Helping Youths Cope With Suicidal Thoughts
Suicidal thoughts or suicidal ideation means thinking about committing suicide. People experience this when they are undergoing a difficult time and unable to cope with an overwhelming situation. Some may at one point or another perceive death, as a permanent answer to problems that might be temporary. This feeling can affect anyone at any age or gender. Suicidal ideation could be difficult to spot in youths because they are good at masking their feelings; they look young, happy and appear to have a promising life. However, when a young person says he feels like killing himself sometimes his friends don’t take him seriously but laugh it away. The self-doubts, confusion, and pressures to succeed or conform can come at a high price for troubled adolescents.
If faced with this situation although you cannot predict outcomes, it is advisable to inform those in authority like the teacher, parent, doctor or guardian to provide help, support and reduce the risk of suicide.
In England and Wales, the number of teenage suicides increased by 67 per cent between 2010 and 2017. There were 177 suicides among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2017, compared with 110 in 2010 and more than in every year since then except 2015, when the toll was 186, the Office of National Statistics data shows. Sadly, studies have linked social media to increasing anxiety and depression among teenagers. Many troubling and stressful situations can make a teen consider suicide. Factors that can increase the risk of suicide among teens include; A psychological disorder, pressure, depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol, bullying, drug use, feelings of distress, irritability, agitation.
The following are some warning signs of suicidal ideation:
* Talking about death, suicide or self-harm.
* A change in personality or behaviour
* lack of concentration
* Changes in school performance.
* Talking about feeling worthless, helpless, powerless or hopeless.
* Changes in sleep patterns, including insomnia and hypersomnia.
* A change in eating habits, including appetite loss and overeating.
* Feeling intolerable emotional pain
* Having mood swings.
* Having risky or self-destructive behaviour
* Isolation from peers and family feeling like a burden to others.
* Giving away possessions.
* Expressing feelings of overwhelming shame and guilt.
* Making statements that others don’t care.
There are also some risk factors that put youth at an increased risk level for suicidal ideation:
* Perfectionism
* Bullying
* Depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders
* Substance abuse
* History of sexual or physical abuse
* Low self-esteem
* Academic struggles
* Teens lacking social and family support
* Pressure
* Lack of financial aid
* A family history of suicide.
The teen years are an anxious and unsettling period as boys and girls face challenges of transition into adulthood. It is a period in life that is often confusing, leaving teens feeling isolated from family or peers. I believe all teenagers face similar fears, concerns and pressures and by associating with other youths, it helps them realise they are not alone. Suicidal thoughts are common neither are they permanent and things do get better. Teens should aim to be proactive as friends can help you realise you share a lot in common whereby giving you the motivation to live.
If you or someone you know may be at risk of committing suicide, inform the right authorities at school and encourage the person to see a mental health professional, a doctor or therapist. You can also get help from charities as well.
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Generally, people are systematically driven to believe that suicide is a way out and its a system mind programming that is evident in the world system.
To every problem that exists, there is definitely a solution. So it means that it is not the end of the world. So never give up there is always hope as long as you are alive.
That thought can come with soothing balm, a kind of just die, you will be fine!
These people need your prayers.
Pray as well for all Doctors and Professionals to serve God as they should people cases, that doesn't involved only suicide
Thank you for this article pastor Anita. I wanted to share something. I did a SUICIDAL ATTEMPT
13 years ago. I jumped from the 5th floor in 2007. I was 38 years at that time. I was not a Christian then. I was in a coma in the hospital and the doctors told my children (8 and 6 years at that time) to say goodbye to me forever, because they did not expect me to survive. But instead of dying I had an encounter with Jesus Christ during this coma-time: He saved my life. I stayed for almost 2 years in the hospital (22 months), lost everything due to this 'accident': my partner, my house, the custody over my children, friends, family, my work. I worked at school and was a dancer, but now I am handicapped (my legs). But I was happier then I had ever been before in my life because of the love of Jesus. I got baptized when I got out of the hospital, started to study theology, praying, going to church everyday and reading the Bible always and this is how God restored my life completely. I even got my children back after some years, by the grace of the Lord, through persevering in praying and being a faithful minister unto Him. People don't understand how I got to this point to try to end my life at that time. But they didn't know what happened in my life 'behind closed doors'. They didn't know my private secret life neither. I had a trauma from my childhood on, did not have parents who really loved me the way I am. My mother even tried to kill me when I was 16 years old. Noone ever knew about it. I developed a severe eating - disorder and a mental illness, but no-one ever noticed behind my smile. I got into an abusive relationship at 28 years with a man who was 17 years older than I am. He became the father of my children very quickly. He was very well respected and well known for his work as a theater-maker, but at home he was a monster. I faced physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, spiritual and mental violence for the 10 years I have been living with him. He also tried to kill me twice; in the living of the house we had bought together and where I once gave birth to our son. He threatened to take our children and disappear forever with them. He introduced me in stripclubs and exposed me as a striptease-dancer (I danced in chique clubs in London, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam...) . He introduced me in a shamanistic ritual-sect (cult) who take hallucinogènes as their sacrament. (ayahuasca and marihuana). I did that for 10 years and our children grew up there. I got demonic possessed when I did a ritual, on my own, at a cemetery lying on the graves. And this was the last thing the devil tried to destroy me completely. I even arrived at the point that the demons took completely over
over my body, mind and spirit. I was afraid that I could be able to kill all the children I was working with at school, including my own children. So I decided to kill myself before I would arrive at that point... The God who saved me is gracious. Through His love I was able to forgive everybody who did me wrong & take responsibility for my part in this drama I had created for myself and for the people surrounding me.
2 Corinthiens 5 vers 16-18
Keep on doing the good work pastor! I would love to meet you one day. ????
Blessings, Elma