Kian Southway, 15, was found dead at his home in Rhondda, South Wales on March 31. Devastated mother reports that it was unexpected and that they feel numb due to this sudden tragedy.
The mother, Joelene, shares that her son hinted a few days back that he felt 'isolated from the world' due to being kept indoors during the coronavirus lockdown.
All About Kian
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, ordered a lockdown to be enforced on Monday, March 23, 2020. A few days later, Kian Southway was found dead at home, leaving his family in a wreck.
His family could not possibly seem to grasp how this happened as they describe him as a thoughtful boy who loved everybody and was very active. He had a black belt in kickboxing. His rugby club gave tribute to him and called him 'sociable'. Kian's school, Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda, expressed their sentiments about 'losing a dear member of their family'.
His mother mentions Kian saying a few days into the lockdown that he felt 'isolated from the world' and that he wished he could 'fast forward it all'. She claims that Kian was not depressed and wasn't suffering from any mental illness either. 'We need people to know how quickly this happens. I think he literally felt isolated from the world due to this Covid-19. Kian loved life," Jolene Southway told interviewers.
Parents Julian and Joelene told reporters that they were very open with their children and that they talked constantly. No secrets were to be kept in their household-- a promise they kept within their four walls. "Kian knew it's okay not to be okay and he didn't talk. We will never know why," they said heartbroken.
The Southways now reach out to other teenagers, saying there are people they can speak to. These are trying times for all of us. They urge others to let their troubles be known to others and to not feel alone despite this chaos.
A Go Fund Me page had been put up to help raise money for Kian's family.
Coronavirus Lockdown & Mental Health
Kian's death was the second suicide case linked to the coronavirus lockdown in Britain. His death followed that of a man with bipolar disorder, whose family claimed that the lockdown 'pushed him over the edge' as he caved in into his loneliness.
The World Health Organisation recognizes that the pandemic could cause potential problems with mental health and created a document to support mental and psychosocial well-being in different target groups during the outbreak.
Recent reports also claim that the coronavirus situation may also take a toll on the mental health of health care workers. Just as most soldiers and war veterans have post traumatic stress disorder, health care frontliners fighting the coronavirus may also go through some mental strain.
Sharon Greenfield, a clinical psychologist in Concord, Massachusetts, urges federal and local leaders to take action and make protocols for handling a mental health emergency as they do a physical one.
