Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention: This podcast addresses warning signs and action steps.
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Amazing video message FROM TEENS: https://youtu.be/Fou0IEjual0
and this video too! Please watch! https://youtu.be/0Fb1ArQoyQc
Transcript:
This week I am going to address your worst nightmare. Teen suicide. I know you want to brush this topic under the rug and pretend that it isn’t going to happen to your child, but suicide is the third leading cause of death for our young people. LGBTQ teens are the most at risk, but any person that feels bullied, had trauma, feels social isolation, or has depression is at risk.
Consider, suicide prevention is a community effort! Even if your child isn’t experiencing signs of suicide, they likely know someone who is. Mark Lanning, from Safe 2 Tell, says that most school shootings and teenage tragedies can be prevented if the people around them reported the warning signs!
Reporting the warning signs is your job. As parents, we also need to empower our children with the confidence to report warning signs they see in their friends. Let’s get real. Your child is more likely to witness the warning signs in their friends before their parents will. Click here and watch this 30-second video. A message to teens from teens.
Action steps:
- Talk to your child about the importance of speaking up if they are concerned about a friend.
- Give your child the phone numbers to specific hotlines where they can receive help. Organizations like: Safe 2 Tell and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. I suggest you even program these phone numbers on their phone!
- Know the signs. 4 out of 5 suicide deaths are preceded by warning signs!
Warning signs:
- Suicidal threats or talk of not wanting to be alive anymore
- Preoccupation or obsession with death
- Depression
- Use of drugs or alcohol
- Withdrawing from activities they once were interested in
- Sleeping too much
- Sleeping too little
- Giving away possessions
- Aggression
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Bad or worsening grades
- Difficulty concentrating
What if MY Child has these signs?
Suicide typically does not come out of no-where. If your child is thinking of suicide, they may be feeling helpless, trapped, unbearable pain, and/or believe that no one cares. You need to ask your child directly, “Are you thinking of suicide?” This is extremely important. Don’t walk around the subject or be afraid to speak to your child. Talking about suicide does NOT implant the idea in their mind! Get to the root cause of their hopeless feelings.
What Can Parents Do? Aside from anti-depressant drugs and mental health professionals, parents can do the following:
- Talk to your teen. Ask them point-blank if they are suicidal
- Make it more difficult for them to carry any action out. Buy a lockbox on Amazon to put knives, sharp objects, medicines, firearms, or any other dangerous materials inside.
- Make sure your child has emergency hotline numbers available to them. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1800-273-8255
- Talk to their friends. Encourage their friends to help your child and look for warning signs too. This should include a call to the friend’s parents also. (I don’t suggest talking to minors without the parent’s permission.)
- Take them to a hospital emergency room if the threat is imminent. The emergency room professionals will do an evaluation of your child and access the risk. After the assessment, they can refer you to clinics where your child can get admitted and receive 24/7 watch care and counseling.
- Talk to the school. The school can give you feedback on the behaviors they are seeing. School counselors can talk to your child about getting help. Although the school’s support is limited, they are still a resource for you to have feedback on your child’s behaviors and more watchful eyes.