How to talk to kids about suicide
You’ve noticed that your child has been acting differently lately. Whether your child has been more withdrawn, or more outgoing, you may begin to sense that something is up. Having a child with suicidal thoughts may be one of the last considerations in your mind. Suicide in children is still one of the more taboo topics in American society, for a variety of reasons.
Some people are uncomfortable talking about suicide with such a vulnerable population, while others dismiss the likelihood of children having thoughts of suicide. Yet, there a number of factors that can affect a child’s exposure to suicide, be it through the media, through peers at school, through a medication’s side effects, or via a community tragedy.
In fact, in 2022, the University of Utah found that suicide “is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24, since 2014 and in Utah it’s the leading cause of death for children ages 10-17…We have seen children as young as six or seven reporting suicidal thoughts.” These can be scary statistics for parents, particularly Utahn parents, which may be why some parents choose to shy away from or ignore this topic.
Keep reading at
https://www.bridgehopefamilytherapy.com/how-to-help-a-child-with-suicidal-thoughts/
How to talk to kids about suicide
You’ve noticed that your child has been acting differently lately. Whether your child has been more withdrawn, or more outgoing, you may begin to sense that something is up. Having a child with suicidal thoughts may be one of the last considerations in your mind. Suicide in children is still one of the more taboo topics in American society, for a variety of reasons.
Some people are uncomfortable talking about suicide with such a vulnerable population, while others dismiss the likelihood of children having thoughts of suicide. Yet, there a number of factors that can affect a child’s exposure to suicide, be it through the media, through peers at school, through a medication’s side effects, or via a community tragedy.
In fact, in 2022, the University of Utah found that suicide “is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24, since 2014 and in Utah it’s the leading cause of death for children ages 10-17…We have seen children as young as six or seven reporting suicidal thoughts.” These can be scary statistics for parents, particularly Utahn parents, which may be why some parents choose to shy away from or ignore this topic.
Keep reading at https://www.bridgehopefamilytherapy.com/how-to-help-a-child-with-suicidal-thoughts/