How Matt Richtel talks to teenagers and their parents about this series
In mid-April, I spoke to the mother of a suicidal teenager whose struggles I follow closely. I asked how her daughter was.
Not good, the mother said, “If we can’t find something drastic to help this child, this child won’t be here for long.” She began to cry. “It’s out of our hands, it’s out of our control,” she said. “We’re trying everything.”
She added: “It’s like waiting for the end.”
For nearly 18 months of reporting, I met many adolescents and their families and interviewed dozens of physicians, therapists, and adolescent science experts. I heard horrifying stories of pain and insecurity. From the very beginning, my editors and I discussed how best to deal with the identities of people in crisis.
The Times sets a high bar for anonymity of sources; our style book calls it a “last resort” for situations where important information cannot be published otherwise. Sources can often face a threat to their careers or even their safety, whether from a vindictive boss or a hostile government.
In this case, the need for anonymity had a different imperative: to protect the privacy of young, vulnerable adolescents. They injured themselves and attempted suicide, and some threatened to try again. When telling their stories, we had to keep in mind that our first duty is to ensure their safety.
If The Times published the names of these teenagers, they could easily be identified years later. Would this harm their job opportunities? Will a teenager – a minor – later regret revealing his or her identity during a period of pain and struggle? Will publishing history exacerbate current crises?
As a result, some teenagers identify with only the first initial; some of their parents are identified by their first name or initials. For months, I met M, J, and C, and in Kentucky I met struggling teenagers, whom I identified only by their ages, 12, 13, and 15. In some stories, we didn’t publish exactly where the families lived.
Everyone I interviewed gave their own consent, and parents usually attended interviews with their adolescents. Several times a parent offered to leave the room or a teenager asked for privacy and the parent agreed.
In these articles, I heard grief, confusion, and a desperate search for answers. The voices of adolescents and their parents, although protected from anonymity, deepen the understanding of this mental health crisis.
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