by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(Feb. 19, 2008) A rash of teenaged suicides in England are being linked to pro-suicide websites that encourage depressed and vulnerable teens to kill themselves.
The most recent tragedy occurred on Feb. 15 when two cousins living in the town of Bridgend, South Wales, were found hanged. Nathaniel Pritchard, 15, was found hanging in the attic by his nine year old brother. His cousin, 20 year-old Kelly Stephenson, was discovered by her grandmother early on Friday morning and is also believed to have hung herself. Stephenson and Pritchard were both members of social networking websites.
Their deaths bring the total number of teen suicides in this Welsh county to 16 in just over a year. Dubbed as “internet suicides,” there have been 29 such deaths in England since 2001 where investigators found links to pro-suicide sites on the teens’ computers.
One of the most notorious of these suicide sites is run by a 46 year old San Francisco man named Nagasiva Yronwode. A self-confessed satanist, Yronwode calls himself an “outreach director” for the Church of Euthanasia, an extremist cult which advocates suicide as a way to save the planet from overpopulation.
Under the slogan “Save the Planet: Kill Yourself” visitors to the site are taught about the “Four Pillars” of curbing population growth: suicide, abortion, cannibalism and sodomy.
In one newsletter, a teen writes to complain that she has overdosed three times in an effort “to get off this crappy planet” but her parents prevented her each time. She is advised to take the pills, run away, go to a remote area and swallow the overdose where no one could stop her. “Better luck next time!” the advisor says.
Yronwode, who runs a shop selling occult books and charms in Forestville, California, just north of San Francisco, has also written a suicide guide which details various methods of suicide.
“The purpose of my information is empowerment for competent human beings who have an interest in ending their lives,” he told Patrick Sawer of Britain’s Telegraph on February 17. “What’s the problem with that?”
He accepts no responsibility for the death of the British teens. “I’m not the protector of these troubled youth. Their parents are the people who made them troubled. They are responsible for them.”
There is no way of knowing how many teen suicides have been facilitated by the use of prosuicide sites such as Yronwode’s, but there are plenty of sites to choose from. A random Google search turns up 999,000 pro-suicide sites.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds and is the second leading cause of death in young adults aged 25-34.
A 2005 survey of U.S. high school students found that almost 17 percent had seriously considering taking their own life in the past year. Eight percent claim they actually attempted it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that any parent of a depressed teen should look for signs that they may be considering suicide such as marked personality changes, becoming increasingly withdrawn from loved ones, giving away prized possessions, writing notes or poems about death, or even talking or joking about suicide such as “I’m going to end it all” and “I can’t take anymore.”
Parents should not be afraid to discuss suicide with their teens and encourage them to talk about their feelings. Remind them that no matter how awful their problems might seem, they can be worked out. Most important of all, if a teen is considering suicide, seek professional help as soon as possible.
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