Pope Francis, during the 25-minute in-flight press conference while returning to the Vatican from Portugal, emphasised that mental health and suicide are serious issues facing young people today and that he does not believe that it is discussed enough by the media.
“Youth suicide is a major issue today,” the pope said, adding that a young man had confided in him that he had considered dying by suicide. He said that some societies pressure youths so much that they feel ashamed if they do not succeed at university or in their jobs and so consider taking their own life.
Malta is not an exception. I will not give a slew of statistics to prove this. Several international studies show that, for different reasons, suicide statistics do not show the actual situation.
But experts in the field have a better hands-on experience of the actual situation. Last month, during an online discussion organised by the Faculty for Social Well-being, a spokesperson for the Richmond Foundation said that, during the previous week, the foundation had received “a worrying amount” of phone calls from people who said they were thinking of suicide and from parents who were concerned about their children.
The spike followed the announcement of the unexpected death of three young men.
It was shocking to listen to the statement that: “We are seeing many in their late teens and early 20s wanting to end their life.”
Undoubtedly, every death by suicide, whether the victim is 16 or 80 years old, is a tragedy. But when young people decide to end their lives, the question ‘why’ sounds louder and the pain felt seems greater.
I will not analyse the myriad reasons why suicide is on the rise but I certainly offer a reflection on the possible role of the media in all of this.
To serve the greed of few we are thwarting the future of our children- Fr Joe Borg
We are today engulfed by the media. It is the environment we live in, the skin that encapsulates us and the extension of our bodies. Media related activities take large chunks of our time. In fact, most people do not go online but live online. We are the first generation of humans that simultaneously exists in two different spaces: the physical and the virtual. As yet we have not fully come to terms with this unprecedented situation which, in itself, creates stress.
Moreover, through the stories, adverts and programmes projected, the media continuously drum in users concepts of love, happiness, relationships, friendship and body image among so many other things. They give us phony solutions for our fears (creams will disguise the effects of ageing) and anxieties (thanks to particular perfumes we will never be alone).
They tell us that our worth is gauged by the products we consume and the branded clothes we wear. They present us with alternative scenarios of how best to live our relationships, which, like all things we consume, are to be transitory.
Such world views and value systems are not presented by chance. Most media are owned by those who are super-rich thanks to their milking of the capitalist system. They want the system to flourish so that they can become mega-super rich. Consequently, the lifestyles communicated are those which guarantee the continued supremacy of capitalism.
It could very well be that this materialistic and illusionary style of living and of being human is creating unattainable and dehumanising targets. These, in turn, foster alienation and impoverish the human spirit, making it less resistant to societal pressures and thereby leading many to lose hope.
To serve the greed of few we are thwarting the future of our children and betraying our youth.
If you need help or information, phone 1770 for the helpline administered by the Richmond Foundation or the Mental Health helpline on 1579.