Not The Mentally Ill

Every time I hear about a mass shooting with so many innocents left dead, or parentless, or childless, or friendless, I get sick to my stomach.  Then I get sicker and angrier with each empty platitude the politicians offer, who then do nothing to change the atmosphere and the laws that are causing these outrageous shootings.   And then, to add the proverbial insult to injury,  politicians link these events to mental health illness.  I JUST WANT TO SPIT.  Yes of course the person pulling the trigger is not in their right mind.  Who could be in their right mind when there is so much hate in their heart?  There is so much hate that it causes them to want to kill innocent people.  So much hate that they go out and legally buy automatic rifles, which have no other purpose than to kill a lot people in a short period of time.  It is not the mentally ill who pull those triggers, but the hate mongers.  It is not the mentally ill who won’t change the gun laws, but the politicians.  I am linking this writing to an article that appeared in the Washington Post that says so much of what I would say, but so much better.

Please stop blaming mass shootings on the mentally ill.  Please change the gun laws!

 

 

 

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Your child is suffering !

As painful as it is to consider, abundant data tells us that childhood suicide is a reality. My heart aches as I process this information.  Children should be immune to the kind of pain that would prompt a suicide solution.  Unfortunately for us all, children are not immune to extreme bouts of mental and emotional pain.  Most of the data and research deals with preteen and teenage children, who are being bullied or are having relationship problems of one sort or another, often with their peers.  Almost all of these preteen and teenage children suffer from depression and/or anxiety as well.   More recently, studies have begun of children 5-11 years of age who commit suicide. Can you even begin to imagine that a five year old could be in that much pain, let alone know how to carry out the action of taking his/her own life?

Yes, there is a lot of data on childhood suicides, but more important for this writing is the information about how to detect and treat the causes that lead to thoughts and acts of suicide by very young children.  It is critical for parents to understand the signs that appear when a child is having extreme emotional problems and considering suicide, and to know how to support them and get help for them.

According to an article in Psychology Today, if you notice changes in a child’s behavior such as in sleeping patterns, eating habits, or socialization patterns, take action to delve deeper to find out what is going on with your child.  Experts in this field say that parents should not be afraid to talk to their children about suicide.  According to the experts, ask direct questions about your child’s thoughts regarding suicide, and talk openly about whether or not your child is considering this as a solution to his/her emotional pain. Parents should not hesitate to discuss the permanency of suicide with their children. Some young children do not understand that it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.  Contact the child’s physician and let them know what is going on.  Contact a child psychologist and make an appointment for the child.  Spend enjoyable time with the child.  Reassure your child that he/she is very precious to you and you are always there to help them work out a positive solution to their issues.

It is very important to take any expression by your child about suicide absolutely seriously.  Your child is suffering and needs help.

 

Resource

Center For Suicide Prevention