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Suicide is a confronting topic. As a parent, it may represent the greatest fear for our family. Yet, for many, there is a misguided belief that talking about suicide with young people causes further distress. Research shows otherwise — not talking about suicide can be harmful.
Psychologist Lyn O’Grady has spent decades working, researching and presenting on better mental health for children, young people and families. Along the way, she has witnessed the desperate struggle with life that suicidal thoughts and feelings bring. She has also seen countless books about parenting, usually featuring simplistic recipe-type approaches that can be appealing but challenging to implement at times of crisis.
So she wrote this book to explain exactly what it means to be a parent of a teenager who is struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviours and how to help. Drawing on practical experience across a range of community settings, the lived experience of people and families who have experienced suicidality, and the latest research and theories in the field, this book helps:
This book will help any parent or health worker working with families to understand how to connect and communicate with teenagers when dealing with the topic of suicide.
Introduction
The purpose of this book
A quick note about language
Talking to your teenager about this book
How did you get here?
PART A Understanding parenting and suicide
Chapter 1 - Being a parent of a teenager
Reflection: The meaning of parenting to you
Chapter 2 - Teenage development
Reflection: Your teenager's stage of development
Chapter 3 - What's different about being a parent of a teenager
compared to a parent of a younger child?
Reflection: Making sense of parenting for you at the moment
Chapter 4 - Understanding suicide
Chapter 5 - Suicide risk and protective factors and warning signs
Chapter 6 - What do we know about youth suicide?
Chapter 7 - Understanding suicide from a young persons perspective
Reflection: Understanding suicide from a young persons perspective
Chapter 8 - The experience of being a parent of a teenager who is suicidal
Part B Parenting a teenager who is suicidal
Chapter 9 - Safety first - managing the suicidal crisis
Chapter 10 - Safety planning
Chapter 11 - Seeking ongoing help
Chapter 12 - Mental health diagnoses and types of interventions
Chapter 13 - Self-care and seeking help for yourself
Chapter 14 - Family relationships
Chapter 15 - Tackling the underlying individual suicide risk factors
Chapter 16 - Tackling the broader social issues underlying suicide risk
Chapter 17 - Moving forward
Conclusion
Bibliography and further reading
Appendix A - What to do if your child is not yet a teenager
Appendix B - What to do if your child is a young adult
Appendix C - Useful resources
