The Tennessee Star learned on Sunday night that Nashville real estate developer Bill Freeman is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
State Representative Bob Freeman (D-Nashville), the son of Bill Freeman, confirmed his father’s passing to Fox 17.
Read the full story
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is using “Suicide Prevention Awareness Month” this September to push the lie that transgender medical interventions stop children from committing suicide.
The Daily Signal obtained a newsletter the HHS sent on Friday sharing resources on suicide prevention for “LGBTQIA2S+ Youth.” The resources promote the idea that LGBTQ+ children are likely to commit suicide if they don’t receive irreversible gender transition procedures, like surgeries and hormone replacement regimens.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Star has obtained the suicide note left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale to her parents before her devastating March 27, 2023 attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults.
Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) investigators found the note posted to Hale’s bedroom wall, which The Star has learned was adorned with childhood memorabilia and photos.
Read the full story
Eighty-two percent of teachers say that the general state of public K-12 education has gotten worse over the past five years. This is according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted in October and November of 2023. That’s not the only shocking statistic from the survey, either, which overall offers a grim statistical map of the fault lines fracturing our education system. However, these trends may offer some insight into how to fix our schools.
First, the teachers. Most teachers (77 percent) find their job frequently stressful, and a large majority (70 percent) say their school is understaffed, which may contribute to the fact that over 80 percent of teachers say they do not have enough time in the work day to complete all necessary tasks.
Read the full story
by Carrie Sheffield “There is an important body of conservative thought that is now nearly or completely absent on the faculties of many eminent universities,” former Harvard University President Derek Bok wrote in Harvard Magazine following Hamas’ terrorist attacks Oct. 7 in Israel and the ensuing campus chaos. He recommends “some immediate progress by trying to hire conservatives as visiting professors or lecturers while also encouraging conservative students with ability to consider embarking on an academic career,” Bok wrote. One area sorely needing hiring changes is mental health care. A profound mismatch exists between proven treatments for mental illness and the worldview of practitioners. Robust scientific evidence correlates faith and religious practice with strengthening mental health and preventing suicide and drug and alcohol overdoses. A faith-based worldview, often correlated with what society deems “conservative” or “traditional” religious values, is highly underrepresented among psychiatrists. For example, psychiatrists ranked 23rd among 24 medical specialists in their low propensity for Republican Party registration—far below the general population, Yale researchers reported. The religious composition of the mental health industry doesn’t mirror the United States. Similar trends can be seen across elite media and Hollywood. This is creating massive cultural blind spots—including in the treatment of mental health. This is why we are getting the “Bad Therapy” identified…
Read the full story
Ohio’s former chairman of the Public Utilities Commissioner, facing charges in the state’s biggest corruption case, has been found dead. The body of Sam Randazzo was discovered late Tuesday morning in a building he owned in Columbus. He was 74.
Read the full story
Ohio plans to spend $20 million in taxpayer funds over the next 10 years to study the causes of depression, suicide and drug overdoses.
The research initiative, conducted with Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, along with several stat universities, is expected to study the role of biological, psychological, and social factors that underlie what officials call an epidemic.
Read the full story
The man suspected of fatally shooting four women, including a teenager, and critically injuring another teenager, was found dead early Sunday morning from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Memphis police said.
Read the full story
Educators at a Pennsylvania middle school acknowledged that the school was withholding information about a student’s “gender identity” and preferred name after the child was bullied and told to commit suicide, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Southern Lehigh School District (SLSD) instructed teachers and staff in October 2021 to use students’ preferred names or pronouns but told them to keep the information from parents if students request it, according to a DCNF investigation. Tara Cooke, a counselor for SLSD’s Joseph P. Liberati Intermediate School, and Deanna Webb, formerly the school’s vice principal, discussed an incident in which several male students allegedly told a “female” student to kill herself. The administrators noted that they had yet to inform the child’s parents about the victim’s “gender identity,” according to a May 18, 2022 email in a public records request by several concerned parents, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
Read the full story
Two deaths have been reported within one week at Nashville International Airport (BNA).
Read the full story
Since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) underwent a significant makeover during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, the new version of the hotline has been swamped with more calls than ever before.
As ABC News reports, part of the NSPL’s reforms included shortening the previous 10-digit number to the much simpler 9-8-8. The program also received an additional $200 million in funding as a result of the American Rescue Plan bill. The changes were made in response to a spike in mental health crises and suicides during the pandemic, when most Americans were forcibly locked down and forced to stay home from school, jobs, and other basic necessities for years.
Read the full story
Transgender Assistant Secretary for Health for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Rachel Levine recently praised the work of children’s hospitals, such as Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford, for their “gender-affirming care” clinics that provide children and teens with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transgender surgeries, such as elective double mastectomies.
Levine (born Richard Levine) told a very welcoming audience at CCMC’s Pediatric Grand Rounds in February that “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex Americans, especially our youth … need our attention because they’re being attacked and … are attempting suicide at an alarming rate.”
Read the full story
A Pennsylvania state senator this week announced she is reintroducing legislation to force gun buyers to undergo three-day waiting periods before they take possession of their firearms.
Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Norristown) wrote in a memorandum describing her bill that she believes the measure could reduce both violent crime and suicides. She stated that more than 60 percent of gun deaths are intentionally self-inflicted and said research has shown that many suicide survivors thought about taking the actions they did for less than a 24-hour period.
Read the full story
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report revealing that the rate of high school-aged girls in the United States considering suicide or going through depression has increased dramatically over the last 10 years.
As reported by Fox News, the study shows that in 2021, 57 percent of all high school girls felt depressed or hopeless in 2021, compared to just 36 percent in 2011; this marks a staggering 58 percent increase over the 10-year period. Similarly, 30 percent of girls in 2021 contemplated suicide, a 60 percent increase from just 19 percent in 2011. And in another 60 percent increase, 24 percent of high school girls went so far as to make plans for their own suicide in 2021, up from 15 percent in 2011.
Read the full story
New data from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) shows that the state’s launch of the three-digit Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is paying off.
Read the full story
Transgender activists often tout the claim that youths with gender identity issues have a suicide attempt rate as high as 41%, but that exaggerated statistic may encourage suicide, multiple psychiatrists have argued.
The suicide rate of youth patients at the United Kingdom’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) was 0.03% over the course of a decade, according to an analysis of about 15,000 patients, and another clinic reported that 13.4% of their referrals were considered to be at high risk for suicide prior to their initial triage appointment, according to analysis by Dr. Alison Clayton, an Australian psychiatrist. Compared to this clinical data, transgender suicide statistics that activists promote typically draw from voluntary surveys and find a much higher risk of suicide among respondents.
Read the full story
Ashley Judd found her mother, Naomi Judd, alive after she shot herself, according to a court filing from the family as part of an effort to stop documents from being released about Naomi’s death.
Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, and her daughters Ashley and Wynonna Judd filed a petition on Friday in Williamson County Chancery Court in Tennessee. The family argued that records from Judd’s death investigation would cause “significant trauma and irreparable harm” if they are released, according to The Tennessean.
The family asked for all video and audio evidence as well as personal medical information and police reports to be kept private.
Read the full story
A recent study finds the often “inaccurate” and “incomplete” informed consent process engaged in by transgender industry clinicians is propped up by the activist “alarmist” narrative whereby parents are told their failure to approve their child’s transgender medical treatments could likely result in his or her suicide.
In the study published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, Dr. Stephen B. Levine, of the Department of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, and his colleagues note the “unprecedented rise in the numbers of children and adolescents seeking gender transition” in under a decade.
Read the full story
Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that directs his Departments of Health and Human Services and Education to further push life-altering, “gender-affirming” treatments in children who claim gender confusion, and increase LGBTQ activism infiltration, under the guise of anti-bullying and anti-suicide programs, in public schools throughout the United States.
The order is specifically aimed at states that have banned transgender medical interventions for minors, promoted parental rights, and that have blocked public schools from teaching concepts related to gender identity and sexuality to young children.
Read the full story
A study by the Heritage Foundation reveals a higher likelihood of youth suicide in states that allow minors to receive puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without parental consent – an outcome that contradicts what the “gender-affirming” crowd is fear-mongering to parents.
Research has shown the vast majority of children who express signs of gender dysphoria experience a resolution of the problem without medical intervention, but Heritage Senior Research Fellow Jay Greene, Ph.D. notes in his study, released Tuesday, that data indicating adolescents with gender confusion suffer from a high rate of suicide have been “invoked” by LGBTQ activist organizations, media, and even the White House, “to assert that cross-sex medical interventions reduce the risk of suicide.”
Read the full story
A leading clinical child psychologist with over 15 years’ experience says she has seen a sharp increase in young patients now identifying as transgender.
According to a report at the Daily Mail’s Mail on Sunday, the mental health expert states she has seen the increase in the number of young patients claiming to be transgender since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Read the full story
The top executive of Atlanta’s MARTA transit system has died by suicide after stepping in front of a commuter train, officials said.
Jeffery Parker, 55, the CEO and general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority since 2018, was hailed by MARTA Board Chairwoman Rita Scott as a dedicated civil servant and leader in a statement Saturday announcing his death.
Read the full story
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) led a bipartisan grilling of Facebook’s Antigone Davis Thursday about apparent troubles the company’s photo-sharing platform causes for teenagers.
Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security, of which Blumenthal and Blackburn are respectively chair and ranking member. The meeting focused largely on the psychological hazards that Facebook has quietly acknowledged its photo-album application Instagram has posed to children and teens.
Read the full story
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) and her Connecticut colleague Richard Blumenthal (D) announced this week they’re launching an inquiry into revelations, reported that morning in The Wall Street Journal, about Facebook’s knowledge of harms its products may pose to their young users.
Blumenthal chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, through which the investigation of the social network will proceed. Blackburn serves as the subcommittee’s ranking member.
Read the full story
The Georgia man who was found dead in his home Saturday after being charged in connection to the mostly peaceful protests in Washington, D.C. on January 6 committed suicide, police confirmed.
“The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office told Heavy that the cause of death was suicide,” Heavy confirmed. “[Christopher Stanton] Georgia died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, they said.”
Read the full story
The costs of the government responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic have been severe. New evidence suggests they could be even worse than we imagined.
An ABC affiliate in California reports that doctors at John Muir Medical Center tell them they have seen more deaths by suicide than COVID-19 during the quarantine.
Read the full story
More Tennesseans died from suicide than the coronavirus last week, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs revealed in a weekly update.
Read the full story
WASHINGTON – The rate of suicide among active duty service members has increased significantly over the past five years, according to a Pentagon report released on Thursday.
Read the full story
NEW YORK – An autopsy has determined that financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, died of suicide by hanging, New York’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Friday.
Read the full story
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he was “appalled” by Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide over the weekend, but urged that the millionaire pedophile’s co-conspirators “should not rest easy.”
Read the full story
The Trump Administration on July 31 announced steps that could lead to the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are lower. This strategy is favored by President Trump but has long been opposed by many Republicans. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that the policy would enable Americans to “get the benefit of the deals that pharma themselves are striking with other countries.”
Read the full story
Jeffery Epstein, the mysterious billionaire who once hosted presidents and movie stars at his private island resort, was found dead is his jail cell Saturday morning, many news outlets report. He was 66 years old.
Read the full story
A bill currently under consideration by the Ohio Legislature would exempt disability service pay, made to honorably discharged veterans, from state income taxes. House Bill 18 (HB 18) was introduced to the Ohio House of Representatives last month. Wednesday, the bill finally came to a vote where it passed by an almost unprecedented 98-0 votes. It has now been introduced tot he Senate where it is expected to pass with similar support. In a statement, the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Erica Crawley, (D-Columbus) stated: This is a great example of how the legislature can work together to deliver real results that have a minimal fiscal impact on the state and keep Ohio’s promise to our veterans by eliminating hardships, Rep. Crawley is a Navy veteran. The Department of Veterans Affairs defines disability compensation as: Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to Veterans who are determined by VA to be disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are considered to be service connected. To be eligible for compensation, the Veteran must have been separated or discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. As of 2013, over 800,000 of the more than 21…
Read the full story
Suicide prevention has to be a priority for everybody. We must destroy the societal imposed shame placed on those who seek help.
Read the full story
by Max Jungreis Pfc. Nichole Bowen-Crawford said she was walking to lunch on her Army base near Nasiriyah, Iraq, in 2003 when she received her daily proposition from a passing fellow soldier. “Hey, Bowen,” the officer tossed out, “let’s go f— in the bunker.” Bowen-Crawford told VOA that while this was the most shocking example of the day-to-day regimen of verbal sexual harassment she experienced while in the Army between 2001-2004, it was not her worst experience — she had been assaulted by a higher-ranking sergeant earlier that year. When she reported the incident to a male supervisor, she was advised to stay quiet for the sake of her career. Bowen-Crawford’s experience is not universal, but far from rare. Suicide rate A work environment tolerant of sexual assault and harassment is believed to be one of the causes of high suicide rates among female veterans, which soared more than 45 percent between 2001 and 2015, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The rate among female veterans is lower than that of male veterans, but not compared to their civilian counterparts. Female veterans are almost twice as likely to kill themselves as civilian women. “Certainly…
Read the full story
by Evie Fordham A replacement has been named for Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, the top Navy admiral in the Middle East, after he was found dead in his residence in Bahrain Saturday. Vice Adm. Jim Malloy, the deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, will take Stearney’s place commanding U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 5th Fleet, Stars and Stripes reported Monday. Defense officials called Stearney’s death an “apparent suicide,” CBS News reported. Navy officials declined to comment on those reports, according to Stars and Stripes. “Scott Stearney was a decorated naval warrior. He was a devoted husband and father, and he was a good friend to all of us,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said in a statement Saturday. “The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are cooperating on the investigation, but at this time no foul play is suspected.” There will be a private memorial for Stearney on the Navy’s Bahrain base, officials told Stars and Stripes Monday. The 5th Fleet that Stearney commanded is based in Bahrain. It functions in the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean as well as strategically important…
Read the full story
by Evie Fordham The Washington State Medical Commission (WMC) is taking a step to combat the high suicide rate among physicians by making physician licensing questions more friendly to doctors who have sought psychiatric help. Updates to Washington state’s licensure questions will focus on an individual’s current impairment rather than if a doctor has had mental health problems at any point in the past. Many doctors fear their reputations and even licensure are at risk if they seek help from a psychiatrist for feelings of burnout or even suicidal thoughts. Currently, many doctors are “having to sneak out of town, pay cash and use a fake name” when seeking help from a mental health professional, family physician Pamela Wible told Kaiser Health News. She is a self-proclaimed “voice for ideal medical care” and has gathered more than 1,000 stories of doctor suicides for her website to help people better understand the issue. The WMC expects to update the questions in December after the changes were voted on in June, WMC Executive Director Micah Matthews told The Daily Caller News Foundation via email. “Historically, medical license applications asked if the applicant has ever had any medical conditions or substance abuse that may impair their practice,” Matthews…
Read the full story
A Tennessee musician died after dousing himself in kerosene and lighting himself on fire, according to local authorities. The event was streamed on Facebook Live. The Memphis Police Department told FOX13 Saturday that local musician Jared McLemore, 33, set himself on fire in an effort to commit suicide on Facebook Live. Shortly after he set himself…
Read the full story