Responding to youth who have depression or suicidal thoughts

Acknowledge: Mention what concerns you. You have likely noticed changes in a young person's behavior. Point out the changes and ask what's going on. "You haven't been joining the activities like you used to. Can we talk about how things are going for you?" Don't be afra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inYouth today (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 25; no. 6
Main Authors Diamon, Meghan, Maus, Brian J
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington American Youth Work Center 01.11.2016
Subjects
Children & youth
Prevention programs
Social support
Social workers
Suicides & suicide attempts
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Summary:Acknowledge: Mention what concerns you. You have likely noticed changes in a young person's behavior. Point out the changes and ask what's going on. "You haven't been joining the activities like you used to. Can we talk about how things are going for you?" Don't be afraid to ask if someone has been thinking about suicide. Many people fear that mentioning suicide could make things worse by putting the idea into someone's head. In fact, the opposite is true. Asking the question may open the door for someone to tell you how they truly feel. You could say: "It sounds like you are really struggling with some tough stuff. Are you feeling so bad that you've thought about suicide?" Tell: Each youth-serving workplace should have procedures for next steps when concerned about a young person's safety. Stay with the young person until they are safe. Remember you can never keep a child's secret when it comes to safety. Lean on your team for support and ensure parents or guardians are contacted promptly."There are people here who know how to help kids dealing with big problems like this... Let's go down to the main office and call your parent/s together."
ISSN:1089-6724