UPFRONT | From the editor Stop and listen There is a new series on Netflix that is proving to be one of its most watched shows to date: 13 Reasons Why. It’s about a teenage girl who, before committing suicide, created a cassette tape recording pouring her heart out and calling out 13 people who she claims are the reasons why she decided to end her life. This 13-part series is about all the cruel things teenagers may be facing in a world that is governed by popularity and social hierarchy, which may sound familiar to those of us who went through the same kinds of drama in high school. The reality is that today’s teenagers may be facing the same difficulties as we did, but the consequences for them can be much worse thanks to social media. The bullies remain, but their platform has gone beyond the four walls of the school to the bigger and wider world of the Internet. The victims are also now subjected to a bigger, wider and more unforgiving audience. In Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24 years old. The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that suicide accounts for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15 to 24 year-olds. Suicide has been linked to mental illness, which makes it even more important to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms, before it’s too late. Not all people contemplating suicide have outward signs of a struggling, lonely person, as was portrayed by the main character in 13 Reasons Why. No one knew what she was planning to do – not her friends, not her teachers, not even her own parents. When I was a young adult, my cousin committed suicide. The night she took her life, I walked by her house on my way home. I saw her lamplight was on, and I thought about stopping by, as I usually did, for a drink or a quick chat. But I continued walking, thinking it was late and I wanted to get home. A few hours later we got the terrible call. I wished I had stopped by her house earlier that night; maybe things would have turned out differently. Just maybe. My cousin, as in many suicide cases, never gave any indication that she was depressed or sad or in pain. For the untrained person, maybe it is hard to recognize the signs and symptoms of someone having suicidal thoughts or is depressed – or maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just a matter of being there for them and showing we care – whether it’s at home, in our community or at our workplace. May 2017 Volume 22, Number 3 EDITOR Mari-Len De Guzman [email protected] (289) 259-1408 PUBLISHER Christine Livingstone [email protected] (519) 429-5173 • (888) 599-2228 ext. 239 ACCOUNT COORDINATOR Shannon Drumm [email protected] (888) 599-2228 ext. 219 MEDIA DESIGNER Brooke Shaw CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden GROUP PUBLISHER Martin McAnulty [email protected] COO Ted Markle [email protected] PRESIDENT & CEO Mike Fredericks Published and printed by Annex Business Media, 105 Donly Drive South, Simcoe, ON, Canada N3Y 4N5 Publication Mail Agreement #40065710 ISSN 1488-6952 CIRCULATION e-mail: [email protected] Tel: (416) 510-5189 Fax: (416) 510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Canadian Chiropractor is published eight times a year: February, April, May, June, July/August, September, October and December. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada – 1 Year $24.00 (with GST $25.20, with HST/QST $27.12) (HST #867172652RT0001) USA – 1 Year $35.00 (US Funds) Occasionally, Canadian Chiropractor will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2017 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN, Editor EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD @CanChiropractor Victoria Coleman, DC; Connie J. D’Astolfo, DC, Dip HA, PhD (cand); Pierre DesLauriers, DC; James P. Laws, DC, FRCCSS(C)(Hon); David Leprich, DC; Wanda Lee MacPhee, DC; Peter Moore, DC; Don Nixdorf, DC; Renae Rogers, DC; Greg Stewart, BPE, DC 6 Canadian Chiropractor May 2017 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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