| Unravelling the suicide clusters
Bonnie McCelland, 58, has felt at first hand the devastating fallout of a "cluster" suicide. First her only son Timothy killed himself after suffering depression. A single mother without the support of a partner, she then had to face the grieving parents of two of Timothy's friends, who also killed themselves shortly after his death. "As a parent, your heart is already shattered," she said. "But then, to look into the eyes of your friends and see the pain that your child has caused, is something you carry in your heart forever." She attempts to shed light on the reasons why a young person, with their life ahead of them, might choose to follow a friend into suicide. "When a suicide happens it's like a book has been taken off the library shelf," she said. "They open that book, and it gives them the direction of what to do." Message Ms McClelland now works to raise awareness of teenage suicides in her local town near Tampa in Florida.
Fears over 'suicide glamour' on social networking sites
Psychologists in Australia have warned about the power of glamorising death through social networking sites in the wake of a spate of suicides in the UK. Thirteen teenagers killed themselves in the south Wales town of Bridgend in the past 12 months, igniting concern that websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo may be to blame. Recent media reports have claimed the teenagers were killing themselves because memorial sites were seen as prestigious. .
Connect With Kids -- Childhood Depression, Anxiety, Suicide
A Connect With Kids special aired Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. on WGAL Channel 8. The topic -- childhood depression, anxiety, and suicide. More children today suffer from these issues and ailments than ever before and many of these kids are undiagnosed. One study reports that nearly a third of teens say they have felt sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in a row; 80 percent more teenage girls are hospitalized for depression than they were 10 years ago. .
Suspect arrested in C-Train killing
Mourners and family of Arcelie Laoagan erupted into cheers and hugged one another as Calgary police showed up during a memorial reception, announcing they have made an arrest in the case involving her killing near the Franklin C-Train station. A man in his early 20s was taken into custody Thursday afternoon, just hours before hundreds of mourners filed into a church to bid farewell to Laoagan. Police say the violent attack was a random act. .
Hey there, sweetie, let’s make a deal
And it's not just Old Town where these shenanigans are taking place. Down by Portland State, in the vicinity of the new light-rail line, TriMet is trying to force the owner of an old house at 525 S.W. Jackson St. to sell his property for less than he says it's worth. TriMet hasn't made an official offer yet to the building's owner, Randy Acker, who operates a law business there. However, documents obtained by Acker indicate that TriMet — which can seize property through eminent domain — wants to get the property for $400,000, which is less than Acker has invested in the place. And that doesn't begin to take into account how much the property will be worth with the new light-rail line. Not that TriMet needs the property for its light-rail operation, you understand.
Gillispie misfires at start
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Three pictures on the cover of the Kentucky basketball media guide seem to capture the first 10 games of Billy Gillispie's tenure at one of college basketball's most demanding jobs. In one, Gillispie is clapping his hands, staring intently into the distance. The two above it are of senior guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley. Crawford has the ball in his hand, searching for an opening. Bradley crouches, mouth agape, eyes focused straight ahead. Perhaps it's telling that the coach and players are looking in different directions. The giddiness that surrounded Gillispie's arrival from Texas A&M as he took over for Tubby Smith in April, has been replaced by anxiety as the Wildcats and their hard-spun coach struggle to get to know each other. Kentucky (5-5) is off to its worst start since the 2000-01 season.
10 Bar workers jailed following brutal assault
A Purley man has been jailed for beating a man so hard with a metal pole that it bent. Ralph Daley of Palamos, Church Road, Purley was sentenced to 18 months for violent disorder at the Inner London Crown Court today. The 45-year-old will serve half the sentence in custody and the rest on licence. He was sentenced along with four other men in connection with a brutal assault outside the Fridge Bar, Brixton on November 26 last year. Frederick Mallefroy, 43, of Kingston Road, Ilford, Essex was convicted in his absence of attempted GBH and sentenced to three-and-a-half years. Victor Carl Reid, 41, of Eamon Casey House, Mostyn Road, Brixton was convicted of violent disorder and sentence to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Carilion to expand psychiatric offerings
Come this April, Carilion Clinic plans to expand its inpatient psychiatric care to include treatment of children and teenagers with severe mental problems, such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. The demand for such services, especially for children younger than 12, is gravely needed in the region, say some mental health professionals. The new inpatient unit will open with eight beds on the third floor of the health system's rehabilitation center near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Officials plan to expand to 12 beds by year-end, said Dr. Mark Kilgus, chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the health care not-for-profit. Through this addition, Carilion officials said they hope to increase treatment options for children ages 5 to 17 who have mental disorders and substance abuse problems.
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