as part of my new teacher training, i attended a workshop on suicide prevention. one of the things they really stressed was the difference between a contemplated suicide, an attempted suicide, and a completed suicide.
they said there are lots of kids who are depressed, especially at high-stress times of the year (right before prom, before holidays (lots of family time), just before finals, etc.), but most don't actually plan their way out. most of the kids who do come up with whole plans for suicide are not doing it because they can't take it anymore; they do it because they think other people will be better off without them. it's very, very seldom a spontaneous thing; major depression usually lasts for years prior to their making plans.
symptoms include drastic changes in behavior, usually negative: plummeting grades, poor attendence, extreme introvertedness, giving away stuff, saying goodbye in a strange way, etc. kids sometimes look for a sympathetic ear, but usually not (they don't think people will understand and/or are afraid of the social stigma). these may not be so visible if you don't know the person very well.
they told us that if we suspect that a kid has some serious problems, we're to confront them in private, and ask whether they've thought of killing themselves. the kid will either laugh it off ("ha.. of course not!"), give you a funny look ("where'd you get an idea like that?!"), or say "yes." the first two you can deal with and feel better immediately. the last response warrants immediate attention.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-09-13 05:06 pm (UTC)they said there are lots of kids who are depressed, especially at high-stress times of the year (right before prom, before holidays (lots of family time), just before finals, etc.), but most don't actually plan their way out. most of the kids who do come up with whole plans for suicide are not doing it because they can't take it anymore; they do it because they think other people will be better off without them. it's very, very seldom a spontaneous thing; major depression usually lasts for years prior to their making plans.
symptoms include drastic changes in behavior, usually negative: plummeting grades, poor attendence, extreme introvertedness, giving away stuff, saying goodbye in a strange way, etc. kids sometimes look for a sympathetic ear, but usually not (they don't think people will understand and/or are afraid of the social stigma). these may not be so visible if you don't know the person very well.
they told us that if we suspect that a kid has some serious problems, we're to confront them in private, and ask whether they've thought of killing themselves. the kid will either laugh it off ("ha.. of course not!"), give you a funny look ("where'd you get an idea like that?!"), or say "yes." the first two you can deal with and feel better immediately. the last response warrants immediate attention.