Hazards upon the children are increasing every day. Today, parents are concerned about suicides committed by children across the world. The best part for parents is to know that suicide is completely preventable when you take up proper steps at the right time. When a child is threatening to kill themselves, don’t leave them alone. If you have to convince them properly and better if you can take them to a counselor who can do this job more convincingly. In order to keep them calm it is better to avail of help from others rather than handling the situation all alone.
It’s obvious that when your children want to commit suicide it’s for sure that they don’t want to die actually. All they want is to end up the pain that they are experiencing. If during any conversation they talk about suicide don’t consider it as just threats. Instead, if you can notice the changes that they are showing and if you find out any warning signs of suicidal thoughts, then talk to them immediately. These are some of the warning signs you can consider as signs of suicidal thoughts:
You may come across people who talk openly about committing suicide. You will find that they are withdrawing from usual activities. They may avoid visiting close friends and family as well as have the least interest in any social events they become isolated. In reality, they may be making plans for death so if you carefully notice then you can easily find out the situation through which your children are going through.
As the child is having a depressed mood, so there are signs of mood swings. You can find that they are often depressed, anxious, sad, or angry. They also may be very irritable, moody, or aggressive and that can be easily made out of their activities. But if you notice that instead of being aggressive, they suddenly turn calm then that is an indication that they have already decided about suicide.
There are situations when you can notice sudden and frequent outbursts of anger. You have to immediately take care of the children when you find any such behavior. Suicide is a major problem affecting children but if you talk about the topic of suicide in a caring, empathetic, and nonjudgmental way then that implies that you are taking your child seriously and understand the emotional pain they are undergoing.
Often children may come across various difficulties of the school due to which their performance reduces over time. As a result, you may gradually find that there is deterioration in social relationships and school and/or work performance, reduced involvement in positive activities. You may also notice insomnia, oversleeping, nightmares. There may be even changes in eating Habits such as loss of appetite, weight loss, or overeating.
There may be a situation when children face various family difficulties and sometimes life events that are traumatic. It is clear that teen suicide attempts are preceded by clear warning signs, so make sure to know them. A warning sign does not imply your child will attempt suicide but do not ignore warning signs. In that situation, it is essential that you respond to your child immediately, thoughtfully and with loving concern.
Due to changes in personality like sadness, withdrawal, irritability, anxiety, exhaustion, indecision children may get in self-injury. You may also talk regularly with your teen’s teachers to ensure safety at school. It is essential to limit teen’s access to alcohol, prescription pills, illegal drugs, knives and guns after talking to them about your concerns.
You can easily prevent your children from committing suicides by understanding the warning signs and taking it seriously. Various risk facts may make children take the extreme step of suicide. Having a proper conversation with children will help them deal with stress and reduce their chances of engaging in suicidal behaviors. You can empower yourself and follow relevant steps to prevent such situations from arising:
You have to pay attention to your children and thus have information about their whereabouts. Having too much misinformation about suicide can have tragic consequences. So, the first separate myth from fact can empower you to help your teen in distress. In the case of paying attention, you may appropriately monitor your teen’s whereabouts and communications to promote safety. You must know your teen’s social environment and have conversations regularly with other parents in your community.
It is not that only a professional can identify a child at risk for suicidal behavior but if you need then go for it. That’s because often it may be late when you recognize the warning signs but professionals can do it very easily. Hence, you should first recognize certain situations and conditions that are associated with an increased risk of suicide. In case you find disruptive behavior, including disciplinary problems at school or home or there, is some change in behavior then without delay you should get in touch with experts.
Above all other things, you can do the best thing that can be done is having a proper conversation with the child. You must analyze the warning signs and talk to them about a topic like suicide though it can seem almost impossible. Have this important discussion in a calm, non-accusatory manner is the utmost necessary.
You may express the love and convey to them how important he/she is to you at the same time have a focus on your concern for their well-being and health. Besides that, you may encourage professional help-seeking behaviors through reliable sources. It is essential to reassure them that seeking services can change his/her outlook.
So, actively interact with your teens and stimulate their interest in outdoor activities. Also, talk to your child about your concerns about them. Make them feel cared, not alone. The use of a parental monitoring app like iKeyMonitor is very important because it can tell you where your child is and warning signs of suicidal thoughts by checking their online activities.