“…you could be saving a life…”Perhaps your teen has confided in you that he’s concerned about a friend who seems to be suicidal. His parents refuse to do anything about it. There are a couple of strategies you can use here. If the teen is in immediate danger, you can call 911 with the teen’s name and address and they will send an ambulance to his home. Drastic measures, granted, but you could be saving a life.
If the teen is not in immediate danger, you can call the school counselor, asking to be kept anonymous. Do not wait a few days to do this since the situation can change quickly with teens. All it takes is a rip-roaring argument with a parent to send a teen from depressed to suicidal, and you don’t know what is going on in his home. Try to follow up with your own teen to make sure that an intervention involving the parents occurred. If your teen reports that his friend’s parents are not following through with treatment, call the school counselor back. If you are not satisfied with the counselor’s response, you can either call someone at a higher level in the school district or Child Protective Services.
If it is summer and the teen is not in school, try to get the name of his pediatrician. Give the receptionist the name of the teen and explain what you know. Again, you can choose to remain anonymous. The doctor may not be able to call you back, due to confidentiality laws, but he can call the family.
After you have done your part, it is time to disengage from the drama. Tell your teen that he did the right thing and to let the family take it from there. Give them privacy and move on, knowing that you did the right thing.
Tags: Depression