QUESTION: As a teacher and a counselor in a high school, I am concerned and distressed about all the reports of suicide in teenagers.
There must be more done about this most serious problem.
How can I spot students who are at risk of committing suicide and how can I help them?
ANSWER: You're in an excellent position to be of help to a young person who is contemplating suicide, and your attitude and concern makes you a most potent resource in the war against teenage suicides.
The first challenge is to recognize the student at risk. There are several characteristics that place young people in a "high risk group" for attempting suicide.
I'll list them: - Depression - Impulsive behavior - Early childhood family disruption - Chronic alcohol and drug abuse - Past psychiatric illness in parent, particularly depression while teenager was a young child - Recent death of a friend or a family member - Feeling of being unwanted by family - Feeling of "not belonging" to family - Exposure to repeated violence at home If you are particularly concerned about a young person, talk with him. Ask him if he is considering hurting himself.
There is no evidence that bringing up the subject of suicide will cause it to happen.
On the contrary, ignoring the possibility of suicide may well increase its likelihood. However, it is a myth that people who talk of suicide do not try it.
If a person brings up the idea of suicide, take this as a serious warning. Your sincere interest in the young person will help.
Do not minimize the seriousness of the problem.
Listen to the whole story and resist offering empty reassurances.
Emphasize the importance of the youngster getting professional counseling, and follow-up to ensure that it helps.
Maintain contact with the young person, so that he knows you are still interested and does not interpret your recommendation of a professional counselor as rejection.
It means becoming involved, perhaps above and beyond the call of duty, but the results are certainly worth the effort. It is difficult to know exactly how common suicide is among our young people.
It appears to be declining in older teenage boys, after a peak in the late 1970's, but increasing in older teenage girls.
In 1983, the suicide rate among children of all ages in the U.S.
was 1 per 250,000 among children younger than 15 years and 1 per 8,547 in the older teenage group.
6,000 young people lost their lives to suicide in 1984.
Suicide attempts may be as much as 50 times higher than the number of deaths.
It is important to treat the attempts as a sign of serious problems. There are many community resources which may be of help to you; mental health groups, hospital outreach programs, and even forward looking parent-teacher associations.
However, your close association with the youngsters and your daily opportunities to observe and act puts you right on the front line in this fight against a terrible waste of young lives.
I wish you well and hope many of your colleagues will be inspired by your concern and join in your efforts.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
