Teen Talking about Suicide

[PoppyVanH]

My neighbor's DS talked about killing himself to a group of friends while at a party. My DS said that he does this often. The mother told me that he is in therapy and she knows he's going through something bc another child texted her that he was worried for his life. My question is should I talk to the mother to make sure she knows her son is actively talking about suicide? Should I tell the school to keep it anonymous and make sure he gets the support he needs? My DS thinks he does it to get attention but no healthy child I know does this so I am very worried. How would you handle it? I am friendly with the mother, but not good friends.

If you have his address you could send the police to do a welfare check.

6,000 die by suicide in the UK each year. It needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

This child is in distress and is already in therapy. It is more unusual for people who talk about it to then go on and kill themselves than the Ken’s that say nothing. When people are assessed by a medics the indicator for the level of intervention can include the way people say they will do it. I am not a MH professional but I did have some training as I was responsible for students with both physical and mental health issues within my dept.

I would tell the Mother even if I didn’t know her that well.

Sorry a typo should read ones and not Ken’s

I would absolutely mention it to his mother and possibly the school too. The myth that people who talk about suicide don't go on to complete is a very dangerous one.

Unfortunately I have personal experience.

Yes people who talk about it complete.
Usually have a pervious attempt.
Are often known to services.
I would want to alert services now.

Yes I would definitely talk to his mum x

Sorry to be macabre but is the dc talking in a general way about wanting to die or now specifically about how they might actually do it? Either way, it's concerning and I would alert the mum/school but the latter would be particularly worrying. People with a plan are sadly much more likely to carry it out.

Tell the mother and school.

Unfortunately lots of teens talk about wanting to die as a form of their normal parlance when something doesnt goes their way, they are surrounded by similar talk on Tiktok and other outlets, I've heard teens say they'd rather kill themselvess instead of drawing a graph in maths for instance, but you can't ignore it as just chit chat just in case, particularly if he is already in therapy and seeking help from outside agencies.

Yes, tell the mum

I am a MH professional. It is not true that people who talk about feeling suicidal are less likely to complete.