Preventing Suicide: How To Discuss The Subject With Your Children
Posted on: 11 May 2018
If you're a parent, you should consider speaking to your children about suicide. An alarming number of teens and even younger children have been committing suicide due to bullying, issues going on at home, and other problems. In the moment, those children may believe the only option they have is to end their lives rather than living through the pain and depression, but it's important for them to understand that suicide isn't the answer. Speaking openly about suicide and the negative impact it can have on so many people is important, and there are several ways to address this issue the right way.
Read Children's Books on Suicide Prevention
The thought of speaking to your children about something as serious as suicide may be difficult, but it's worth talking about because you don't want your children to ever feel like they need to end their lives because of a situation they're going through. The situation is only a temporary one, and there are other ways to work through and resolve different problems than to choose suicide. There are different books made specifically for children that cover the topic of suicide and suicide prevention. It may help to start reading these books together, answering questions your children may have along the way.
Watch Suicide Prevention Videos Together
Aside from reading books, you may be able to find quite a few educational, informative videos that help children understand what suicide is, why people feel the need to commit suicide, and what can be done to keep it from happening. These videos may encourage your children to speak up and talk to someone, even if they don't choose to talk to you about how they're feeling. While you should make sure your children can feel comfortable coming to you with any thoughts or feelings of suicide, it's possible they'll feel more comfortable confiding in someone else, such as a school counselor, aunt, uncle, or even a family friend. No matter what, the goal is to make sure your children understand they have a support system and don't need to end their lives, even during the toughest times.
As the number of people under the age of 18 who've committed suicide continues to rise, speaking on the topic of suicide with your own children is crucial. You may want to make sure your children never feel like it's something they must do because they're being bullied, going through a heartbreak, or feel depressed. There are different ways to speak with your children on this topic, which may include reading books on the subject together and watching suicide prevention videos.
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