WARNING SIGNS
It has been well documented that children exposed to
violence, life-threatening events or traumatic
losses are at greater risk for depression, alcohol
and substance abuse, and suicide. In the aftermath
of tragedies such as the terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington, students may display warning
signs of suicidal behavior. Parents and school
personnel should be particularly observant of
children and youth who may be more vulnerable
because of individual circumstances. This includes
youngsters who have experienced a personal loss,
abuse, or previous traumatic event or who suffer
from depression or other mental illness. Youngsters
who have these risk factors and who have been
directly impacted by or witnessed the attacks are
most vulnerable.
Although many suicidal children and adolescents do
not self-refer, they do show warning signs to their
peers, parents or trusted school personnel. Never
ignore these signs. Suicide can be prevented with
proper intervention. Warning signs may not appear
during the immediate aftermath of the terrorist
attacks. Parents and school personnel must be good
listeners and observers over the weeks to come.
Boys commit suicide more often than girls, but no
one is immune. In one recent survey of high school
students, 60 percent said they had thought about
killing themselves. About 9 percent said they had
tried at least once.
Why has the youth suicide rate gone so high in
recent years?
- It's easier
to get the tools for suicide (Boys often use
firearms to kill themselves; girls usually use
pills);
- the pressures
of modern life are greater;
- competition
for good grades and college admission is stiff;
and
- there's more
violence in the newspapers and on television.
Lack of parental
interest may be another problem. Many children grow
up in divorced households; for others, both of their
parents work and their families spend limited time
together. According to one study 90 percent of
suicidal teen-agers believed their families did not
understand them. (However, this is such a common
teen-age complaint that other factors are playing a
role, too.) Young people also reported that when
they tried to tell their parents about their
feelings of unhappiness or failure, their mother and
father denied or ignored their point of view.
Suicide is rarely a spur of the moment decision.
In the days and hours before people kill themselves,
there are usually clues and warning signs.
Below are some guidelines for intervening with a
suicidal student.
- Suicide
notes.These are a very real sign of
danger and should be taken seriously.
-
Threats. Threats may be direct ("I want
to die." "I am going to kill myself") or,
unfortunately, indirect ("The world would be
better without me," "Nobody will miss me
anyway"). In adolescence, indirect clues could
be offered through joking or through references
in school assignments, particularly creative
writing or art pieces. Young children and those
who view the world in more concrete terms may
not be able to express their feelings in words,
but may provide indirect clues in the form of
acting-out, violent behavior, often accompanied
by suicidal/homicidal threats.
-
Previous attempts. Often the best
predictor of future behavior is past behavior,
which can indicate a coping style.
-
Depression (helplessness/hopelessness).
When symptoms of depression include pervasive
thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness, a
child or adolescent is conceivably at greater
risk for suicide.
- Masked
depression. Risk-taking behaviors can
include acts of aggression, gunplay, and
alcohol/substance abuse.
- Final
arrangements. This behavior may take
many forms. In adolescents, it might be giving
away prized possessions such as jewelry,
clothing, journals or pictures.
- Efforts
to hurt oneself. Self-mutilating
behaviors occur among children as young as
elementary school-age. Common self-destructive
behaviors include running into traffic, jumping
from heights, and scratching/cutting/marking the
body.
-
Inability to concentrate or think rationally.
Such problems may be reflected in children?s
classroom behavior, homework habits, academic
performance, household chores, even
conversation.
- Changes
in physical habits and appearance.
Changes include inability to sleep or sleeping
all the time, sudden weight gain or loss,
disinterest in appearance, hygiene, etc.
- Sudden
changes in personality, friends, behaviors.
Parents, teachers and peers are often the best
observers of sudden changes in suicidal
students. Changes can include withdrawing from
normal relationships, increased absenteeism in
school, loss of involvement in regular interests
or activities, and social withdrawal and
isolation.
- Death
and suicidal themes. These might appear
in classroom drawings, work samples, journals or
homework.
-
Plan/method/access. A suicidal child or
adolescent may show an increased focus on guns
and other weapons, increased access to guns,
pills, etc., and/or may talk about or allude to
a suicide plan. The greater the planning, the
greater the potential.
If your teen-ager
has been depressed (also see Youth Depression), you
should look closely for signs that he or she might
be thinking of suicide:
- Has his
personality changed dramatically?
- Is he having
trouble with a girlfriend (or, for girls, with a
boyfriend)? Or is he having trouble getting
along with other friends or with parents? Has he
withdrawn from people he used to feel close to?
- Is the
quality of his schoolwork going down? Has he
failed to live up to his own or someone else's
standards (when it comes to school grades, for
example)?
- Does he
always seem bored, and is he having trouble
concentrating?
- Is he acting
like a rebel in an unexplained and severe way?
- Is she
pregnant and finding it hard to cope with this
major life change?
- Has he run
away from home?
- Is your
teen-ager abusing drugs and/or alcohol?
- Is she
complaining of headaches, stomachaches, etc.,
that may or may not be real?
- Have his
eating or sleeping habits changed?
- Has his or
her appearance changed for the worse?
- Is he giving
away some of his most prized possessions?
- Is he writing
notes or poems about death?
Does he talk about suicide, even jokingly? Has
he said things such as, "That's the last straw,"
"I can't take it anymore," or "Nobody cares
about me?" (Threatening to kill oneself precedes
four out of five suicidal deaths.)
- Has he tried
to commit suicide before?
If you suspect
that your teen-ager might be thinking about suicide,
do not remain silent.
Suicide is preventable,
but you must act quickly.
- Ask your
teen-ager about it. Don't be afraid to say the
word "suicide." Getting the word out in the open
may help your teen-ager think someone has heard
his cries for help.
- Reassure him
that you love him. Remind him that no matter how
awful his problems seem, they can be worked out,
and you are willing to help.
- Ask her to
talk about her feelings. Listen carefully. Do
not dismiss her problems or get angry at her.
- Remove all
lethal weapons from your home, including guns,
pills, kitchen utensils and ropes.
- Seek
professional help. Ask your teen-ager's
pediatrician to guide you. A variety of
outpatient and hospital-based treatment programs
are available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/childhealthmonth/prevteensuicide.htm
American Association of Suicidology
http://www.suicidology.org/
SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
http://www.save.org/symptoms.html
Befrienders International
http://www.befrienders.org/suicide/warning.htm
|
