Teenage Suicide

The recent rumor that Kim Anderson attempted suicide post-Gerald Anderson relationship caught my attention, not because I'm a fan of them, but because of the escalating cases of suicide attempts and suicide incidents among our teenagers.


Several weeks ago, TV Patrol reported of a 13 year old boy who undauntedly took his life after his father scolded him in front of his friends. Overseas, several news about teenagers taking their lives because of cyber bullying is the center of debate among parents, schools, and the government on how to control such malicious online behavior (though I think the real issue here is who to blame?)


Suicide is the intentional killing of oneself. Reasons why teenagers easily kill themselves may have change through the years. Factors such as lack of parental presence and guidance, substance abuse and alcoholism, peer pressure and acceptance, poverty, depression and hopelessness from a recent loss or problems encountered by the adolescent were identified as the major contributors to suicide among teenagers. Recently, availability and accessibility to firearms and cyberbullying are added to the long list of causes.


From this point of view, the internet is the most cruel way of putting the teenager in a compromised position - to face the shame or end one's life. 


Suicidal ideations, are also common among teenagers. This means thinking about killing oneself and should not be neglected. This is actually a prelim to what the person is capable of doing. Active suicidal ideation is when the person thinks about and finds way to commit suicide while passive suicidal ideation is when a person thinks about wanting to die or wishes he or she were dead but has no plans to cause his or her death. Of course, active ideations are more considered fatal and must be given close attention.


We may encounter persons expressing to end their lives, as a joke or with sense of hopelessness after a crisis situation. Either way, in the perspective of psychiatry, these are serious conditions. Men are more successful in committing the act and the methods they use are more graver than women. Statistics on women attempting suicide is higher compared to men, since women are naturally fickle-minded, so to speak.


Although the act is intentional, suicide involves ambivalence. Everybody thinks that there's no way to help a person who has plans of killing him or herself and that once a suicide risk, is always a suicide risk are actually myths that the public are constantly misinformed. The ambivalence that these individuals feel during their depressed moments often prompts the cries for help evident in overt and covert cues. This is the correct time to reach out to them and find help form situational supports, choose to live, learn new ways to cope, and move forward in life.


Teenage life is the most crucial phase of a person's growth and development. This is the crossroad where innocence and maturity are intertwined. With the changes in their physical appearance, the need to be identified and acknowledged in a group is a very significant milestone that needs to be achieved. The presence of a supportive parent, welcoming friends and other support help can help lessen the tendencies of teenagers in committing suicide.

Spell HAPPINESS... F A M I L Y!

My Virtual Classroom

Dean Deogracia Valderama speaking about The Pathway to Quality Education.

Mr. Jun Formosa, RN of UP-PGH discussing the Course Syllabus for Nursing Informatics.

Last June of this year, I attended a seminar on Nursing Informatics in UP Diliman. This is a NEW course in the NEW Nursing Curriculum. Prior to this "obligation", I was told by my Dean to make a prototype Course Syllabus of the said course a year before the implementation of the subject for the school year. She even gave me the book Essentials of Nursing Informatics as a gift during my Graduate Studies graduation (talking about conspiracy!).

Anyway, the seminar-workshop talked about incorporating information technology in the profession of Nursing. Since I am in the academe, this is very significant in the students' learning process. I can say that I have moderate knowledge in computers and my skills are well, quite tolerable (my students are even more techie than me). I use power point presentations in my lectures and utilize several applications and sites in the delivery of my lessons since students now a days are very visual. They learn much on seeing things, much more on moving objects, than reading a very lengthy discussion on subject matters that sometimes takes away their enthusiasm.

Lately, I learned to make online tests and encouraged my students to participate on this as their review for the Finals examination. Another techie achievement for me is I opened a website for my classes - my virtual classroom. I started constructing this last September but due to some other tasks, I have not updated it much. Last night, I really took time to enhance and make it student-friendly for my students. I am hoping that this will  be more functional by the opening of the Second Semester.

Technology can sometimes be scary because every thing changes in just a matter of days. But the only way to handle this change is to adapt and learn the essentials. 

Visit:

My Virtual Classroom

CLINICAL INSTRUCTORS IN THEIR FUNNY MOMENTS..

Funny moments during lunchtime...Clinical Instructors also need to be in their wacky ways to keep their sanity at bay. PEACE TO ALL!!!

When You're Gone....

It's been raining today..The weather seems to empathize with my emotions right now. For my family, this week is like a ticking time bomb. As I write, my countdown timer is reading at 5 days 1 hour 35 minutes left before the separation begins.


Starting next week, we are going to face another chapter of our lives without my Didi around. Everybody is in somber mood as we prepare for this change of family life. He's new job is a blessing since it is not easy to get a working position these days. But his absence in our daily lives is overwhelming, especially to our two daughters.


Gabie and Mika are certified Tatay's girls. They are used to me being away every Summer because of my Affiliation obligations. This time, its going to be Tatay, who they always play around and share jokes with, being clowny most of the time, watch their favorite TV shows together, argues on what movie to watch, decides on what food to order during our dine outs...


These are just some of the activities that we do together..It's hard to accept change like this. For so many years that we are used to have our big man around, we'll surely miss and adjust ourselves day by day.


Despite of this, I am reassuring myself that this part of God's plan for us. I believe in the Divine Intervention and Divine Providence. We may have second thoughts on this life-altering decision, yet I know that this is only the beginning of the realizations that we have promised for our family.... FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, TILL DEATH DO US PART. WE LOVE YOU, DIDI!!!

Cramming for FINALS

It's Final Week of the First Semester and I bet the students' catecholamines are way beyond normal levels!!! 

If there's a way that I'll be measuring their perceptual fields, chances are, its down to moderate anxiety, severe, or much worse panic state.

Early this morning, as I opened my Google page, the Quote of the Day section caught my attention instantly. Its from Arthur Ashe (who's he? I asked myself), and he said "One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation."

I'm not interested on the person who said these lines but I think that this is very apt for what is going to transpire in the coming days. Anyway, I did research on Arthur Ashe later (just for curiosity sake) and he was the first African American player to compete in the international sport of tennis at the highest level of the game during 1960's. Not bad! Considering that during those times, apartheid among the whites and African Americans was the hype of the era.

Well, I'm not writing this article to talk about Arthur and his tennis achievements, am I?

So, going back to the quotation...

I decided to post it as my status over Facebook and feel that I have to give inspiration to my students who are about to embark on sleepless nights, gulping dozens of cups of coffee, transcribing every notes they had written during the very long and tiring lecture hours of their teachers. And I did not fail...Immediately, the post have accumulated several likes from the students. 

But lo and behold! As I exited the faculty room this afternoon and passed by the photocopying area of the school, several students are waiting in line to take their turns in having the lecture slides, notebooks of classmates, textbooks, and who knows what else is there to be photocopied that is relevant to the Final exams. (I just hope not a cheat sheet.)

This scenario pisses me off (excuse me for the word). I'm saying this not because I'm a teacher, but basically this is what Arthur was trying to put at. What ever happened to "burning the midnight candle"? They do practice it, but on the week of the examination.

I remember that my parents would constantly nag me to study every night even if I have no assignments or projects to do. I'm glad that I followed them (though at times, I scorn at this!). Every school night, I would open all my textbooks and allowed 30 minutes to review or make notes. And believe it or not, on examination week, I would only study for 2 long hours and spend the rest of the night reading my favorite novels. 

Students today lack the ability to extend their patience and perseverance in their studies. Ironically, they can extend their time on computer games and other stuffs that satisfy their whims..

There are 6 weeks in every examination period. Time management is a critical factor in studying. If you schedule 30 minutes to 1 hour of your time, all by yourself, block your senses from the external environment, read your textbook (I tell you, they are your best allies in your 4-years of College education), surely, there would be something that you can gain from this. Isn't it that a speck of ice can turn into a giant snow ball if you allow it to roll for a distance?  


Preparation is a key to success..Arthur may not literally focus on this when he said those famous words, but from my point of view, for you to succeed in your undertakings, you need to prepare the battle ground. To add to this, preparation for examination takes a lot more time to build a solid foundation of  KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CRITICAL THINKING.. It does not happen in a week's time or overnight! (Get a grip, people!!!)


Face it, you cannot cram all the topics discussed in 6 weeks into the grey matters of your 3-pound brain in a week's time or much worse overnight! What are you? ET? Crap! 


I just hope that students will eventually realize that learning does not entail miracles or magics...It needs to be absorbed and digested; honed and applied; 


To those who are just about to light their midnight candles this week, GOOD LUCK..


To those who painstakingly stood by their midnight candles for several nights, CONGRATULATIONS...