary indicators of suicidal thoughts.
To that point, in May of 2021, Jena Hausmann, the CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado declared that they were in a youth mental health “State of Emergency.” The demand for the hospital’s in-patient and out-patient services exceeded its capacity. Very sadly, by that point in time, suicide had become the #1 cause of death for children in Colorado.
Supporting Children in the New Normal
Talking to your children about their concerns and fears, while validating their feelings can provide an element of safety and comfort for them. Getting them back into a daily routine for school, meals, homework, screen time, and sleep will help give them a sense of control and the much-needed structure that was lost for the past 18 months.
Most of all, if you notice new behavior problems or any of the symptoms listed above, be open and honest with your child and take the necessary steps to get them the help and professional support they need.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples.Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. One of the best ways we can grow and achieve greater success in our lives is with mentors. I’ve been blessed to have several mentors in my life who helped me push myself to become the best version of myself. I’m so grateful to them for the insights I’ve learned from them. Because I have benefited so much from having mentors in my life, I love it when I can return the favor and provide mentorship to others.
That’s why I was absolutely thrilled when I was invited to be included in a new book called Master Mentors: 30 Transformative Insights from Our Greatest Minds. What an honor!
The book by Scott Miller, the executive vice president of thought leadership at FranklinCovey, is based on interviews he has done his podcast, On Leadership with Scott Miller. I spoke with Scott about protecting your brain, and in his new book (the release date is Sept. 7, 2021) he brilliantly summarizes our discussion to give readers a greater understanding of the brain and why you need to love and care for it.
He shares how my findings on the importance of brain health are based on over 180,000 brain SPECT scans on tens of thousands of patients from over 150 countries. These people come to Amen Clinics to see our psychiatrists and integrative medicine physicians for issues with anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, mild traumatic brain injuries, and more. Many top-flight athletes, entertainers, and CEOs also visit our clinics for brain optimization to enhance peak performance. If you want a better career, stronger relationships, and more fulfilling life, it all starts with a better brain.
I’m so excited to be in this remarkable book alongside 29 other mentors, such as Brendan Burchard (prolific quality output), Susan David (emotional agility), Dave Hollis (vulnerability), and Trent Shelton (the power of perspective).
There is so much advice and inspiration packed into this book. And with short, easily digestible chapters on each mentor, it’s like having a quick coffee (or preferably a green tea for your brain health) with each luminary.
I think you’ll enjoy it. You can pick up a copy or download it here.
To your brain health,
Daniel G. Amen, MD
