| |
| |
|
Parenting Information |
|
|
|
How to Talk to Your Kids About Suicide: New Study Says it May Make Them Less Likely to Consider It!
This year alone, 1,600 teenagers aged 15 to 19 will die from committing suicide. Suicide among kids, once a rarity, is now a growing concern in America, and it appears that one of the best ways to keep your kids from doing it is to be a nosy parent. In other words, simply talking to your kids about suicide may make them less likely to consider it, according to a study in the April 2005 Journal of the American Medical Association. This is contrary to a popular belief that talking to kids about suicide will only implant the idea in their heads. Nowadays, kids already know about suicide-and yearly over 3 million kids between the ages of 15 and 19 seriously think about suicide. 1.7 million kids in this age group will attempt to commit suicide and over half of them will be hurt seriously enough to need medical attention. In the study, over 2,300 high school students took part in a two-part questionnaire. Half the students were asked about suicide only in the second part of the survey, while the other half were asked about suicide in both survey portions. Although about half of the kids said they'd had suicidal thoughts, those who were asked about it twice reported fewer thoughts about suicide in the second survey. Said Dr. Madelyn Gould, the author of the study and a researcher at the New York Psychiatric Institute, "The findings suggest that asking about suicidal behavior may have been beneficial to students with depression symptoms or previous suicide attempts." Signs of Suicide in Kids Over 90 percent of kids who commit suicide suffer from a mental illness, usually depression (95 percent of the time), according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Further, about one-third of these kids use drugs or alcohol. Anxiety, rage and desperation can also increase a child's risk of attempting suicide, says the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). What's the best way to prevent suicide in kids? Recognizing and getting help for mental illness early on. As a parent, asking a troubled child about suicide may give them the opening to talk about their problem, while not asking may give them the impression that no one cares. It's important to watch for signs of depression in kids and talk to them about it right away if you notice any changes in their mood/behavior. Signs A Child May be Thinking of Suicide * Talk about suicide, death or dying * Symptoms of depression (fatigue, change in appetite and weight, poor performance in school, feelings of guilt or hopelessness) * Changes in behavior, appetite and sleep * Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities * Drug use * Engaging in risky behavior * Giving away possessions and making arrangements to "take care of unfinished business" * Suicide notes * Inability to concentrate or think clearly How to Talk to Your Kids About Depression and Suicide * First, let your child know that you love him/her and that he/she is important to you * Tell him you're concerned about how he's feeling and want him to know he can talk to you about anything * Ask him directly if he's ever thought of killing himself. (Don't say, "Why are you sad?" as the child may not know and may become frustrated) * Listen to his feelings and concerns * Tell him that you will help him or "we'll work on this together" * Let him know that it's OK to feel sad sometimes, that you, too, feel sad at times * Suggest meeting with a professional counselor, either on his own or with you, to help him feel better. The National Hopeline Network can help you to find a crisis center in your area * In the event that someone you know is considering suicide and needs immediate help, call The National Hopeline Network at 1-800-SUICIDE. This important hotline provides access to trained telephone counselors 24 hours a day, every day of the week. ------------------- Sources Chicago Sun Times April 6, 2005 MTV.com April 7, 2005 Talking With Your School-Age Child About Depression HealthyPlace.com Depression Community The National Association of School Psychologists From the FREE SixWise.com e-newsletter, the Web's #1 most read newsletter with original articles in all 6 areas of life leading to complete wellness.
MORE RESOURCES:
Interaction of Parenting Experiences and Brain Structure in the ... - Archives of General Psychiatry
Parenting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Entertain A Child While Working From A Home Office There is no doubt that the benefits of being a work-at-home parent outweigh the drawbacks. However, some days can prove to be difficult when your two year-old is determined to climb on top of your filing cabinet while you're trying to participate in an important conference call. Teacher Tips: Your Room Set-Up and ADHD Students Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children! We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children, so here are your teacher tips for the week, brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchool.com. How Effective is Attend in Helping Children with Attention Disorders? In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa, FL to provide clinical, "real world" information on the effectiveness of their product called "Attend." Their product was a homeopathic nutraceutical medicine, meaning that it contains homeopathic medicines, plus nutritional medicines. Awesome Dads Top Ten Communication Intentions An Awesome Dad in by no means perfect. But that itself is perfect, because imperfection allows us to really understand the personal evolution our children are going through with us. Just What Is A Learning Disability? A learning disability is defined as a permanent problem that affects a person with average to above average intelligence, in the way that he/she receives, stores, and processes information.There are many wrong ideas out there about learning disabilities. Going Out to a Restaurant with Kids Dining in a restaurant with kids can be very enervating and embarrasing. Not only that you have to desperately try and keep your wiggling toddler seated and silent, you also have to manage the disapproving looks from other (non-parent) guests. Helping Your Children Develop Their Self-Discipline We want our children to do the right thing, especially when they are out with their friends. We want to believe in them, but somehow, we don't feel certain that they would. Children and Mom and Paper Memorabilia - Children can create enough artwork for an entire gallery in a few short weeks. The key here is choices; establish a particular place-e. Girls Gone Mild Voices!So many voices crying out for adherence and so many people confused about values, virtues and life.What voices are calling out to you and what voices are you listening to?My daughter is just now enjoying her first year in life. Help Your Child Do Better in School 1. Create a personal schedule Recording everything that must be done on a calendar or "to do" list will help him to keep track of important dates and deadlines. Sibling Fighting - Reduce Sibling Rivalry by NOT Keeping Score Recently, a much-anticipated game of mini-golf with my children soon turned into a disaster. There were smiles all round as we hit off from the first tee but the enjoyment factor was reduced to zero as my children's smiles were replaced by tears, put downs and whining. Study Skills - How Can YOU Help Your Kids? Some years ago when touring the Scottish Highlands, a man Imet said something that's stuck with me ever since.He was elderly, yet was still working away on his smallfarm. Strengths and Weaknesses All too often, children with learning disabilities are seen through their weaknesses. Like anyone else, however, they have many strengths. Let Kids Help One fantastic way to get your children involved in what they are eating, is to have them help. A great way to start is to let them make up their lunch for the next day. Dexedrine, Cylert, and Adderall in the Treatment of ADHD Dexedrine is not prescribed very often for the treatment of ADHD out here in California, but those patients that we've seen on it have done well. Typically it is prescribed to patients who have not responded to Ritalin very well. How to Set Healthy Limits at Work Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus newpaper. My skills were growing and I was earning a reputation as a solid reporter. Labeling is Disabling: Achieving Congruent Communication A small town, somewhere in the world, was managed by a town council of seven or eight members. The council normally met once a week. How Many Sex Offenders Live On Your Block? For any parent, learning that a convicted sex offender lives on the same block, can be a chilling discovery. The thought of it alone, can be disturbing. What Do Chinese Water Torture and Arguing with Children Have in Common? Imagine yourself lying flat on your back, totally strapped down onto a cold, hard table, unable to move any part of your body. You can't see anything around you because your eyes are covered. Nail Biting Basics Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic behavior beset by peculiarity and contradiction. Technically speaking, the correct word for nail biting is ANONYCHOPHAGIA.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
