September is Suicide Prevention Month, and September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. We appreciate such awareness events. At the same time, we as parents worry about our children daily. Worrying about the suicide of a child is one of our greatest fears; losing a child to suicide is our most tremendous heartache.
Parents often find it hard to talk to their children (of any age) about suicide. Two things we usually feel are not knowing what to say and thinking that we don’t matter much to our children. Teenagers, especially, are not always that reinforcing when we reach out. But the truth is that starting the conversation, even when we feel unsure and awkward, is so much better than staying silent, and we almost always matter more to our children than it feels like we do. Our children of any age want to talk to us.
This week, we share a blog from Heard Alliance with a list of suicide prevention resources for parents. Many of them give specific suggestions about how to open up a conversation about suicide with your child. We encourage you to review the resources and consider which ideas work best for you and your family. And remember, it’s never too early to talk to your child about their mental health and suicide.
The Heard Alliance shared these suicide prevention resources for and with parents:
- American Association of Suicidology
- Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide: Information for Parents
- The Jason Foundation – the Parent Resource Program
- Office of Suicide Prevention: What Can Parents Do
- Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents and Educators
- Centre for Suicide Prevention: Youth At Risk
