Spotlight on teen suicide after girl takes own life
Posted October 11, 2012 2:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS1130) – The story of a local teen taking her own life has led to big discussions on social media this afternoon.
A 15-year-old girl from Maple Ridge took her own life.
There has been an outpouring of condolences on social media, and psychologist Dr. Derek Swain is identifying some of the most important things to look for, when it comes to prevention.
He admits it can be difficult, but it’s something that parents need to commit to, “parents [have] to try really hard to maintain decent communication and relationship with their children.”
He says just having some sort of connection with them and keeping up discussion about things that are going on in the lives of their children will help.
“Kids don’t always exhibit signs that they are in distress. Being moody and rebellious is often just a characteristic of the age group. Some things to watch for are apathy, loss of interest, change in sleeping, differences in eating, and decline in productivity,” says Swain.
He adds some of the more obvious signs are joking about suicide, and cognitive preoccupation where the teen is really rigid and unrealistic in their thinking style. This leads them to get fixated on certain things.
The school district of Maple Ridge is extending extra help to students following this tragic incident.
The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre is available to help province wide.
The Kids Help Phone is available anytime for youth of all ages. Call 1-800-668-6868
