Suicide Prevention: Tips For Parents To Help Their Kids

Building your child’s resilience may lower their suicide risk by teaching them how to cope with mental health issues. And surrounding your child with supportive people whom they trust also can help give them the confidence they need to navigate life.

Is My Child at Risk?

Understanding if your child is at risk is the first step. One of the biggest factors is a history of mental health conditions, particularly depression. Anxiety, bipolar, self-injury — such as cutting — or substance use disorder also can contribute to increased levels of suicidal ideation. Having a family history of mental illness can raise your child’s risk as well, especially if symptoms are uncontrolled.

Statistically, girls are more likely to attempt suicide, but deaths are higher in boys. If your family lives in a rural community, you may have fewer mental health resources, which can result in higher rates of suicide. People of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and those with physical or intellectual disabilities have more suicide deaths.

If your child has experienced or continues to experience trauma like abuse, violence, poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, incarceration, losing a parent or being in the foster system, they have an increased risk. Being bullied at school or online through social media or gaming platforms can cause trauma, as well. 

Another important factor to consider is whether your child has access to means for suicide, such as guns or other weapons, in the home, which increases suicide rates.

Timing Matters

The month of the year can make a difference in your child’s life. Studies have documented spikes in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for suicide attempts clustered in autumn (September and October) as well as spring (April). The incidence rates were the lowest in mid-summer (June and July). These higher rates are thought to be correlated to transitions in the school year. Holidays also can be triggering for those who are isolated or have experienced loss. Being aware of this timing gives you the opportunity to observe and pay special attention to your child’s behavior during the peak seasons.

How Parents Can Help

Helping your child manage stress is a key factor in protecting them from suicide. But should you limit the amount of stress your child deals with or teach strategies for coping? The answer is both. Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate stress, and some stress actually allows us to grow and change. Plus, events happen that are beyond our individual control, so part of your challenge as a parent is determining which things are our responsibility to change and manage. You can, however, do your best to mitigate the amount of stress in your child’s life in order to create a supportive environment with the nurturing relationships that they need to build resilience.

Parents must make sure they are taking their own mental health seriously. In learning how to manage your own struggles, you gain experience that you can share with your child to help strengthen them. Coping skills are an important part of stress management; however, you have to be careful that the skills aren’t being used as just a distraction. The goal of coping is to center your mind on your current experience, make space for emotions you are feeling, and clear the way for your mind to solve problems, heal and grow. Useful coping strategies include:

• Limit media consumption like video games, television or social media. The constant stimulation, need for immediate responses and stress of having “likes” and “follows,” overload of information that we cannot control, sensationalized or emotionally provocative material, and cyberbullying can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Channeling emotional energy into a productive activity, such as drawing, writing, exercising or enjoying music, can help us think through or forget the mental stress.
• Sometimes, we are not in a place where we can address the emotion immediately. Being together with friends or family and enjoying peace and quiet is enough.
• Mantras or little reminders throughout the house that reaffirm your child’s capability, value, how loved they are and that they are never alone are physical things they can turn to when they are struggling.

Does Your Child Need Therapy?

All of us can feel sad but not all of us experience depression. Determining whether your child needs therapy depends on the timing and level of distress with their symptoms. If a teen is feeling glum, down, irritable or sad or has a loss of interest in activities they previously enjoyed for two weeks or longer, it’s time to talk with your child’s doctor to see if they might be suffering from depression. There are screening questionnaires for teenagers during their well visits starting at age 12, and they can be used to tell parents whether their child could benefit from therapy.

There are different formats of therapy: Some providers are in person and others are online. Your child’s doctor can help direct you to options. Talking about suicide does not increase the risk. Giving your child the tools to face depression and other mental health challenges prepares them for the ups and downs of life and hopefully deters them from suicide.

If you or your child is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

This content is not AI generated.