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Take Control of your Teenager | No Thanks |
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| Suicide and Teenagers |
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Those teenagers who have gone through depression and have healed may tell you that thoughts of suicide came to them in steps. Many of these teens have described feelings of sadness, which grew into deeper feelings of despair, which finally enveloped them in depression with isolation. Some teens even describe varying stages of depression wherein suicidal tendencies are included in the later stages. As a parent, you do not want your teen’s depression to reach these later stages where suicide can easily be seen as a “way out” from your teen’s intense negative emotions. As soon as you notice your child’s negativity or he or she is diagnosed with depression, start to act. Don’t let him or her isolate him/herself or keep to being lonely. Refer to Preventing Teen Suicide for more information. You must understand that your teenager is in a very volatile situation. He or she may be blaming him/herself or others for whatever feelings of hatred or despair he/she maybe experiencing. Consider that it is almost like your teen is living on a different planet. And the atmosphere is full of negativity. It is exhausting to try and combat this negativity with whatever positive vibes you may provide your child with. Keep in mind that you must persevere to get through your teen’s tough armor of negativity in order to reach the soft warmth within him/her, wherein he/she has kept a remaining ray of hope for him/herself. Refer to Guiding a suicidal teenager for more information. If your teenager is already dealing with issues such as that of self-harm, it may be particularly difficult to change his attitude towards himself and life in general. It may be difficult, but not impossible. In cases such as these, it may be especially hard for the parent to keep himself grounded as a sturdy foundation for the troubled teen to turn to for help. As the parent sees his child engaging in acts of self-destruction, his own emotions are greatly affected. But as much as possible, keep in mind that you must be strong and keep yourself positive for your child. As hard as it may be, don’t break down in front of him. Enjoying the simple things you may have used to enjoy together when he was younger could also help him appreciate life more. For example, sipping on hot chocolate on a rainy day while thinking up creative stories on where the rain comes from could be a good old past time that you both could go back to. Oftentimes, memories and joyful activities in the past can serve as useful tools in bringing back your depressed teenagers youthful, energetic take on life. It’s vital to seek a counselor or psychotherapist for your teenager as soon as you pick up on any suicidal tendencies or clues. It may be beneficial to the progress of his/her treatment if he/she takes several “test sessions” with different counselors or therapists in order to find the one whom he/she feels most comfortable with. Once you have found a therapist whom your teenager is most comfortable, begin to schedule appropriate sessions with him/her during the week. The number of sessions may depend on your teen’s school schedule and his/her need of therapy. Refer to Counseling for a suicidal teenager for more information. |
