A recent, and rather highly appalling new report by Center for Disease Control has revealed that suicide rates amongst preteen girls, ages between 10-14, has been risen by almost 200 percent since 1999.
But what are the reasons that the suicides have been increasing so quickly, and that too amongst preteen girls? How can parents know if their kids are anxious or depressed. There so many reasons why all of this is happening, but you can’t blame your child for it.
The use of internet and social media has been the primary factor for rising suicide rates. Issue like cyberbullying, which could partially be responsible for this could lead to a sudden and stark rise in depression amongst kids where young girls get more affected by online harassment because they are prone to additional forms of harassment like body shaming. When a girl is abused for her body, it really kills her self-esteem, and this what really causes much of the depression amongst teen girls.
Young girls need help defeating these unrealistic standards regarding body and lifestyle, it’s literally killing them with depression, anxiety and hopelessness. As a parent, you have to identify the problem before it’s already late.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, these are the seven symptoms that could help you determine if your child is becoming depressed or suicidal:
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Social alienation
According the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a child’s withdrawal from daily chores or activities could be one major sign of depression.
Depression can make a child become uninterested even for the things that they were highly passionate about. Seclusion from family and friends become visible and they don’t seem to stay happy at all. Sometimes, this alienation could be due to their temporary mood swings, but if it’s the depression, then there be some serious repercussions.
Mark Loewen, who is a teen counselor says that depression is the reason why a person’s reward system could sever. Gratification levels fall down and less pleasure is felt while performing those activities that a person once loved to do.
Another reason for all the depression and social withdrawal could be bullying or cyberbullying. Children who are cyberbullied are less likely to tell anything about it to others. They are also unlikely to call for help even if the things go severely bad.
To know know a categorical answer to this question, it’s important that you monitor your child’s online activities and look for all the signs of cyberbullying that could be there on their computes or cell phones. If you want to look for the warning signs, they usually include lack of interest, social isolation, fear of attending school, or increased emotional distress and anxiety.
As a parent, cutting the sources of bullying should be your first step to ensure that your child won’t get suicidal. But you can do this unless you know what your child is going through. Don’t shy away from using a monitoring app like TrackMyFone on their cell phone or tablet, especially if you the slightest feeling that they might be bullied.
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Mention of self-worthlessness, guilt or sorrow
If your child wants to punish herself for not submitting an assignment, this isn’t a normal behavior. Anxiety that comes as part of depression could make them feel guilty and sorrowful. These traits of guilt are also common with kids having low self-esteem. Parents can help their kids to come out of this frustration by guiding them to the right beliefs. HelpGuide.org is a valuable resource to look for the warning signs of depression. You also need to realize that having any signs of depression could also take your child towards drugs and alcohol.
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Suicidal behavior
Wishing for death or showing tendency to be suicidal is another strong cue that your preteen daughter could be in danger. Literally, the websites, social media and endless news cycles, they all are filled with reports about teen deaths. If your child is exhibiting any kind of undue interest towards deaths or local suicides, this isn’t a great sign at all.
Stay on a lookout for any sings or possible obsession with news that talks about deaths or suicides. Not just that, you have also have to keep your child away from any such news that could influence your child to be a copycat—a process known as suicidal ideation. This is a serious problem and you should immediately resort for help if you seen any such signs.
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Frequent sadness
Your child may end up staying sad most of the time. This would mean taking everything too seriously and not being able to cherish even the happiest moments. Sadness could be a consequence of the cyberbullying or abuse that your child maybe facing through any online or offline means. Having a know-how of what could causing this sadness is pertinent for you to ensure that your kid won’t end up with a poor life threatening decisions.
Finding answer to your teens’ sadness could be a tough job, unless you know how they are feeling. Using Trackmyfone to keep tracks of your kids’ cell phone use could really help. You can know what your kids are up to, who they are talking to, and what kind of things they usually like to discuss with their friends on IM apps and social media. Trust me, this could really help!
Don’t take any symptom for granted
Your preteen could be facing a lot of difficulties in their life, and being a parent, it’s your responsibility to get to them. Don’t wait or expect them to come to you; most kids don’t want their parents to know they are in a problem, because they believe no one can help them. This is what you need to help your kids with. Let them have faith in you; let them share everything that they are going through fearlessly with you.
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