If your child is having suicidal thoughts, it doesn’t mean they will necessarily attempt to take their life. However, feeling suicidal must always be taken seriously as it shows your child needs help and support.
This is an incredibly hard time for you as a parent or carer. You may worry about how you can keep your child safe. Perhaps you are frightened that you could accidentally make things worse by saying or doing the wrong thing.
Key messages about suicide:
Suicidal thoughts can come in sudden bursts or last for a long period of time. If your child self harms, you may assume that this automatically leads to attempting suicide. However, some children can self-harm and not have suicidal thoughts.
All young people are different. Some will talk openly about how they are feeling and others will try to keep everything hidden from you.
There are common signs that your child may have suicidal thoughts. Some children will show lots of these features, while others will not. If you are worried about your child for any reason, seek help straight away.
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