OKLAHOMA CITY -
Counselors say parents can use
the coverage about what happened in Stillwater to start a conversation with
their own children.
Suicide is the second largest
cause of death in Oklahoma among kids between 15 to 24 years old
Suicide experts say all
parents need to have a conversation with children about suicide beginning
around when children are 9 or 10 years old.
"Talk to your kids about it,
don't be afraid to talk about it, don't avoid it, kids will know," said Danny
Van Curen.
9/26/12
Related Story: Community Reacts To Stillwater Junior High Student's Death
In fact, experts say suicide
is a word that shouldn't be whispered.
"I would not make it taboo in
your family. Ask them what they think," said Van Curen.
David Harris, the Director of
the Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative for the Oklahoma Department of Mental
Health, says parents should pick a time when they won't be interrupted
and even rehearse what you're going to say.
"We encourage parents to be honest
as well and say this is difficult for me to talk about as well."
He says young people are
typically not equipped to deal a crisis
"You need to be direct and
honest and say suicide is a very serious matter and ask them if they ever have
a reason to think that that's something they're considering, to please come to
their parents. And if they don't feel comfortable coming to their parents,
maybe there's a trusted adult they feel comfortable going to. If they don't
realize there's hope, they may think this is the only solution."
9/26/12
Related Story: Student Dies From Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound At Stillwater
Junior High School
Harris also says to encourage
your kids listen to their friends, and to tell someone if they think they may
be considering suicide. According to Harris, the leading reasons for suicide
among young people are depression, substance abuse, or if a family member or
someone close to them has died of suicide.
But there are things parents
can watch for: if your child starts giving away their prized possessions, if
they start talking about death, if there is a change in behavior, if their
grades start dropping or if they lose interest in things they used to be
excited about.
"Rarely does someone just wake
up and they're instantly suicidal. Usually there are a magnitude of things that
have contributed you hear about bullying quite a bit, but there's usually a
multitude of things going one," said Harris.
Harris says a great resource
for parents is the Suicide Prevention Resource Center: http://www.sprc.org/
The suicide prevention hotline
is 1800-273-TALK.
David Harris is the Director of the Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health.
