An epidemic that does not exist. But you need to know where to look for help for your child
It is not true that today we are dealing with an epidemic of suicides among children and adolescents. 2023 was the first year in which their number decreased since 2018. – This means that the activities we carry out are effective, although there is much to be done, and above all, young people and their loved ones need to know where to look for help – emphasize experts who have been running the Life Is Worth Conversation project for several years.
Nowadays, many children and teenagers experience mental problems and crises. Not every difficult situation leads to an emotional crisis and depression, but young people today are particularly subject to constant pressure from their environment, meeting expectations of being better, smarter, and at the same time accepted in the group.
Some people cope with this situation. Unfortunately, parents often treat emotional crisis and depressive behavior, especially in a teenager, as a developmental norm, a period of rebellion, and notice too late that something bad is happening.
It is especially difficult for a teenager to deal with emotions
– Usually, when something bad happens to us, after the first shock, we move to the mobilization phase in which we try to restore our emotional security. We cope with the situation, so there is a period of adaptation, after which we can return to the initial state, or the so-called post-crisis growth, because we have faced difficulties, we are richer in this experience, thanks to which we will cope better with the next difficult situation – explains Lucyna Kicińska, a certified suicidologist of the Polish Society of Suicidology and an expert of the Office for the Prevention of Suicidal Behavior at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, one of the consultants of the substantive program of the Forum Against Depression campaign.
