‘Adolescence,’ as an entity, did not exist until the Great Depression of the 1930’s when child labourers lost their jobs. Because they needed to be productively occupied, fourteen to seventeen-year-olds in North America were enrolled in high schools.

Today, we hear the term ‘mental health’ a lot. It “isn’t good for my mental health,” “mental health is so important,” or “I need a mental health day.”  However, people rarely talk about what constitutes ‘mental health.’ Is it the absence of ‘mental illness,’ ‘absence of stress?’ Is ‘mental health’ the same as happiness?  

Suicide is a topic few people want to discuss but it is a serious problem and there is no way to prevent it without talking about it, understanding it, and addressing its root causes. Suicide is defined as a “fatal, self-inflicted act with the explicit or inferred intent to die” (Child and Adolescent Suicidal Behaviour).

Since the 1980’s when a number of suicides were attributed to bullying, there has been a growing interest from researchers and the public. In 1999, two students shot and killed 12 other students and a teacher at Columbine High School in the United States, and it was learned that these students had previously been taunted and harassed repeatedly by popular school athletes.

We live in an increasingly diverse world in terms of language, culture, religion, race, and ethnicity. We also live in a world which is diverse in terms of sexuality and gender, and where there is more open acknowledgment and expression of this diversity. At the same time, there is considerable division, animosity, and fear surrounding this subject.

People have strong views about competition among children. Some think competition is character building, promoting confidence, ambition, and grace, in relation to winning and losing. Others see it as soul destroying, instilling the desire to win rather than cooperate with peers, and creating unnecessary anxiety.  

Because death is frightening to so many of us, it is a topic we rarely discuss, even less so, with children. Adults are usually confused, tongue tied, and reticent when a family member dies and they are confronted with children who have questions and feelings, and needs.