Talking can help prevent more tragedies

By The Gazette Editorial Board

---

We were saddened to learn this week of a young person's suicide - the third Mount Vernon High School student to do so this academic year. Our hearts go out to the student's family and friends.

It's important that we don't rush to make judgments about the school or community. And we should all heed experts' advice to help prevent future tragedies.

“You have to talk about suicide,” said child psychiatrist Samuel Kuperman.

The key, even while you're mourning the suicide death of a friend, family or community member, is to make sure the teens in your life know suicide is never the right choice.

“You can talk about how wonderful the person was, but you have to really relay the message that there really are better ways to deal with stress than committing suicide,” said Kuperman, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“You want to remember the person who lost his life, but you don't want to glamorize the way he did it,” agreed Dale Chell, a community health consultant with the Iowa Department of Public Health and the agency's outgoing Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator.

Parents who suspect their child is thinking of suicide should take some common-sense precautions like keeping weapons and medications locked away, then help their child get help for underlying concerns - substance abuse, depression, social or family relationships, various types of stress.

And because peers are so important, teens should learn to recognize warning signs of suicide. They should know if they're worried a friend is suicidal they should tell a trusted adult - always.

“Absolutely under no circumstances should anybody believe that suicide is an option,” Chell said.

Even if parents don't think a teen is considering suicide, the experts said, let them know it's OK to talk about their worries and concerns. Walk the walk, Chell said, by talking about your own concerns and worries, and seeking help when you are overwhelmed.

“That's part of the tragedy of suicide, is it's often in secrecy that they're struggling,” Chell said.

They don't have to. There are options. There always is another way.

Take advantage of resources like the U.S. Department of Health's Suicide Prevention Resource Center at www.sprc.org.

If you are thinking of hurting yourself, or if you are concerned about someone you know, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-(800) 273-TALK (8255).

n Comments: thegazette.com/

category/opinion/editorial or

editorial@sourcemedia.net