Aim: How can you tell if someone is suicidal?
Skills for developing good emotional health:
Communicating emotions appropriately
Developing healthy, supportive relationships with peers and adults
Knowing how to cope with stressful situations
Setting short-term and long-term goals and taking action to achieve them
Advocating for health and helping others
In the last class, you learned about communicating emotions appropriately. Today we are going to learn about developing supportive relationships with peers and adults and helping others.
Sometimes it is difficult to observe the emotions of others. But there are some signs and symptoms of troublesome emotions that you should be aware of.
Signs and Symptoms of Troublesome feelings
Acting very emotional or crying a lot
Loss of appetite or weight loss
Being more moody or depressed than usual
Always feeling tired or run down
Loss of interest in daily activities
Using alcohol or drugs to deal with feeling
Unusual anger or violent behavior
Withdrawing from friends and wanting to be left alone
Talking about suicide
Dealing with troublesome feelings
Don’t ignore the signs and symptoms
Listen and be supportive
Let your friend know you will help
If your friend is using alcohol or other drugs encourage them to stop
Encourage your friend to talk to a trusted adult
Help your friend get to school or community resources such as counselors
Don’t keep it a secret from others who can help
The best way to help is to NOT keep a friend’s problem a secret.
Suicide myths and facts
Myth: People who talk about suicide seldom attempt suicide.
Fact: Suicide victims often talk about suicide before they actually do it.
Myth: If you dare a suicidal person to go ahead and do it, the person is not likely to attempt it.
Fact: Daring a suicidal person to attempt suicide may only convince the person that nobody cares and may strengthen the person’s resolve to commit suicide.
Myth: Suicidal persons are always tired, sad and inactive.
Fact: Some suicidal persons, teenagers in particular, may become overly active and aggressive before attempting suicide.
Myth: If people try to take their own lives and do not succeed, they usually will not try to do it again.
Fact: Suicide victims often have a history of several suicide attempts.
Myth: If a suicidal person confides in you and makes you promise not to tell anyone of his or her plans to commit suicide, it is important to keep the secret, no matter what.
Fact: By sharing the secret with a parent, teacher, or other responsible adult, you may save the person’s life.
Myth: If a depressed, suicidal person suddenly seems better, you do not need to worry.
Fact: A suicidal person’s sudden shift in mood from depressed to happy may indicate that he or she has resolved to commit suicide and needs help.
Myth: Suicide attempts should be kept a secret because the information could ruin a suicidal person’s future.
Fact: The suicidal person may have no future unless the person seeks professional help.
A good way to protect yourself when you experience troublesome feelings is to develop a network of friends and trusted adults who can help. Create a list of three trusted friends or adults that can give you support if you have troublesome feelings.