Warning Signs and Risk Factors
Suicide among teens is a disturbing social problem internationally. In the United States alone suicide is the third leading cause of death among this age group. The teen years are a challenging time of life for many young people. There are tremendous social pressures, family issues, and emotional concerns that can lead to depression. Depression has been closely linked with the incidence of suicide among young people. Additional risk factors may include the presence of learning disorders, mental health conditions, substance abuse problems, behavior difficulties, or trouble coping with stress. Research shows that around 80 percent of attempted suicides among teens are preceded by clear warning signs. Itâs imperative that parents maintain involvement in their teenâs lives so they can spot potential signs that may indicate a young person is considering suicide as an alternative. The American Academy of Pediatrics outlines the following warning signs that may indicate that a depressed teen may be contemplating suicide: â¢Giving away possessions or offering unusual gifts â¢Problems with a boyfriend or girlfriend â¢Rebellious behaviors such as smoking, running away, or skipping school â¢Grades dropping or difficulties at school â¢Withdrawal from friends and family members â¢Disinterest in activities once enjoyed such as sports or clubs â¢Writing poetry or letters about death. Drawing pictures relating to death â¢Dramatic changes in personality â¢Drug or alcohol use or abuse â¢Changes in sleep patterns â¢Increased or decreased appetite â¢History of suicide attempts. Many attempts are typically made before a suicide is actually carried out â¢Talking about suicide â¢A sudden shift to extreme cheerfulness after a period of depression. This could signal that a teen has made a final decision to complete a suicide â¢Dramatic weight gains or weight losses There are risk factors that have been shown to make some teens more vulnerable to suicide. A male teen that has previously attempted suicide is thirty times more likely to complete a suicide while a girl with a prior attempt is three times more likely to fulfill the attempt. A family history of suicide attempts or of a successful suicide within the family increases risk. Many teen suicides involve the use of firearms. Itâs important to keep firearms secure at all times so that teens donât have access to the weapons. A young person who has suffered physical, mental, or sexual abuse may also be more likely to choose suicide as a viable option. Itâs possible that academic failure and imitation of other teen suicides can influence suicidal behavior among young people. Support is a major key to helping a teen that may be considering suicide. Therapy with a qualified mental health therapist may be necessary to help a troubled teen sort through the issues they are dealing with. Medication for depression may also be an option to assist an adolescent get back on track. Any indication of a suicide plan should be taken very seriously. A teen may actually make statements that they want to die or that they want to kill them. It becomes a crisis when the young person outlines how they might carry out the act. At this point, itâs time to seek professional help immediately for the young person struggling with suicidal thoughts. For more information on suicide, visit http://suicidecenter.com and http://lifemicroblog.com
John Parks
http://www.articlesbase.com/teenagers-articles/warning-signs-and-risk-factors-841452.html
October 6th, 2009 at 7:57 am
i’m so scared of SIDS! what can prevent it?? what causes it? what are the risk factors?
any info about it would be great!
i’m only 32 1/2 wks pregnant, but can’t stop worrying about it already.
what causes it exactly?
how common is it, really?
are there any warning signs?
what can i do to minimize the risk?
October 6th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
There are things you can do to help but there is so much unknown about it. Mostly happens between 2 and 4 months but can happen at other ages, it most common in boys, there are tons of studies on it but nothing is conclusive. Here are some tips;
Using a pacifier is said to help
Put baby to sleep on back not tummy
Make sure the crib is free from lots of extra blankets, stuffed toys, pillows, etc.
Keep your child away from second hand smoke
Make sure your crib mattress is safe (don’t just bye any old mattress)
Keep the baby warm but not too warm. Babies should not be hot
Stay on top of your Dr. visits make sure you are going in when you are suppose to
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I am very scared of it as well. You can go to babycenter.com and search sids under the articles section…or you can also go to google.com and goole sids.
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
You can find this information and more at the following link:
http://www.sids.org/nprevent.htm
Parents-To-Be
1. Get medical care early in pregnancy, preferably within the first three months, followed by regular checkups at the doctor’s office or health clinic. Make every effort to assure good nutrition. These measures can reduce the risk of premature birth, a major risk factor for SIDS.
2. Do not smoke, use cocaine, or use heroin. Tobacco, cocaine, or heroin use during pregnancy increases the infant’s risk for SIDS.
3. Don’t get pregnant during the teenage years. If you are a teen and already have one infant, take extreme caution not to become pregnant again. The SIDS rate decreases for babies born to older mothers. It is highest for babies born to teenage mothers. The more babies a teen mother has, the greater at risk they are.
4. Wait at least one year between the birth of a child and the next pregnancy.The shorter the interval between pregnancies, the higher the SIDS rate.
Parents
1. Place infants to sleep on their backs, even though they may sleep more soundly on their stomachs. Infants who sleep on their stomachs and sides have a much higher rate of SIDS than infants who sleep on their backs.
2. Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby - no covers, no pillows, no bumper pads, no positioning devices and no toys. Soft mattresses and heavy covering are associated with the risk for SIDS.
3. Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until the infant is at least 6 months of age. Studies clearly show that infants are safest when their beds are close to their mothers.
4. Do not place your baby to sleep in an adult bed. Typical adult beds are not safe for babies. Do not fall asleep with your baby on a couch or in a chair.
5. Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps. Just use enough clothes to keep the baby warm without having to use cover. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Overheating an infant may increase the risk for SIDS.
6. Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke. Don’t have your infant in the same house or car with someone who is smoking. The greater the exposure to tobacco smoke, the greater the risk of SIDS.
7. Breast-feed babies whenever possible. Breast milk decreases the occurrence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Studies show that breast-fed babies have a lower SIDS rate than formula-fed babies do.
8. Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections. Avoid crowds. Carefully clean anything that comes in contact with the baby. Have people wash their hands before holding or playing with your baby. SIDS often occurs in association with relatively minor respiratory (mild cold) and gastrointestinal infections (vomiting and diarrhea).
9. Offer your baby a pacifier. Some studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS among babies who use pacifiers.
10. If your baby has periods of not breathing, going limp or turning blue, tell your pediatrician at once.
11. If your baby stops breathing or gags excessively after spitting up, discuss this with your pediatrician immediately.
12. Thoroughly discuss each of the above points with all caregivers. If you take your baby to daycare or leave him with a sitter, provide a copy of this list to them. Make sure they follow all recommendations.
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Google the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaigns that are going on around the US. You can get so much info from them.
The babe stops breathing and doesn’t restart.
The frequency is unknown- but tends to run in families.
I know you don’t want to do this but the more time the baby spends in the hospital nursery- the more nurses can check for warning signs (we just are more aware of whats normal [because we see thousands of babies] than a mom). If there is a risk the baby can go home on an apnea monitior.
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
First, you need to understand that SIDS rates have not gone down. SIDS is now believed to be a lung birth defect. What has gone down is suffocation deaths. Because many suffocation deaths once were listed as SIDS it gives a false impression that SIDS has actually gone down with the new practices of eliminating stuff in the crib and putting babies down to sleep face up.
You can’t do anything to reduce the incidence of SIDS, except possibly by not smoking, but you can reduce the chances of baby getting suffocated. Out of roughly 4 million births in the US, about 6,000 infants die from SIDS or suffocation. Small number, but if you are one of them, it is devastating (many couples divorce after a SIDS death). The link below has things you can do to reduce risk.
Babies are most at risk at 2-5 months. My great-Aunt died (face up in cradle) at 1 year old, so while the risk is down, it is not gone until older. Life is full of worry, and worry doesn’t help any situation, so just don’t get too bent out of shape about it.
BTW, my college buddy and his wife are contacts for the hospital when there is a case of SIDS. I know 4 couples who lost a child to SIDS and all 4 found the baby face up with nothing in the crib. However, autopsy revealed lung defects.
References :
http://www.californiasids.com/Universal/MainPage.cfm?p=32
October 6th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Here is some good information from Dr. Sears on SIDS:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102100.asp
The seven SIDS risk-lowering steps:
1. Give your baby a healthy womb environment.
2. Do not allow smoke around your baby – pre or postnatally.
3. Put your baby to sleep on his back or side, not on his stomach.
4. Breastfeed your baby.
5. Give your baby a safe sleeping environment.
6. Avoid overheating your baby during sleep.
7. Practice the "high-touch" style of attachment parenting.
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
breastfeeding and cosleeping were the 2 main things I did proactively to prevent sids.
though many will talk about cosleeping being dangerous, when done properly it is not. more kids die from sids in their own bed, in their own room than in a shared bed. most of those babies who die in the parents bed die from an accident, most often when a parent has not practiced safe and proper cosleeping methods…. OR one parent has brought the baby into the bed w/out alerting the other and baby gets smothered.
a smothering accident is different from sids.
safe cosleeping allows the to synchronize their breathing to the parents (often if one parent snores, the risk will lessen even further because of the volume of the breathing!), which is one of the therories of sids - that baby falls into a deep sleep and sort of forgets to breathe.
safe cosleeping:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070600.asp#T070601
breastfeeding:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
SIDS stands for ’sudden infant death syndrome’. The name implies that there aren’t really any warning signs, since it is ’sudden’. You’ve gotten some great answers already, so I’m not going to elaborate on them. I agree with the answer that said that SIDS and death from suffocation, although commonly grouped together, are two different things. Babies dieing from suffocation is something that is almost always preventable. Babies dieing from a lung defect or disease is something that you really don’t have any control over, and something that doesn’t have many warning sings either.
References :
October 6th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Do not smoke or use drugs while you are pregnant, those are huge risk factors.
Do not allow anyone to smoke near the baby or you while you are pregnant.
Never let your baby sleep on his/her tummy, this is the number one cause
do not let them sleep with blankets over their face (buy sleep sacks or blanet sleepers)
Keep stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, etc out of cribs
make sure your crib mattress fits your crib, you should not be able to put 2 fingers between the mattress and the crib frame
do not leave babies unattended for long periods of time, check them every few minutes (say 15 minutes)
do not let them sleep in cramped positions such as car seats for long periods of time (while they are in the car it is fine, but once you take them out they can ball up in the car seat and cut off their air flow.
Be careful when sleeping with the baby in your bed, especially if you or your partner has been drinking or taken any type of drugs, even prescription drugs that make you drowsy.
There are not warning signs and no way to test for SIDS, all you can do it prevent it. If you send your child to daycare make sure they follow your rules about back to sleep etc.
Pacifiers are supposed to help, but my son won’t take one. I slept with him on my chest for the 2 first months, just so I knew he was breathing, but now we co-sleep. There are co-sleepers you can buy if you are worried about rolling over on him.
You can get loads of information on SIDS online, my bf got me a packet of info when my son was first born, it scared me to death, but I feel better knowing the precautions to take. People tell me I am overprotective, but I don’t care, I would rather be overprotective of my baby than have to bury him.
References :