60. Suicidal Thoughts:
If your teen is having suicidal thoughts it is important to ask for help. NHS choices offers very useful advice on this.
They offer the Childline contact
details. Childline offers great advice and support on a range of
issues including this one. Many children and young people use
Childline because it is anonymous and easily accessible.
Their phone number is 0800 1111
It is a good idea for your teen to know
of this number in case they or their friends ever need the support of
trained counsellors. They can also make contact via email.
It is well worth visiting the site
yourself to see what is available. There is even a useful video to
watch letting people know what happens when they make a call to
Childline.
This is very useful as some people fear
the unknown and this may be the barrier that prevents them from
getting help.
If your teen is having suicidal
thoughts and they have told you this, you are in a position of trust.
Praise them for telling you and listen to them very carefully so that
you are in the best possible position to advise them on what to do
next.
If they have confided in someone else
and you receive this information second hand, it can hurt to discover
that they have trusted someone other than you with this important
information. Try not to take this personally as the main thing is
that they have told someone which is the first step towards getting
help.
It may well be that they were trying to
spare your feelings because they don't want you to worry.
Some teenagers are part of a church or
youth group. There may be someone there that they can talk to about
their feelings.
A visit to the GP is also very useful
as they can assess if any forms of treatment are needed.
The important thing is for your teen to
feel that they are not alone, that you are there for them and that
you are happy that they have felt able to talk about their feelings.
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