One of the saddest things in the world is a parent’s grief over losing their child. It can be all too easy for parents to think their teens are just fine, when they’re actually at serious risk for committing suicide. Fortunately, you can help prevent your teen from attempting suicide by paying close attention to possible symptoms.
- Antisocial behavior While all teens are sometimes antisocial and secretive, if your teen is spending excessive time alone, refusing to go out with friends or cooperate in family activities, and being constantly negative towards their own life, it can signal possible depression or suicidal thoughts.
- Not caring about personal appearance Some teens are lazy or just don’t care about their appearance, but if your once fashion-conscious teen begins to lose interest in his or her personal appearance, see if you can find out why.
- Being reckless Particularly in teen males, reckless and illegal behavior like speeding, drug use, and alcoholism often signals depression or suicidal thoughts, and even if it isn’t stemming from depression, it’s important to deal with it before your teen injures or kills himself by accident.
A teen’s desire to be independent conflicts with their need to seek help for their depression and dark thoughts. In these cases, it’s important for you to take charge in a careful manner. Teens are delicate, and if you come across as uncaring or pushy, you can unintentionally make a bad situation worse.
You can help your teen cope with depression and steer him or her away from the temptation to make a suicide attempt in many ways.
- Seek professional help When dealing with serious situations like teen depression, it’s worth seeking the advice of someone trained to help. It can be very confusing for a parent trying to figure out why their teen who seemingly has a great life is actually depressed, and a good counselor can often provide valuable insight that will, in turn, help you help your teen.
- Look to others You have to be cautious when trying this, but if you’re seriously concerned about your teen, try talking to his or her friends and their parents. They often have a better idea of what’s going on than you do, and while you don’t want to seem to be snooping around and invading their privacy, it can be worth asking a tactful question or two about how your teen is doing these days.
- Be open, but not overly so If you’ve never been an extremely open and communicative parent, start slowly, or your teen will see through it and isolate himself even more. A casual attempt to start a conversation or spend some time together can lead to conversations about what’s wrong, as long as you are careful to really listen to what he or she really says.
In extreme cases, make sure your child gets to the emergency room of the local hospital if they are feeling suicidal, and you can prevent grief later from having not reached out in time.
When your teen is depressed or suicidal, you can be their greatest ally in recovery.
Related posts:
- How to Tell if Your Teen is in Trouble
- Teen Sexuality: Your Little Kid All Grown Up?
- How to Avoid Postpartum Depression
- How to Communicate With Your Teen
- Talking to Your Teen About Drugs
Tags: Depression in Adolescents, Depression Suicidal Thoughts, Substance Abuse Teen Suicide, Teen Depression Suicide, Teen Depression Warning Signs, Teen Suicide, Teen Suicide Prevention, Teen Suicide Warning Signs, Teenage Depression