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Doctors, Former Patients Warn of LASIK Eye Surgery Dangers: ‘Biggest Scam Ever Put On the American Public’

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The suicide of a 26-year-old Pennsylvania police officer over the after-effects of the popular eye surgery LASIK was not an isolated incident, with others saying it left them with agonizing and life changing symptoms, patients and doctors told The Post.

LASIK providers say the procedure is 95% to 99% safe, but one LASIK survivor said she had suicidal ideations for two years after her “disastrous” surgery in 2000.

She also claimed to know of at least 40 people to have taken their own lives because they couldn’t take constant pain and vision problems, developed after the procedure.

“I really didn’t want to stick around at times, but I decided I would to get the word out about how dangerous this surgery can be,” Paula Cofer, 66, of Tampa, Fla., told The Post Wednesday.

“The LASIK lobby and the surgeons will tell you only one percent of patients have issues afterward. That’s not true. There are multiple studies that indicate otherwise.

“The percentage of those with poor outcomes are in the double digits, not one percent. And they know it,” she claimed. (Read more from “Doctors, Former Patients Warn of LASIK Eye Surgery Dangers: ‘Biggest Scam Ever Put On the American Public’” HERE)

Report: Suspects Openly Sell ‘Sextortion’ Guides on Social Media as Number of Child Victims Spikes

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Suspected criminals are selling “sextortion” guides on social media as children and teenagers increasingly fall prey to sexual blackmail schemes, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Tuesday.

The guides teach would-be scammers how to masquerade online as young women and hoodwink a victim into sending sexually explicit content, which the suspects would then use to blackmail the victim, the report revealed. The guides also show how to set up untraceable phone numbers, create fake social media accounts and use secure payment platforms.

One of the alleged contributors to the guide boasted his victim paid him “every Friday,” the report showed.

There has been a spike in child and teenage victims of sextortion — a “massive threat” to children, as the intelligence professional and sextortion expert Paul Raffile put it — according to the report. It marked a shift from adult victims to much younger, mostly male victims in particular, Raffile reportedly added.

One such young male victim reportedly parted with £100 (about $127) to alleged sextortion suspects who blackmailed him with a fake picture. He opened up to his parents, with whose help he then shut down his social media account, escaping further harm, according to the report.

(Read more from “Report: Suspects Openly Sell ‘Sextortion’ Guides on Social Media as Number of Child Victims Spikes” HERE)

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Airport Worker ‘Ingested’ Into Jet Engine Died by Suicide: Medical Examiner

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The San Antonio International Airport worker who was “ingested” by the engine of a Delta Air Lines jet last week died by suicide, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner.

The ground worker, who has been identified as 27-year-old David Renner, was killed late Friday night by an Airbus A319 aircraft arriving from Los Angeles. According to a Monday report from the medical examiner, an autopsy on Renner found he was killed from blunt and sharp-force injuries, with the manner of death listed as suicide.

“This isn’t the first time David has tried something like this from my knowledge,” David’s brother, Joshua, told the Daily Mail. “There were other times. This time I thought it was different.”

On Friday, emergency crews responded after Renner was “ingested” into the jet’s engine as the plane was taxiing to its gate, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The plane had one engine on when the incident occurred, and a source told The Guardian that Renner “intentionally stepped in front of the live engine.” (Read more from “Airport Worker ‘Ingested’ Into Jet Engine Died by Suicide: Medical Examiner” HERE)

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Teens Feel Hopeless, Suicidal More Than Ever, CDC Warns

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The kids are not alright, health experts are warning.

A new survey conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that teens — girls, especially — are experiencing record-high levels of violence and dangerously poor mental health.

The CDC released its biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey on Monday, sharing the disturbing reality of teen angst today, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns drastically upended the world and adolescence.

The survey revealed that nearly all indicators of poor mental health among high schoolers, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors, have increased in the last decade.

“Young people are experiencing a level of distress that calls on us to act with urgency and compassion,” said CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health Director Kathleen Ethier in a public statement. “With the right programs and services in place, schools have the unique ability to help our youth flourish.” (Read more from “Teens Feel Hopeless, Suicidal More Than Ever, CDC Warns” HERE)

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The Collapse Of Teen Mental Health — And Deadly Mass Shootings — Can Be Traced To One Single Trend

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The start of the mental health crisis in the United States, particularly among young people, can be tied to an exact era in time: the advent of social media and smartphone technologies.

A review of key indicators of despair over time in the U.S. — including suicide rates, drug overdoses and reports of anxiety — shows that the intensification of America’s mental health decline coincides almost perfectly with the invention of smartphones and the popularization of social media. The number of mass shootings, especially those conducted by young males, also ticks up in the same time period.

The first iPhone was released in the United States in June 2007. Facebook was opened up to anyone aged 13 or over in 2006. Instagram launched in 2010, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were released in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The mental health of teenagers and young adults has plummeted rapidly since the mid-2000’s, as screen time and social isolation have skyrocketed.

One key indicator is suicide rates. The crude rate of suicide in ages 15-24 tripled between 1950 and 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but then began to decline until the early 2000’s. That’s when it shot back up again. In 2000, the rate was 10.2 per 100,000. It remained relatively stable, ticking up slightly to 10.5 in 2010, before surging to 14.5 by 2017.

When the age range is expanded to 10-24, the trend is even more stark. “After stable trends from 2000 to 2007, suicide rates for persons aged 10–24 increased from 2007 (6.8 per 100,000 persons) to 2017 (10.6), while homicide rates declined from 2007 to 2014 and then increased through 2017,” a 2019 report from the National Center for Health Statistics reads. (Read more from “The Collapse Of Teen Mental Health — And Deadly Mass Shootings — Can Be Traced To One Single Trend” HERE)

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Suicide Killed More Than Twice as Many U.S. Soldiers in Three Months Than COVID Has Since the Pandemic Began

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More soldiers in the U.S. military’s active-duty, National Guard, and reserve forces died from suicide in the second quarter of this year than soldiers in the entire U.S. military died from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, a new Pentagon report shows.

Titled “The Department of Defense (DoD) Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR),” the document reveals that from April 1 to June 30, a total of 139 troops took their lives, with 99 classified as “active component,” 14 as “reserve” members, and 26 as National Guard. Broken down among service branches, the active component deaths include 60 from the Army, eight from the Marine Corps, 17 from the Navy, and 14 from the Air Force.

The newly released numbers are more than double the total number of U.S. service members that have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, with the Military Times reporting 67 COVID-related deaths in the U.S. military to date.

Following an August directive from the Biden administration, all members of the U.S. military are required to receive the COVID jab in order to continue service, with the deadline for vaccination varying among each branch. (Read more from “Suicide Killed More Than Twice as Many U.S. Soldiers in Three Months Than COVID Has Since the Pandemic Began” HERE)

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Eerie: Fourth Police Officer Who Responded to Capitol Riot Dies of Suicide

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A Washington, DC police officer who responded to the deadly riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 took his own life last month, making him the fourth law enforcement officer who took part in the events of that day to die by his own hand.

Officer Kyle DeFreytag helped enforce the curfew put in place after hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results, The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told WUSA.

DeFreytag died on July 10. He was described as a Pennsylvania native and a five-year veteran of the DC force. . .

Earlier Monday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that Officer Gunther Hashida, part of an Emergency Response Team within the department’s Special Operations Division, was found dead in his home last week. A GoFundMe page set up by a relative describes Hashida as “a devoted and loving husband and father” who “worked to serve and protect the public.” The page had raised more than $71,000 as of Monday night. (Read more from “Eerie: Fourth Police Officer Who Responded to Capitol Riot Dies of Suicide” HERE)

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Former USA Gymnastics Coach Kills Himself After Being Charged with Human Trafficking, Sexual Assault

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Former USA Gymnastics coach John Geddert committed suicide after he was charged on Thursday with 24 counts of criminal misconduct, including human trafficking and sexual assault, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.

State officials confirmed the news to WLNS CBS that the coach died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 63 years old.

Geddert coached the 2012 U.S. women’s gold-winning Olympic team and worked closely with Larry Nassar, the disgraced physician convicted of multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct and child pornography that owned and operated Twistars USA Gymnastics gym near Lansing, Michigan, where Nassar also treated several gymnasts.

Geddert was charged with 14 counts of human trafficking and forced labor causing injury; six counts of human trafficking of a minor for forced labor; one count of continuing criminal enterprise; one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct; and one count of lying to a police officer during a violent crime investigation. (Read more from “Former USA Gymnastics Coach Kills Himself After Being Charged with Human Trafficking, Sexual Assault” HERE)

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12-Year-Old Hangs Himself After Battling Depression Amid COVID-19

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A 12-year-old Texas boy who felt “sad and lonely” amid the coronavirus lockdown measures hanged himself, his father revealed in a report about the tragedy.

Hayden Hunstable, of Aledo, took his own life three days before his 13th birthday in April 2020 because he didn’t know how to deal with the isolation and depression when the emerging disease caused a nationwide shutdown, the UK’s Metro reported.

The boy’s 9-year-old sister, Kinlee, found him hanged in his bedroom, according to the outlet.

Hayden’s heartbroken dad, Brad, 42, spoke to Metro to help prevent future suicides among the nation’s youth.

“COVID killed my son. I think Hayden would still be alive today if COVID had never happened,” the father of three told the outlet. “I had no idea he was struggling or depressed — he was such a happy kid and loved his friends and family.” (Read more from “12-Year-Old Hangs Himself After Battling Depression Amid COVID-19” HERE)

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11-Year-Old Boy Dies After Shooting Himself During Zoom Class

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An 11-year-old boy died after he shot himself in his California home during a Zoom class this week, according to a new report.

The pre-teen was attending the virtual class with his microphone and camera turned off when he took his own life just after 11 a.m. Wednesday in Woodbridge, a community in Northern California’s Central Valley, KOVR reported.

His sister, who was attending her own virtual class in another room, found him and alerted her neighbor and teacher, who helped call authorities, according to the report. . .

The boy, identified by the Sacramento Bee as Adan Llanos, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died, according to authorities. (Read more from “11-Year-Old Boy Dies After Shooting Himself During Zoom Class” HERE)

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