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From 1897 to 2025: How Durkheim’s Suicide Theory Explains Our Digital Isolation Crisis | Part 6 of Suicide Prevention Awareness Series

Part 6 Whilst I was looking for inspiration to write these posts, I found a paper I wrote on Émile Durkheim’s “Le Suicide” from 1897. Rereading the paper, I realised that this sociologist’s writings about human despair might hold part of the key to understanding why a 16-year-old in Florida could find so much comfort in an AI chatbot.

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Clinic Blog, General, support, Yellow September

The Brazilian Context: Cultural Factors in Digital Mental Health Part 4

Part 4 In my practice, I see many who maintain extensive online social networks yet report feeling profoundly misunderstood by their families. This disconnect between digital and physical social worlds creates what I’m going to describe as intergenerational digital isolation, a phenomenon where young people increasingly turn to AI or anonymous online sources for emotional support rather than trusted adults in their physical environment.

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Clinic Blog, General, support, Yellow September

What is Yellow September? Part 3 of Suicide Prevention Awareness Series

Part 3 Let me give you a little background about the Origins of Yellow September from Brazil

Yellow September began in Brazil in 2015, spearheaded by the Centro de Valorização da Vida (CVV) in partnership with the Federal Council of Medicine and the Brazilian Psychiatric Association. The choice of yellow, which represents life, light, and hope, and the choice of the month of September, coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, thus creating a month-long focus on awareness and prevention.

Yellow ribbon and smith clinic logo
Clinic Blog, General, support, Yellow September

Adam Raine | A Portrait of Digital Age Vulnerability

A neuropsychologist’s perspective on the intersection of technology, isolation, and suicide prevention

Adam Raine was, by many accounts, a typical American teenager navigating the complex intersection of adolescence and digital connectivity. Living with his parents, he was described by family and friends as intelligent, creative, and struggling with the social challenges that many others face in our hyperconnected yet paradoxically isolating world.

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