Call To Mind Live
Preventing Teen Suicide in a Pandemic of Isolation
Many teens are still cut off from valuable connections and have been since the pandemic shut down schools. Friends and teachers have been less available. Remote learning has shifted reality pausing clubs, sports and extracurricular activities that gave so many teens added purpose and connection. This new isolation is triggering feelings of anxiety, depression and worse.
Teen suicide is a growing problem in America. The CDC reports one in four young adults contemplated suicide during the pandemic. And, suicide consistently ranks as the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24. What are the warning signs of suicide? And how can potentially at-risk youth be identified with time to intervene?
In March, Cincinnati Public Radio’s Michael Monks hosted Call to Mind Live: Preventing Teen Suicide in a Pandemic of Isolation, a Well Beings Virtual Tour Event. Through an in-depth panel discussion, Ohio teens and mental health experts shared the complexities of teen suicide, warning signs and specific things parents, teachers, and others can do to help.
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HOST
Michael Monks is host of WVXU's Cincinnati Edition, the station's daily news and lifestyle talk show. He is also the editor and publisher of The River City News, a daily digital newspaper that he founded in 2011 in Covington, Kentucky. Michael is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and Southern New Hampshire University, with a bachelor's degree in radio & television and a master's degree in mass communication. In addition to nearly 20 years in professional local journalism, Michael is also an accomplished theatre actor appearing on Cincinnati's stages.
Panelists
Dr. Courtney Cinko is a board-certified Physician in pediatrics, general psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry. She attended medical school at Rush Medical College, before moving to Cincinnati in 2010 for her combined, triple board residency program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Dr. Cinko is on faculty at Cincinnati Children’s, as an Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and is Medical Director of the Partial Hospitalization Program.
Her treatment philosophy is: the key to improving children’s mental health is properly assessing and treating the whole child. We often naturally treat their minds and bodies, but it is also vital to treat their relationships and the environments which they are a part of. In order to do the best for a child, that child must be understood in the context of their own world.
James Stallworth is 7th Grade Principal and Hope Squad Advisor at Princeton Community Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is his 23rd year in education, during which he has previously served as a high school mathematics teacher, curriculum writer and National Honor Society Advisor.
James is a native Cincinnatian. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania and returned to the area for a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati.
ABOUT
WELL BEINGS is a major national campaign from WETA addressing health needs in America with a focus on youth mental health.
The WELL BEINGS TOUR is made possible by Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, One Mind, Movember, National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Dauten Family Foundation, Dana Foundation, Hersh Foundation, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, Frances Von Schlegell and John E. Von Schlegell, Robina Riccitiello, Sutter Health, and Jackson Family Enterprises. Partners include CALL TO MIND at American Public Media, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, Forbes, PEOPLE, Mental Health America, The Steve Fund, and The Jed Foundation.
Call to Mind is American Public Media’s initiative to foster new conversations about mental health. Call to Mind is bringing mental health conversations into the open, increasing public knowledge and engagement, to empower people to find the support they want and need.