Suicide Prevention in Children
Suicide is the leading cause of death in the US and the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10-24.
This week is National Suicide Prevention Week — a dedicated week to provide awareness and resources around a growing emergency health crisis and epidemic. This also provides a great excuse to check in with your child on their mental health. Know that whatever your children are going through, there is always hope. Professionals around Central Tennessee are here to support you and your children through what they are walking through.
Prevention is the goal. Here are four helpful ways that you can incorporate into your family time.
1) Talk to your kids about suicide. As difficult as this topic is to broach, it’s essential to discuss suicide with a straightforward approach. kidcentral tn provides a few questions to help guide your conversation:
Do you ever feel like just giving up?
Are you thinking about suicide?
Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?
Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself?
Have you thought about how or when you would do this?
Do you have access to weapons or things that can be used as weapons to harm yourself?
Bringing the topic out in the open can remove stigma, allow you to connect with your child on the topic of their mental health, and show that you care.
2) Become familiar with warning signs to watch for in children. kidcentral tn’s list below is not all-inclusive but covers key behaviors to be on the lookout for:
Talking about suicide—for example, making statements such as “I’m going to kill myself,” “I wish I were dead” or “I wish I hadn't been born”
Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or stockpiling pills
Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone
Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next
Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation
Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly
Changing eating and/or sleeping patterns
Creating poems, essays, or drawings that refer to death
Experiencing a recent severe loss (especially in a relationship), or the threat of a significant loss
Having a severe drop in school performance
Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order
Saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seen again
3) Create a safe environment for your children. There are factors that can make children more susceptible to suicidal thoughts such as bullying, sexual abuse or assault, and stressful situations such as a divorce or the loss of a parent. There are ways to create an environment of trust with your children so they can open up to you about how they are feeling.
Always respond with empathy and not anger
Be cognizant of when to respond and when to listen
Mirror communication to show that you are focusing on understanding how your child is feeling
Normalize mental health and feeling check-ins
Create a calm physical space where your children feel safe to open up
4) Reach out to a dedicated professional for assistance in dealing with emotions. Trauma, disappointment, rejection, and depression — can be difficult emotions and feelings to navigate, especially among children. We all need help. Learning skills and tools to build emotional intelligence to manage stressful situations can be a great way to set your children (and yourself) up for an emotionally healthy life.
Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support to speak with someone available 24/7.
