As parents, we may be uncomfortable discussing a topic like suicide, but we can help protect and prepare our children before they have dangerous thoughts. Talking about suicide can help prevent suicides.
We can help children learn to become emotionally resilient and to know where they can turn when they need emotional help.
Some suicides happen without any obvious warning. For some there are only subtle signs, or sometimes the signs are unmistakable. We can’t know for certain what our children are thinking, so we need to prepare them young—in case thoughts of suicide take hold in their minds.
Read the Liahona article “Family Conversations about Suicide” to learn more.
Additional Resources
- Suicide.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
- “How Do I Support a Child Who Is Feeling Depressed?,” Liahona, Aug. 2021, 16–17.
- “Understanding Suicide: Warning Signs and Prevention,” Liahona, Oct. 2016, 18–23.
- “How to Help Someone in Crisis,” in How to Help, Suicide, Life Help, Gospel Library.
- Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience, in Self-Reliance, Life Help, Gospel Library.
- Articles on LDS365 about suicide.