Suicide is the third most common cause of death among adolescent and young adults in the U.S.
Most teens will reveal that they are suicidal; however they are more willing to discuss suicidal thoughts with a peer than a school staff member.
90% of suicidal youth feel their families don’t understand them. Conversely, studies have shown that 86% of parents were unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior.
Most suicidal adolescents do not want suicide to happen. The person who contemplates suicide believes that the action will end the pain of feeling hopeless and helpless or is making a dramatic plea for help.
Most adolescent suicide attempts are precipitated by interpersonal conflicts. The intent of the behavior may be to influence the behaviors or attitudes of others.
Not all adolescent attempters may admit their intent. Thus, any deliberate self-harming behaviors should be considered serious and in need of further evaluation.
Nationally, guns are the most frequently used method among adolescents. Having a gun in the house increases an adolescent’s risk of suicide.
The largest number of suicides occur in the spring.
One of the most powerful predictors of completed suicide is a prior suicide attempt.
Most adolescents who are contemplating suicide are not presently seeing a mental health professional.
When issues concerning suicide are taught in a sensitive educational context, they do not lead to, or cause, further suicidal behavior. Talking about suicide in the classroom provides adolescents with an avenue to talk about their feelings, thereby enabling them to be more comfortable with expressing suicidal thoughts and increasing their chances of seeking help from a friend or school staff member.
On the average, every high school will have at least 1 student every 5 years who commits suicide. A typical high school also will have between 35 and 60 students every year who will attempt suicide.
Take all signs seriously and consider as cause to ask the student about their intent.
Direct Verbal Cues
“I’ve decided to kill myself.”
“I wish I were dead.”
“I am going to commit suicide.”
“I’m going to end it all.”
“If (such and such) doesn’t happen, I’ll kill myself.”
Indirect “Coded” Verbal Cues
“I’m tired of life, I just can’t go on.”
“My family would be better off without me.”
“Who cares if I’m dead anyway.”
“I just want out.”
“I won’t be around much longer.”
“Pretty soon you won’t have to worry about me.”
Behavioral Clues
Previous suicide attempt.
Acquiring a gun or stocking up on pills.
Depression, moodiness, hopelessness.
Putting personal affairs in order.
Giving away prized possessions.
Sudden interest or disinterest in religion.
Unexplained anger, aggression, irritability.
Drug or alcohol abuse, or relapse.
Recent disappointment or rejection.
Sudden decline in academic performance.
Increased apathy.
Physical symptoms: decline in personal hygiene or grooming, eating disturbances, changes in sleep patterns, chronic headaches, stomach problems.
Sudden improvement in the mood or optimism, or making of grandiose plans.
Situational Clues
Being expelled from school or fired from job.
Family problems or alienation.
Loss of any major relationship.
Death of a family member or close friend; especially by suicide.
Diagnosis of a serious or terminal illness.
Financial problems (self or family).
Sudden loss of freedom or fear of punishment.
Victim of assault
Public shame to family or self.
Developed by Forefront Suicide Prevention
Look for warning signs, ways the person is inviting help
Empathize with them
Ask the person clearly, directly, and compassionately about suicide
Remove the danger
Next level of care
Talking, joking or researching about death
Feeling hopeless, depressed, trapped, irritable, agitated, anxious, ashamed, humiliated or burdensome
Changes in personality, academic/work performance, sleep, withdrawing from friends/activities.
Increasing abuse of alcohol/drugs, reckless behavior, giving away possessions
Most importantly, just listen
Listen with compassion, remain calm, avoid judgement, and validate their feelings
Don’t offer quick fixes, tell them everything will be OK, show anger, panic or ask “why” questions
People who have survived suicide attempts report what was more helpful to them – just listen.
Ask in a way that invites an honest response. Use any signs you’ve noticed as part of the ask.
Be direct. Use the word “suicide” and be prepared for a yes.
Asking about suicide does not cause suicide.
Removing access to items used for suicide is an evidence-based approach to preventing suicide.
If they say yes, ask them “Do you have a plan?” “Do you have access to those means?”
Lock up & limit access to firearms, prescription medications, over-the-counter medications. In time of crisis, lock up alcohol & drugs, belts, ropes, cords, plastic bags, knives, car keys, chemicals, poison.
Together with the person at risk, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255. Press 1 for Veterans.
If the person will not agree to stay safe, do not leave them alone. Call 911.
https://depts.washington.edu/saferwa/
When someone is at increased risk for suicide, they need increased support from family and friends. Many survivors of suicide attempts say that when they are feeling suicidal they see themselves as a burden to friend and family, so ongoing expressions of care and concern are vital. Sometimes when parents are very worried, they end up saying, “Don’t think this way,” or “You shouldn’t feel that way,” and they come across not as loving and caring, as intended, but as critical. Children respond negatively to that. So you really need to be as calm and non-accusatory as you can when talking to them.
Show the loveI
It may seem obvious to you that you love your children, and that they know you love them. But when they’re having a hard time, kids need to hear over and over again from you how much you love them, and how much you care about them. It’s not good enough to just say, “You know I love you.” You need to convey that in small and big ways. These days, we all have so many things we’re juggling that kids can end up unsure of where they fit in, and whether you really have time for them. Let them know how important they are to you.
Express empathy
It’s also important to validate a child’s feelings. You want to make statements that express empathy for her distress: “It sounds like that was really difficult.” “I know how painful that can be.” “I know what that’s like. I’ve felt that way.” Telling them not to feel that way, to “pull it together,” isn’t as helpful as saying, “What is it that you’re concerned about, and how can I help you?” If you’re really concerned about your child it’s important that you encourage him to get professional help, and that you convey that getting help isn’t weak, but something you would respect him for doing, and that you would work together to accomplish.
Prioritize the positive
Another important way to prevent suicidal behavior is to prioritize interacting with your child in positive ways. Some times we get into a sort of vicious cycle with a child. The child does something concerning; the parent gets critical; the kid does something more concerning; the parents get more upset. All interactions turn contentious. Interacting in positive ways means doing fun things together, hanging out and chatting about things that aren’t controversial, that aren’t difficult.
Minimize conflict
So choose your battles wisely with your kid. It’s part of normal development for adolescents to rebel, and you need to pick what you’re going to set limits about, and the rest of the time you want to focus on the positive connections. It also helps to try to increase your child’s involvement in positive experiences. Kids who are involved in a lot of engaging or fun activities tend to fare better. Your goal as a parent is to reassure struggling kids that they won’t feel like this forever, and you can help do this by promoting positive experiences. When kids feel suicidal it’s often because they feel hopeless and can’t imagine things being better.
Stay in touch
It’s also really important to monitor your child’s whereabouts when they aren’t with you, whether online or out of the house. You can’t stop your kids from texting and Facebooking and using Twitter. That’s normal social interaction at this point. So you need to get on Facebook yourself, learn how to tweet, learn how to text. And use those channels to stay on top of what your kids are doing.
Know your child’s friends
In the “real” world, it’s also critical to know your child’s friends—to have a good sense of who they are and to have a connection with them. Sometimes it’s harder the older your kids get, but it’s really important you do that. You should know the parents of their friends and be in touch with them, too. And you want to communicate regularly with your child’s school to ensure her safety and care in the school setting. Don’t hesitate to use the school and the people in the school as partners in your child’s care when you have concerns.
Talk openly
But again, the crucial first step: If you think your child might be suicidal, talk with him about it, ask him about suicidal thoughts. Sometimes people are afraid that if they talk about it will make suicidal thoughts more real, and suicide more likely to happen. But the truth is that if a child feels that he has someone safe in the family that he can talk to, he feels better. He feels more understood. He feels like there’s more empathy for him. And that gives you an opening to explain the value of psychotherapy, and possibly medication for the feelings that are causing so much pain.
Find a clinician who’s a good match
To get a referral to a mental health professional, you can consult your child’s doctor or a psychologist at his school. I recommend that you look for a mental health professional who has experience with suicidal teenagers. Not everybody is comfortable with, or has experience with kids who are suicidal. And when you’re interviewing people, it’s important to pick somebody you—and your child—feel comfortable with. So if your son says, “I just can’t connect with him; I don’t feel comfortable with him,” you want to take that seriously. Of course, if he does that with the second person and then the third person, at some point you may need to say, “Well, of these three people, who did you feel best with?”
Participate in therapy
And once you’ve found a clinician, participate actively in therapy with your child. You need to be a partner in your child’s therapy. The more the child feels like you really care, the better. And that’s not just one parent. When somebody in the family is suicidal it’s a family affair, and everybody needs to help out and be engaged.
There are several kinds of therapy that have been shown in research trials to be particularly useful for suicidal kids. One is cognitive behavioral therapy, and that helps change kids’ thoughts, which in turn changes their feelings and their actions. And dialectical behavior therapy is another approach. It’s a more mindfulness-based approach, and we know that that’s helpful for particular types of suicidal kids, particularly those who have what’s called borderline personality disorder, and lots of suicidal thoughts. And, finally, some kids, particularly those who are seriously depressed or anxious or have ADHD, may benefit from medication in combination with psychotherapy.
Take emergency measures
Of course, if you’re worried that if you don’t do something right now your child will attempt suicide, you need to call 911 or take them to the Emergency Room immediately.
Taken from: https://childmind.org/article/youre-worried-suicide/