A Parent's Guide for Suicidal and Depressed Teens Read Online Free PDF

often-repeated sentences has been There are always choices; you don't have to feel trapped; there are always choices.
I also learned some things about botched suicides. This knowledge was useful to my daughter's

 

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recovery, to contemplate the fact that lots of self-destructive actions result in injury and maiming, not death. I said, "Do you really like the idea of spending your life in a wheelchair? You wouldn't be having much fun."
Take Only Long Enough to Make the Decision to Get Help
I've written more here than you need to know, probably, but since every family is different, I want to cover all the bases. The important thing is this: no matter what issues come up in your first conversation, you must return to the nonnegotiable demand that your child get professional help. The next step is deciding whether you have an emergency on your hands or whether you can wait to see a counselor within a week or so. Sometimes denial is so strong that parents don't see a problem until it is an emergency. If this is the case, go with it. Let it be an emergency. If you didn't see it coming, let yourself see it now. Don't be down on yourself because you didn't see it beforeget on it now and act.

 

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PART TWO
TAKING ACTION
Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not tackling my whole life's problems at once. I can do something at this moment that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime. ANONYMOUS

 

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4
Help Is There for the Asking
In adolescence, the Big 3 hits all at oncemortality, spirituality, sexuality. NANCY PADDOCK
Important points bear repeating: Suicidal children need to get professional help immediately. If you are the one who has discovered that your child is suicidal, you may need some guidance in finding a counselor. As I've mentioned earlier, if this is too scary to do aloneif you are a single parent or your spouse can't handle the stressit's okay to ask a friend, a minister, or a relative to come and sit with you while you make the phone calls. Or you can ask them to help you make the calls. The first decision you will need to make is whether your child is well enough to stay home and see a counselor on an outpatient basis or whether your child needs to be at a treatment center or hospital in order to be protected from acting impulsively on suicidal thoughts.

 

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''Is This an Emergency?''
When you call for help, you will probably be asked if it is an emergency. Is it? If your child has made a suicide attempt, you know it's an emergency and you've already called an ambulance. But what if there has been no suicide attempt? What if your child is talking about wanting to die, talking about wanting no more pain? You will simply have to talk with your child to determine how critical the situation is.
What do you ask your child? You say, "Can you make a contract with me that you won't do anything to hurt yourself for twenty-four hours?" If your child can't make this commitment, if your son or daughter says, "I want to die," then you have an emergency. You also have an emergency on your hands if you have discovered evidence of self-abusive behaviors, e.g., physical risk-taking, cutting, burning, or overdosing.
Another question to ask is "Do you have a suicide plan?" If your child says "Yes," you have an emergency. Nowadays, therapists focus on the plan as the strongest indication of danger. Sometimes people who talk about wanting to die can easily make a contract; they don't have a plan. The existence of a plan indicates that action is only a short step away. You must take this seriously and find a hospital or treatment center immediately.

 

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Don't give up until you find someone to help you find a crisis unit, an adolescent treatment center, or a county hospital emergency room. If your child has a plan, put this book down now and take care of the crisis. Your child is your primary concern.
How to Find a Therapist
The school social worker who