Helping tackle suicidal feelings
“I’ve attempted suicide before and I don’t feel safe when I feel like I do at the moment. My suicidal feelings are overwhelming and I keep having panic attacks. I’m struggling every day.”
This is what one girl told us at Childline. From the moment we launched the service in 1986 we have heard from children who feel that life is not worth living.
But over the years the numbers of suicidal and depressed and anxious children has steadily increased.
In 2016-17, more than 22,000 young people told us they were contemplating ending their lives.
In more than 2,000 of these counselling sessions the young person had already taken steps, such as writing a suicide note, giving meaningful items away or planning how to end their life.
Very few young people do actually make an attempt to take their own life. However, having suicidal thoughts clearly shows someone is unhappy and needs help and support.
Many of the young people who contact Childline describe feelings of deep unhappiness, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
It can be difficult to understand what causes suicidal feelings but they’re often triggered by upsetting experiences such as living with mental illness, experiencing abuse, being bullied, bereavement after losing a loved one and having very low self-worth.
Childline is proving to be a lifeline to many young people desperately needing a safe place to turn to talk about feelings like these, especially with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) struggling to meet demand.
Having a trusted adult or counsellor to talk to can often provide a different perspective, and means the young person doesn’t have to deal with everything on their own.
Talking about an issue is often a process and can require more than one conversation for things to change.
A young person, who feels suicidal and needs help straight away, should call 999 or Childline.
Children and young people with any worries can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org. uk, while adults concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC’s free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000.