Monday, February 7, 2011
Health Class - Suicide & Depression
Scenario: Your friend has recently displayed a major change in his/her behavior. You have noticed he/she has withdrawn from his/her friends and have been having making destructive comments and decisions of late. You have decided to confront your friend and he/she has opened up to you about being depressed and having suicidal thoughts. He/she has made you promise to keep it a secret. How do you handle this very serious situation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ok what I would do is try to ask why do they feel they want to comit suicide then I would tell them to see a professional and if they dont then I would tell their parents...
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would talk to my friend and see were all this depression is coming from. After that, I would try to let him/her see how many people they would hurt if they take their own life. Then, I would go to an adult that I can trust to get professional help for my friend. The last thing that I would do is to ask God to send a message to friend letting him or her know that they would be making a big mistake.
ReplyDeletei agree danny and i like the fact that you would tell their parents
ReplyDeleteFirst i would want my friend to tell me why they are feeling depressed. After they would tell me their reasoning i would tell them to go get professional help, and if they are scared to go alone i would go with him/her becauase it would be easier for them to go with someone that they can trust and with someone that cares about them. Aside from all of that i would tell their parents because this "secret" could really harm him/her, and their loved ones.
ReplyDeletei agree with glenn && i like how you would see what the problem is and ask God for help aswell as just help from an adult.
ReplyDeletefirst i would ask why my friend is so depressed then try to help. i'd tell him/her how many people they would hurt if they comitted suicide.if i saw that it wasnt helping i would tell a professional and his/her parents.
ReplyDeletei agree with glenn about asking God...i think it would help show your friend that you really care
ReplyDeletei agree with katie too about going with your friend to see a professional if theyre too scared to go alone
ReplyDeletei agree with katie about helping your friend even more by going to see the professional with them.
ReplyDeletei like how adrian said how many people that person will be hurting
ReplyDeletei like how katie said that she will go with the friend to see a professional. i think that is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIn order to save my friend, I would notify his/her parents without any hesitation. If my friend wants to suicide after our conversation, then I would call 911 before she attempts to suicide. I will be with my friend until help arrives and allow health professionalists to take over. Hopefully my friend will realize what he/she was doing and see that his/her life isn't terrible to live, for there was someone who helped saved their life.
ReplyDeleteYou spoke a wise choice, Adrian. If you can't help your friend, then find professional help.
ReplyDeleteI can see that Danny, Mack, Kattie, and Adrian would ask what is bothering their friend first. A very excellent way to pinpoint on what is really causing the suicidal thoughts so asking the right professional health professionalist for help won't be hard.
ReplyDeleteI would go and tell her councilor or a councilor you can trust what your friend told you and ask the councilor what to do and what kind of help you should get
ReplyDelete@ Danny G I agree with calling 911 because they can help a lot
ReplyDeleteIts Tyler
ReplyDeleteI would have to tell an adult about this even though my freind made me promise because like what we learn in class is that we can not prevent people from doing this and we are not specailist. Also i would keep talking to that freind of mine everyday and just try and make them feel like they are loved and that i am here for them no matter what.
Its Tyler
ReplyDeletei agree with Danny also about letting the parent know how the kid is feeling so they could get him/her help right away.
Its Tyler
ReplyDeletei agree with with Mack about talking and seeing what is mostly bothering your freind. Also i like that he would pray for his freind and ask for a sign to be sent to his freind. But one thing i dont agree with is telling the freind about how many people he/she will hurt because then they might get an even worse feeling about them self
Its Josh
ReplyDeleteOk first i would try to talk to my friend and tell him/her that he has people here who love him/her and that they would be greatly missed. I would try talking to him/her and ask them why they are acting so different. Then if they were starting to get out of hand no matter if i made a promise or not i would have to tell someone because i dont want that feeling of he/she told me they were going to do something and i just let it happen id rather have them hate me for saving them.
i agree with Danny, but i wouldn't ask him right away "are you thinking about suicide?" i think i should ease into it, i would talk to him so i may undestand everything that's bothering him, and after that i wouldn't care how much of a friend i am to him i would tell his parents everything he told me and advise them to seek professional help.
ReplyDeleteIts Josh
ReplyDeletei agree with Tyler because we both feel the same way and would tell an adult and we dont care if are friends are mad at us as long as they are safe and living
@ Danny G, calling 911 is a very good idea, they usually know what to do in these cases.
ReplyDeleteIts Josh
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Danny G calling 911 probly is the best thing 2 do because they have people trained to help with problems like that
its moe
ReplyDeleteif i was in this situation i would try talking to them. i would ask them why they are having suicidal thoughts, where all this depression is coming from. and try to help them overcome there depression problem and if this doesn't work i would go to a professional my self and tell them of the situation. and if that doesn't workout than i would go to the parents and have them sit down with the friend and talk about the situation.
danny g i kinda disagree with your idea of calling 911 because. sometimes they don't know how to react in a situation like that. thats so because they can only react if some one was attempting to commit suicide at that moment. so i would try talking to their parents before you do anything else.
ReplyDeleteI would handle this situation by comforting him/her and telling an adult the next day. me and the adult shall confront him/her and tell them they have a problem and they need help, professional help, and i know that they have changed and its not for the best, but it can always get better and life doesn't have to be like this.
ReplyDeleteto josh:
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%, if you talk to someone with an open heart they may open up to you and go more into depth and maybe you can find a link to the depression, and finding help is great. no matter the promise if you can help, do it, no matter what. telling someone can be the difference between life and death.
To everyone:
ReplyDeleteI think all of our steps consist of talking to them, than getting professional help. It seems that we are all loyal friends and we care about that person. just when we are engaging in the conversation i would stay away from jokes, and sarcasm. we have in the back of our mind that they are our friend and they understand us and our personality but in this fragile state, its best to just listen and take in everything and take it 100% seriously, because you never know if you say a statement that's meant as joke they might take it 100% seriously.
I agree with Ashley in both of her comments.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea to sit down and talk to your friend with an adult present because it would be easier for he friend to know that you do care for them.
Also I think we should all be more caring for our friends because they would be going through hard times in their life and they need someone they could trust and be open with.
I would try to listen to what the friend has to say and for them to explain why they are so depressed. I would then try to get help from an adult such as his/her parents and ask them for help. This would should the friend that I truly care and that I'm trying to help them out best that I can and that everyone isn't against them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danny, I think the best solution would be to talk with the person's parents about their situation and get some advice from them on what to do.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Daniel G. because the best thing to do would be to call 911, because no matter what happens after, you'll know you did the right thing. If something bad were to happen you'd know it wasn't your fault, because you notified the police as soon as possible. You also would get the best advice possible.
ReplyDeleteI would talk to them, i would ask them whats so bad in there life and why they would ever think that its ok to just kill yourself. I would make sure i told an adult but i would talk to then first. I would say something like " you have a bright future ahead of you, and if you pray and keep your head up high things WILL get better for the good. Being your friend and you actually telling me this i feel like why would you think its okay to leave me alone in this world." I would tell there parents for sure and tell them to get them help asap.
ReplyDeleteWell, what i would do in this serious situation is that i would first try to talk them through it and help them find a solution through whatever that person is going through but more importantly just try and cheer them up and get their mind off things. If i notice nothing i can do or think of is helping and if this person would still have depression and suicidal thoughts, I would definatly have to break that promise and tell a professional, or an adult about this to find help. That would always be better than knowing someone is planning on dieing soon and not trying your best to help.
ReplyDeletei agree with ashley in both of her comments and tyler.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree about calling 911, just tell an adult. endless there saying im gna do it RIGHT now.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a friend in this situation, the first thing on my mind would be to let some one know. Even though you made a promise with that suicidal person, you are being a better friend by letting family members know as well as teachers. If these suicidal thoughts continue i definitely think that the best way to handle the situation would be to get proffesional help. Having other people know about those person's suicidal thoughts is better than keeping a dangerous secret.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Monica said. I think it is crucial to make that person feel like they are wanted and important to many people. Letting that person know that people care and dont want them to leave will probably make them feel better and not lean towards the thought of suicide.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with what Svyatoslav said about getting the person's mind off of things. I think that the best way to help that person (besides telling their family, teachers, and getting professional help) is to make them happier and be there for them as a friend.
ReplyDeleteI would sit them down and talk to them, let them know how much I care. I'd immediately call the school councelor and their parents. I'd try to talk them through it and help as much as I can until credible, proffesional help arrives.
ReplyDelete@katieee
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. In my experience, I've found that suicidal people are so blinded by their depression that they actually begin to overlook their responsibilities, and believe they have nothing to live for. Telling them how much you care WILL HELP if approached in the right way. Make sure they know it's all true, how it would hurt you, REALLY hurt you. If they think you're just trying to help them, they won't take you seriously.
first, I would ask why he/she is depressed and then have conversation about suicide and tell he/she ways to prevent it. I would say to he/she that everyone cares about you and loves you. Also I would tell he/she that people will get hurt if you suicide. If he/she still tries to suicide after the conversation, then I'll call 911 immediately and get help from people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with tosha because i think it's important for them to know that youre gonna be there for them. If they see that they have someone there for them they might no longer have those thoughts or if they do they would know who to go to for help next time. But even though you wanna be there for them you shouldnt play the role of doctor. But you should be close to them and lend a hand when they are in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteYou should tell an adult tho tosha that would make everything easier because someone with more power can take action and try to prevent them from hurting themselves
@MACK100 I like the way you will talk to your friend and see were the depression is coming from, but I agree and disagree with the fact you will tell them they will hurt the people who love them mainly cause that might bring back bad memories that they had with their parents or friends and make them have a even better reason of why they should kill themselves
ReplyDeleteI would have my friend come over my house so we could talk personally. I would ask him/her what's going on in there life. I would tell my friend Im here for them and they can tell me anything because I care for them. I would give them advice and tell them everything will be okay. I would definitely tell their parents before I tell a teacher or any adult. Even though I made a promise because their life is way more important than a promise. I would advise her/him to get professional help! ASAP... After i will get my friend involved more and show them what their missing. I will tell them I know its hard but Im there to help them to get through it all no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI agree with monica because its good to give the person complements and let them know they're important . Also to tell them how it hurts you that they're trying to leave you and their family behind. The people who care and love them.
ReplyDelete@ Ashley R Smith
ReplyDeleteyou are absolutely right, jokes and sarcasm don't really help, if anything they make our friend feel worse because he might think that he can't talk to anyone without getting laughed at, which actually just aggravates the problem, and deepens his depression, we need to stop hearing and really listen to what our friend has to say.
I agree with maddie because its important to tell an adult. Like a teacher or family member. Also about getting professional help. That its more important to tell someone than keeping a dangerous secret
ReplyDelete@ Sabrina Rivas
ReplyDeleteyou could tell your friend to come over, but what if he/she says "I'm about to do it" ?? in that case there's very little time to act, also complementing might seem as if it worked, but that might just help for a short amount of time and it does not guarantee your friend won't do it, that's why i think the best thing to do is to get professional help right away.
I would try to convince my friend not to commit suicide and reassure him/her that people love them a lot and get them some serious help ASAP.
ReplyDelete@Danny what if 911 doesn't know what do? who would you go for a plan B?
ReplyDelete@everyone how do we get help for the friend? Because if there suicidal were not suppose to leave them alone and if they think we aren't going to tell anyone but they there what do you do?!?!
ReplyDeleteI think that you should look in the newspaper for hotlines or on the internet for places to notify someone that your friend is having serious problems.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jessica asked a good question about what should be your plan
ReplyDeleteB?
i like ho Jessica brought up plan B wae need to think bout that
ReplyDeleteJessica thats actually a good question what should your plan B be if plan A doesn't work out. i would try to spend as much as time i could with them this way you can keep an eye on them.
ReplyDeleteGoing on with what jessca said like we only think of what we would do for our friend at the moment we don't stop to think about what would happen i our plan A backfires or nothing is done. we should keep our minds open for anything because God only knows how our friend could be getting
ReplyDeleteI think that Jessica is completely right about having a plan B for a situation like this, because not everything will work out the way you want it so you should not get your hopes up so much for the only solution you are able to provide. Therefore making a plan B, problem is figuring out a good one.
ReplyDeleteAlso I agree with jesusfreak13 up there with how depressed people believe that they are worthless, knowing this could help you help them.
ReplyDeleteI would tell my friend that if we were to keep it a secret it would only build up inside him/her. I will try to convince my friend about talking to a counselor and to involve his parents because they need to know whats going on and can help.
ReplyDeleteto jessica's plan b idea its a good thing to have an alternate plan since your depressed friend might not want help
ReplyDeleteIn a situation like this is that first I would tell my friend the reasons why not to think like that. But I would not keep this a secret because if I dont tell anybody meaning there parents then I would be failing as a friend on trying to help them out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with sabrina because as soon as I finished talking to my friend the first thing that would come to my mind would be to tell there parents.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with svyatoslav because the main priority is to cheer up your friend when they are thinking like that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with mack because I forgot to mention that i would ask them from were all these negatives thoughts were coming from?
ReplyDeleteMy initial response to this situation would be to just listen to the problem(s) and not play doctor and mess with his or her feelings. I would, as Jessica pointed out well, come up with a plan or two on how to handle the situation. Perhaps, after listening, maybe check up on them from time to time or everyday. Or maybe if the situation seems bad as it is, to tell an adult. I think for me personally my way of handling this depends on the situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Glenn as well on his response. Good thinking.
ReplyDeleteTo an extent I agree with Nick about looking for "professional" opinions on how to handle this situation in newspapers or online.
ReplyDeleteI like Sabrina's idea also because I think it is true that it is important to really be there for your friend because they have obviously trusted in you from the start by telling you what is going on and how they feel.
ReplyDeleteI think Kudin also brings up a good point about getting the person's mind off of their thoughts. By checking up on them, I'm going to rephrase my statement and place a "from time to time" in because the relationship you have with that person before finding about their depression wasn't or even at all about their problems or just talking about what is bothering them.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing i would do is just sit there and listen because if you try to talk it out with him/her maybe that would agitate them and make them act on it. after i listened i would just make sure that there's nothing in the room that he/she can use to kill them self and then i would just call her parents upstairs to the room and tell them about it. i wouldn't call the cops if they had nothing to kill themselves with i would just call the parents and then let them decide if they want to call the cops or just wait and talk it out with a professional.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Kudin, but if that doesn't work, what I've experienced first hand is telling them about your own experience with those thoughts, and by telling them how you got out of that mindset can be a good tool. Not only will that possibly help with a solution, but it will also make your friend feel important and responsible, because they'll be challenged to think outside of themselves, since depression leads to unknowingly selfish thinking "depression is anger turned inward", so this could help. Proffessional help is important, but sometimes the best thing is just to have a listening ear and a person to lift your head. I remember feeling this way, and I went to a counselor and it did nothing for me, just made me feel more hopeless (but it's definitely something that needs to be tried first). But when I talked to my friend Sarah about how I was feeling, I dont think she said a word the entire time, and when I was done I felt 100% better.
ReplyDelete@Danny G i agree with moe as well i wouldn't call 911 right away after your conversation i would tell their parents first because they need to know what is going on with their child and maybe if they are causing or helping the thoughts of depression they can see what they are doing wrong and talk with their child and fix it.
ReplyDelete@ moe i think you should just listen to them and get their parents or call 911 if its that serious. i think when you tell the parents they at least know what's going on with their child and could maybe talk it out and fix it.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would probably ask why they were feeling depressed and who or what makes them feel like this. I would listen to them and try to help them realize that suicide is the wrong way to go because they are not ending any pain, it would start pain in a lot of other people around them. I would tell their parents and probably talk to other adults about what to do too and try to get them professional help.
ReplyDeleteI agree with katie because it helps the people not to be scared.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with moe because if it is that serious you need to call for help
ReplyDeleteI would first definitely tell someone. i cant handle someone thats suicidal. I will need professional help. I would stay with them and tell them that everyone loves them and just being positive about everything.
ReplyDelete@ raven. I don know if i would talk to them why they were depressed because they might think even more about suicidal thoughts by just talking about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James because listening is the best thing. you dont want to tell something that might trigger there situation to committing suicide
ReplyDelete