How to talk about suicide!

                         

All the repercussion that the subject of suicide and related issues produced by the social media during the past few weeks has encouraged me to speak briefly on the subject. Suicide is a major public health issue in all countries. This phenomenon is present throughout the entire history of humanity in all cultures. It is a behavior with multifactorial determinants and the result of a complex interaction of psychological and biological factors, including genetic, cultural and socioenvironmental triggers.

I'm not a critic of feature presentations and even less a professional who had to deal with this issue frequently at the office. I'm a regular person which also has its prejudices, who needs to study to understand this phenomenon to be able to help others, and to speak openly without the so-called "guessworks".

Aside from being centered on the suicide issue, the "13 reasons Why" series touches a number of youth-related current topics such as bullying, cyberbullying, adolescence and its challenges, acceptance, friends, relation with their parents, social networks and many others.

Maybe this is another issue parents and kids try not to address or even think of. But due to the repercussion of this matter within the social media, it won't be an avoidable matter any longer. Certainly you, the parent and/or responsible, will have to filter all that repercussion and pay attention to the fact itself and how it affects you and your family. 

We should be careful whenever such important issues get media attention, and take the positive part. Speaking about suicide may cause unease and other feelings, but it also makes us think and be aware of this fact that exists in the adolescent's world.

Suicide, as well as death, is chained to a stigma and a taboo. During centuries, because of religious, moral and cultural reasons suicide was considered a great "sin", maybe even the greatest of them all. That's why we're still reluctant and ashamed of speaking openly about this serious public health issue.

Before trying to make any statements about this delicate matter, gather some information first and think about how this influences your life and your family. Talk, and try to find answers to your questions. Speak consciously with your family and children about it, see what they think and feel about it. And remember that nobody likes to be lectured or judged. This will only drive you away from the ones you care about. 

Here's the link of the booklet  “Suicide: informing to prevent” by the Brazilian Psychiatric Association (Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria, Comissão de Estudos e Prevenção de Suicídio de 2014): http://www.cvv.org.br/downloads/suicidio_informado_para_prevenir_abp_2014.pdf

See you next time,

Laura