Notice: This informational website is
not intended as a crisis response or hotline. Local
crisis hotline numbers can be found in the front of
your local phone book or call 911.
HOW CAN I HELP?
All suicide threats must be taken seriously. While
contemplating suicide, an adolescent's perception of
reality is often quite different from actual
reality. If contact is made with a young person who
is suspected of showing suicidal tendencies, it is
essential to take rapid and appropriate action. Do
not assume the situation will cure itself. It is far
better to take action if the possibility of suicide
exists, than to deal with the aftermath of a
suicide. While caution is required, what you do
between identifying the imminent risk and the
arrival of professional help may save a life. During
this time, you can assist the adolescent to feel
less isolated and alone.
Suicide Intervention Is Based on an Approach of:
Affirming the
person - using whatever technique one feels
comfortable with to make the adolescent feel
valued and worthwhile.
Affirming the
problem - recognizing the adolescent's concerns
about the problem and not denying the issue or
its importance to the person.
Negating the
solution - presenting alternatives and
facilitating different perspectives with the
adolescent in such a way as to avoid lecturing
or preaching.
The Following
Guidelines for Dealing with Youth with Suicidal
Tendencies May Prove Useful:
Believe the
person - take the person's claims seriously.
Be calm and
understanding - don't sound shocked by anything
the person tells you.
Show concern,
listen carefully and ask constructive questions
about the way the person is thinking and
feeling.
Suggest that
the person get professional help as soon as
possible. Refer to a list of contacts. Help the
person make this contact. Check that
appointments are kept.
If the person
refuses or is incapable of seeking help,
immediately consult with a health or welfare
professional for advice on how to handle the
situation. This should be done with the parent's
involvement. However, in emergencies, direct
action without the consent of the parents may be
necessary.
What To Do If
Your Child Talks About Suicide
Show Your
Understanding and Support by:
Being
there fully.
Listening
and encouraging them to talk.
Acknowledging their fear, sadness or
despair.
Showing
you are taking their concern seriously.
Providing
reassurance without dismissing the problem
Try to
Avoid:
Interrupting with stories of your own.
Being
judgmental or moralizing.
Offering
too much advice.
Becoming
angry.
Panicking.
In Dealing
with a Suicidal Adolescent You Should:
Be
willing to listen and hear. Reflect back the
thoughts and feelings of the person.
Show
interest, concern and a willingness to help.
Avoid
judging the person's problems. While the
breakup of relationships, for example, may
seem trivial, it can be significant to an
adolescent.
Be
sensitive to the relative seriousness of the
thoughts and feelings.
Be
prepared to ask it the person is thinking of
hurting or killing themselves.
Avoid
panic if the answer is 'yes'.
Avoid
debating suicide as an option, moralising or
challenging the person. It may be more
useful to accept what has been said and to
suggest any action be postponed until other
options have been explored.
Avoid
allowing yourself to be sworn to secrecy.
Get help
from professionals.
Build
support and trust.
Present
options.
Use
mainly open-ended questions, with closed
questions when a definite response is
needed.
Watch and
listen for warning signs.
Show a
willingness to discuss the issue of suicide
openly and frankly.
Tell the
person you care.
Trust
your knowledge, observations and feelings.
Assess
lethality.
Use terms
like 'harm yourself' and 'kill yourself'.
Involve
others, for example, colleagues, family and
friends.
Inform
the person you must act on the information
and inform others.
Stay with
the person if he or she is considered to be
an acute risk.
Acknowledge the reality of suicide as a
choice, but indicate that there are other
alternatives
Acknowledge the person's feelings of
hopelessness.
Convey a
message of hope.
Point out
the consequences of suicide for the person
and those left behind.
Establish
a plan for what is to happen next.
Take
action and affirm that something is being
done.
Ensure no
access to lethal weapons and medications.
Give
24-hour emergency contact numbers.
Keep
calm.
Show
empathy.
Keep
diagnosis, analysis and interpretation to
yourself.
If
possible, follow-up and monitor progress
after the immediate crisis is over.
