Author discusses suicide

INCREASINGLY. TEENAGERS
die by their own hand — suicide is
the second leading cause of death
among adolescents in our socicty.

By Peggy Trendell-Whittaker
News Reporter

And while the ultimate decision
to live or to die can only be made
by the child, Marion Crook firmly
believes that many, if not all,
suicides are preventable.

Crook, the author of Teenagers
Talk About Suicide and Every
Parent’s Guide to Understanding
Teenagers uad Suicide, will
speaking on this topic at the Se-
renity Shop on Tuesday, Feb. 26
from 7 to 9 p.m.

Formerly a public health nurse,
Crook was given the journals of a
young suicide victim by the child’s
mother, who hoped the informa-
tion could be used to help other
families.

Crook later spoke with 30
young people across Canada who
nad attempted suicide and helping
agencies, then compiled the in-
formation in her books.

Crook found that ‘you don’t

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have to actually be a psychologist
to help a child, you just have to
listen."*

But listening isn’t: always so
easy. Often, parents and = other
people are frightened by the
thought of suicide and feel they
wouldn't know what to do if their
child was actually contemplating
taking their own life.

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As a result, parents uncon-
sciously deny that suicide could be
a possibility. ‘‘lt always seems
that it's someone else’s child,”
says Crook, noting that many
parents cling to the false belief
that only obviously mentally
disturbed children would attempt
suicide.

‘Some people just deny their

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child really means it and leave him
or her alone.""

But it's imperative to keep
health lines of communication
open between family members.
Crook found that young people
who had attempted suicide almost
uniformly felt ‘‘they didn’t belong
in their families and they didn't
have anyone to talk to.... They
felt they weren’t good enough for
their families.**

Parents often don’t realize their

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child feels this way, says Crook.
“They often don't go around
looking morose.’’ Crook notes,
counselling parents to watch in-
stead for an unusual change in
personality, whether it be to a
more vibrant or lower-key state.

Crook will discuss these issues
and others at the free speaker's
evening taking place at 219 Lons-
dale Ave. For more information
call The Serenity Shop at 987-
8726.

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