Weekly News Roundup July 28 – Aug 4, 2023

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New Jersey school district reaches $9.1 million settlement with family of teen who died by suicide – CNN
July 31, 2023
12-year old Mallory Grossman died by suicide in 2017, after being repeatedly bullied and cyberbullied by classmates. Here parents, Diane and Seth Grossman,sued Rockaway Township School District in  New Jersey,  in 2018, claiming that “Copeland Middle School administrators did not do enough to prevent their daughter’s death”. Seth Grossman said schools have to take steps toward “meaningful change” like restricting access to cellphones during the school day. The school district has been ordered to pay $9.1 million to the Grossmans.

It’s hard to merge the loving image of my father with the person who died by suicide – CBC News
July 29, 2023
Amanda Whalen, a communications professional with a technology firm, shares her experiences and memories of her father who died by suicide when she was 22. She realizes that her perspective on her father’s suicide has evolved over time and will continue to evolve.

What a former principal’s suicide tells us about what our workplaces owe us – Globe and Mail
July 28, 2023
Richard Bilkszto, a 60-year old Toronto School District principal, died by suicide earlier in July. He had filed a lawsuit against the School Board alleging he was “bullied and harassed during anti-racism training sessions”. Bilkszto also believed he was wrongfully labelled a racist. Whether these stressors directly related to his death is not known, but his lawyer Lisa Bildy said, “Unfortunately, the stress and effects of these incidents continued to plague Richard. Last week he succumbed to this distress”.

Health Canada assessing popular diabetes, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for suicide risk – CBC News
July 28, 2023
There have been reports that drugs used to treat diabetes and some weight-loss medications may lead to a risk of suicide. Health Canada is acting on these reports to independently review this class of drugs. Certain receptor agonists, which were initially developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, have been used in recent years to treat obesity. Health Canada’s decision comes after both The  European Medicines Agency and the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said “ they were also reviewing the drugs because of reports that people’s mental health had been impacted”.

B.C. pilot study to use ketamine treatment for children facing suicidal thoughts – Victoria News
July 28, 2023
A pilot study, begun in British Columbia, will examine ketamine and its potential benefits for youth experiencing suicidal behaviours. Dr. Quynh Doan, senior executive with B.C. Children’s Hospital Research Institute, says the goal of the study is “is to find a faster and safer way to help youth in need before they reach the emergency room”. She has seen encouraging research of ketamine elsewhere in North America, where ketamine infusions relieve teens of symptoms within hours, instead of other treatment plans which can take weeks to see results. The goal is to have 96 patients aged 10 to 16 for the pilot at 11 locations across Canada.