Teens In Rural Areas Face Nearly Double The Risk Of Suicide
Researchers said it’s mainly due to the lack of psychiatrists, the high gun-ownership rates, and the stigma. In Amador, which has the third-highest suicide rate of any county in California, teens are struggling to have their concerns heard.
Capital Public Radio:
Dying To Get Out: Stigma, ‘Copycat Effect’ Drive Youth Suicide In Rural Amador County
Most teens dip into slumps, or even throw attitude, as they try to establish their identities. But in Amador County — a rural area that gathers around school sports, church events and patriotic values — many young people say they don’t have a healthy way to express feelings of being trapped and misunderstood. And teens who live in remote places are more likely to seek a fatal escape. (Caiola, 9/11)
In other public health news —
The Mercury News:
Flu: Pediatrics Group OKs Nasal Spray For First Time In Three Years
Health officials are urging everyone over six months old to get their flu vaccine as soon as possible to help avoid another nasty season. And to encourage needle-phobic kids to get immunized, a leading pediatric group is softening its insistence that they get it in a shot rather than a painless nose spray. (Woolfolk, 9/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Should School Start Later? Sleepy Kids, Logistics At Odds As Gov. Brown Weighs Legislation
Middle and high school students do better when they get an extra hour or so of sleep, according to research and, many parents would say, common sense. But many school districts resist a mandate on start times because it can inconvenience working parents and disrupt bus schedules. (McBride, 9/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Shooters Are Twice As Deadly When A Semiautomatic Rifle Is In The Mix, Study Finds
In the United States, shootings that involved a semiautomatic rifle resulted in nearly twice as many deaths compared with shootings carried out with only handguns, shotguns or non-semiautomatic rifles, according to a report published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Nonfatal injuries were significantly higher as well. In other words, the study authors noted, the weapons work exactly as intended. “Semiautomatic rifles are designed for easy use, can accept large magazines, and fire high-velocity bullets, enabling active shooters to wound and kill more people per incident,” they wrote. (Kaplan, 9/11)