What parents need to know about prevention

The suicidal ideation in teenagers and young people in Cyprus is low, but any case must be seen as the case of a person, whose loss of life, apart from being unfair to himself, carries a chain of emotional and social consequences, especially in a wide circle of relatives, neighbors and friends and generally across society.

In many cases, the people who are led in this decision leave behind signs and messages to their immediate family environment, which, if perceived in time, can be a deterrent to such an act.

Early perception of the suicidal ideation, that is to say, the persistent will of the individual to end his or her life, in order to suppress it, the supposed problems of the aspirant may lead to prevention.

Surveys conducted abroad show that at least half of the parents had no idea that such self-destructive ideas existed and developed in their children’s minds.

Of course, the first difficulty is that the child may have thoughts of death, but he does not express them to his family or, if he tries to reveal them, he persistently denies their existence.

That is why we return to the necessity of constant daily and good communication with children and through this give the opportunity for expressing emotions on the part of children and for solving the problems that lead them to despair.

In some cases, if the parent himself realizes changes in his/her child’s behavior, mood, sleep, more introversion and closure to himself and at home, avoiding communication with siblings, relatives or traditional friends, among other clarifying questions about everything that is happening, may ask the question whether it passes through the child’s mind the thought of death.

From the way of responding, the body language, and from the verbal answer he/she will get, the parent will be better able to understand the gravity of the problem and take the necessary precautionary measures.

Any perception of the existence of such thoughts or statements should be refered to the pediatrician or the family doctor. The relationship they have with the child can give them the opportunity to talk more openly about the subject.

The pediatrician and the family doctor, in turn, if they perceive the seriousness of the matter or the existence of a mental disorder, may seek the help of a psychiatrist or psychologist.