Warning Signs & Common Myths

In his article “Youth Suicidal Behavior: An Introduction and Overview”, David Miller lists the following warning signs, “for suicide that suggest the increased probability of a suicidal crisis” (157), which include:

• Rage, anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
• Feeling trapped, as if there is no way out
• Increasing alcohol or drug use
• Withdrawing from friends, family, or society
• Experiencing anxiety and/or agitation
• Being unable to sleep
• Dramatic mood changes
• Perceiving no reason for living or no sense of purpose in life (157)

Miller also discusses the five common myths that surround youth suicide. It is important to recognize these myths as false when working with at-risk youth.

1. The first common myth that Miller calls the most dangerous is the notion that “asking questions or talking about suicide with children and adolescents will increase the probability of its occurrence” (159). This is a notion that is also common when discussing sexual education for children and youth (that if it is talked about, it will encourage them to explore it). There is no basis or proof behind this belief. In reality, “evidence suggests that youth who are able to openly discuss suicide with a trusted adult can lead to beneficial outcomes for them as well as their peers who may be at risk” (159).  
2. A second common myth is that “those who attempt suicide usually receive medical attention or some other form of treatment” (159), whereas this actually is not the case. For example: “only 12% of a sample of 313 adolescent suicide attempters received medical treatment, leaving 88% untreated. Given that many school-age youth are not old enough to drive, transportation for medical or other forms of treatment would require informing a parent/caregiver/sibling about their suicidal behavior, an approach that does not appear to be taken by most children and adolescents” (159).
3. A third myth is that most young people that commit suicide leave behind suicide notes. In reality, research suggests that “only 5% of children and adolescents wrote a suicide note before their suicide attempts” (159). Miller suggests that youth do not write notes because they do not want their parents or caregivers to know how they were thinking or feeling.
4. A fourth myth is that parents/caregivers have knowledge of their child’s suicidal behavior, whereas research actually suggests that “86% of parents were unaware of the suicidal behavior of their children, including suicide attempts” (159). Youth tend to keep their suicidal thoughts and behaviors to themselves instead of involving the adults in their lives.
5. A fifth myth is the “belief that [youth suicide] is caused primarily by family and social stress rather than mental health problems or disorders, that individuals who talk about suicide are only doing so to get attention and are not seriously considering it, and that once an individual decides to commit suicide there is little or nothing that can be done to prevent it” (159).

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

1. Development Questions
2. Demographics of Youth Suicide: Gender, Age,Geography, Socioeconomic Status
3. Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior
4. Warning Signs and Common MythsYOU ARE HERE!
5. Exposure to Peer Suicide – Grief
6. Suicide Risk Assessment: Change, Hope,Connection
7. Establishing aConnection: Empathy versus Sympathy
8. Suicide and SocialNetworking Sites
9. Frameworks: ACommunity Based Approach to Preventing Youth Suicide
10. Suicide Intervention and Prevention in Alberta
11. Works Cited