Increased stress levels, feeling hopeless and alone, being bullied, or experiencing repeated physical or sexual abuse could all be reasons why some adolescents consider suicide. Adolescent suicide has far-reaching consequences on families, friends, communities, and schools. For this Discussion, use the Parker Family case study to consider the indicators of suicide. While Stephanie is now an adult talking about her experience as a youth, image how you would have responded to her at the time she tried to kill herself in adolescence. Also think about how you might react to students in this situation if you were a social worker in a school.

By Day 3

Post your answer to the following:

• After learning about the character in the Parker Family case study, imagine that you were the school social worker at the time Stephanie attempted suicide as a teenager. Which indicators would you have looked for and why.
• How would you have responded to each of those indicators?
• What kinds of questions would you have asked and why?

Parker Case Study:

 Parker Family Episode 3 Program Transcript FEMALE SPEAKER: I want to take care of her. I really do. I mean, she’s my mom, and she’s not getting any younger. But I deserve my own life, my own place. And I’m always tired of feeling like I’m suffocating all the time. It’s just– It’s so confusing. I love her, you know? FEMALE SPEAKER: I understand that you want a place of your own to live. You mentioned before that you and your mother argue a lot. FEMALE SPEAKER: A lot? How about all the time? And all that stuff she hoards, it’s just like, I’m drowning in it. It’s like there’s more room for her junk than there is for us. It just drives me crazy. Right to the hospital sometimes. FEMALE SPEAKER: How many times have you been hospitalized? FEMALE SPEAKER: Let’s see. Three times in four years. I think I mentioned to you that I’m bipolar, and I’m lousy dealing with stress. Oh. Wait, um, there was another time that I was in the hospital. I tried to commit suicide. I guess I was pretty lousy at that too, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. FEMALE SPEAKER: What made you want to do it? I was a teenager. And when you’re a teenager, you find a reason every day to try to kill yourself, right? I was– I was depressed. I remember one night I went out with some of my friends. And, um, they were all looking up at the sky and talking about how pretty the stars were. And all I could think about was that that sky was nothing more than a black eye. It was lifeless, and it could care less about any of us. When they finally let me go home from the hospital, my family– wow– what a trip they were. They didn’t want to talk about what I had tried to do. That was offlimits. I tried to kill myself. And I they acted like nothing ever happened. I’ve never told anybody that before. FEMALE SPEAKER: Are you seeing a psychiatrist now? FEMALE SPEAKER: Um, I go to a clinic, and I see him once a month. I also go to drop-in centers for group sessions, mostly for my depression. FEMALE SPEAKER: What about medications? FEMALE SPEAKER: Hell, yeah. They’re my lifesaver. FEMALE SPEAKER: What are you taking?