Suicide Prevention for Children

Suicide Prevention for Children Each May we take one day out of the month to bring awareness to children’s mental health, that day is May 9^th, while the date has already passed, we would still like to bring a strong since of awareness to this topic. Each year SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service and Administration) adds a theme to children’s mental health day, this year’s theme is “Suicide Prevention: Strategies that work”. There are so many strategies that aid in suicide prevention, especially among adolescents. Some of these strategies include, listening to your children even when they aren’t talking, often times most teens or adolescents struggling with suicidal thoughts will often show signs through unusual behavior or actions. Don’t let your child’s depression or anxiety get the best of them! It is important to take suicidal threats seriously and not as children being over-dramatic. Talk about your feelings with your children and let them know they are not alone in this world, because often times they feel like they are totally alone in the world when they are considering suicide. It is important that you be there for them, encourage them to go out and be with friends and family, or to take up a hobby or exercise to decrease they thoughts of suicide. Finally, it is important to get professional help from a therapist or physicist to get your child through these troubling times. Suicide is 100% preventable with the right suicide prevention strategies set in motion. I encourage each one of you reading this to stand up for children’s mental health and suicide prevention among children and teens, not just in the month of May but every day.