Adolescent Conference 2023 – Suicide and Self-Harm
Since the pandemic, clinicians have seen a sharp rise in adolescent aggression, depression, self‑harm, and suicide. In South Africa, suicide accounts for nearly one in ten teenage deaths, and up to 20% of high school learners have attempted suicide. Because suicide usually shows warning signs, mental health professionals must be highly informed and skilled to act in the best interests of at‑risk adolescents. This seminar series brings together leading experts. Don Campbell will explore the inner world of the suicidal adolescent and how therapeutic engagement can support movement toward life. Ariel Nathanson will address self‑harm as a response to overwhelming emotional pain, with a supervised clinical case presented by Raeesha Khuto. The final session, led by Beverley Tydeman with colleagues from Gauteng adolescent units, will focus on working with parents of at‑risk adolescents and the ethical tensions between autonomy, confidentiality, and safeguarding the young person’s wellbeing.
Adolescent Conference 2023: Suicide and Self-Harm
Speakers: Donald Campell and Ariel Nathanson
Mental health professionals working with children and adolescents since the pandemic have noticed a concerning increase in the presentation of aggression and violence, especially violence toward the self, self-harm, and suicide. Our IPCP colleagues working in State Hospitals, in NGOs have reported a worrying trend of increased depression, anxiety, suicide and self-harm. According to SADAG, the Depression and Anxiety organization, almost 1 in 10 teenage deaths in SA every year are the result of suicide. Up to 20% of high school learners have tried to take their own lives.
However, suicide rarely happens without warning and learning and recognising these signals are the most effective way to prevent suicide. It is ethically imperative that we, as Psychologists, and mental health professionals, working in this area of mental health care, where there is not only the mental health, but the life of an adolescent at stake, that we are informed, and have the highest level of knowledge and skill (See HPCSA Ethics value 2.3.11 Professional competence and self-improvement.) We need to be informed to act in the patient's best interests (HPCSA Ethic value 2.3.2).
We have two world renown experts in this field. Don Campbell, who has written a book, Working in the Dark, Understanding the Pre-suicide State of Mind. He will give an in-depth understanding of the suicidal adolescent, and the internal emotional state of the suicidal teenager, the dissociation from relationships, and the harbouring of suicide phantasies. Don Campbells’ talk which includes a study of an adolescent who attempted suicide, will illustrate with deep insight, how best to work therapeutically with a suicidal adolescent, to reach them and promote developments that are pro- life.
Ariel Nathanson will discuss self- harm in adolescents, which is the act of deliberately inflicting pain and damage to the adolescent’s body by means of cutting, burning, scratching and self-poisoning. This is often used to relieve emotional stress and pain when there is underlying depression, anxiety, trauma, and often disruptive and unsupportive home environments. Raeesha Khuto will present a case of an adolescent who presented at a mental health Clinic with self-harming behaviour, which Ariel will supervise, and give his insights and understanding how best to therapeutically treat this self- harming adolescent.
The final session, with Beverley Tydeman, expert in field of child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, and Lebo Mareletse, and James van der Walt, both who work in Adolescent Units in Gauteng State Hospitals, will be about Work with Parents of At -Risk Adolescents. There is rich ethical controversy, which will be discussed, amongst professionals about engaging parents or not when dealing with disturbed adolescents. Adolescents are at the stage of development where they are becoming independent of their parents, and do not want their parents involved in their therapy and in their private emotional lives. Mental Health professionals are often conflicted between the ethical values of respecting the patients’ Autonomy (HPCSA ethics value 2.3.4) and abiding by the value of Confidentially (HPCSA Ethics value 2.3.7), and what is in the best interest of the adolescent (HPCSA value2.3.2).