It’s not in her title, but enterprise reporter Jessica Contrera is kind of a teen whisperer.
Her stories touched on childhood mental health, but Contrera wasn’t able to explore it in depth.
“We tend to write about mental health and kids when a child actually dies,” Contrera says. “But the far more common thing is they attempt suicide, but don't die.”
Contrera points to a study that found the percentage of children ages 5 to 17 who were hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or actions more than doubled from 2008 to 2015.
She worries that people are tired of hearing about mental illness. Words like “stigma” and “mindfulness” can feel meaningless, Contrera says, when they’re constantly talked about in general terms.
She was looking for a way to illustrate the trends and their consequences when she stumbled on a small news brief that turned into this week’s top story: “ The boy on the bridge.”
“You can tell these stories through individual kids and then they become a lot more powerful,” Contrera says.
— T.J. Ortenzi, General Assignment Editor
Thanks for reading Must Reads. Please send me an email if you have any questions or feedback about the stories in this week's newsletter.
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The boy on the bridge |
A 12-year-old tried to kill himself, police say. Instead, he killed someone else. |
By Jessica Contrera • Read more » |
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Michael Flynn’s transformation from storied officer to heated partisan |
Friends and colleagues of the three-star general say his public persona shifted dramatically after he left the military. But they remain at odds over why. |
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A man-made war paid for by women and children |
In Yemen’s horrific civil conflict, they are the ones most likely to be displaced, deprived and abused. Listen to their accounts. |
By Neha Wadekar • Read more » |
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Anyone can create a new emoji. Here’s an animated guide to doing it right. |
Yes, even you. |
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FYI: George T. Conway III is the husband of counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway.
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Eight simple tricks to keep hackers from ruining Christmas shopping |
Here’s how to be a defensive online shopper — even on Amazon — in a world where data breaches are the new norm. |
Geoffrey Fowler • Read more » |
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