17 year old daughter threatening suicide

Jcrupper1

New Member
i am a 40 yo man that has been raising two daughters alone for 8 years they are now 19 and 17 I have never had a single problem from them until now my 17 yo is acting crazy, she is lying to me I have caught her several times and she lies to cover up the lies, she says she is going to a friends house and goes God knows where, pretty much anywhere but where she says she is going, then whenever she's caught in a lie she says she is cutting herself and threatens suicide, she has went from a great kid to a standoffish :censored2: in a span of about 3 weeks I don't know what to do her mother is not an option as she is a drunken :censored2: so I'm all alone here any suggestions?
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
First off, welcome. I'm glad you found our corner of the world but sorry you needed to.

Have you taken her to a psychiatrist? If she is threatening and you think it may be credible I would take her to the ER for an evaluation. This will probably result in a hospitalization and then maybe you could figure out what is going on. Is it possible she is drinking or doing drugs?
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Another possible option is that she was sexually assaulted - it can be a trigger for all sorts of problems, including a rapid decline. It could be that plus drugs, as assault victims may turn to drugs to numb the psychological pain.

Head trauma - such as a concussion - MAY cause personality changes. You don't have to be an athlete to get a concussion.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Suicide threats can really only be assessed by a professional. EVERY threat means a 911 call and a psychiatric hold to evaluate her. Do your best to make it a no-frills psychiatric hospital, esp a same gender only one. It is easier to focus on the kids if only one gender is in the ward and the genders don't mix.

EVERY threat should be evaluated by a professional. If 911 is not a good option, tell her you are going for dinner and take her to the psychiatric hospital instead. If she freaks out, they can help you with her and it will make her a higher priority in triage. But suicide is ALWAYS serious.

Have them do a full drug panel on her, and include spice/k2 if possible. If sexual assault is an issue, hopefully they can help you figure that out too. A fast decline is usually drugs or sexual assault, esp in a child who has given no trouble until then. It could be an acute mental health issue, like a psychotic break or something, but most often that would be drug induced or caused by some other trauma.

I hope you get her some help, but do NOT allow her to manipulate you with suicide threats. They are nothing to play with, and should be taken seriously. No harm if she is not serious, but if she is and you ignore it, the results could be tragic and permanent.
 

TiredSoul

Warrior Mom since 2007
Jcrupper1 - I know it has been a month since you posted this, but I am wondering how your daughter is doing.

Also, for anyone who may know this - I'm curious what percentage of actual suicides are preceded by threats of suicide. Does anyone have a good source for this info?

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InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
I'm curious what percentage of actual suicides are preceded by threats of suicide. Does anyone have a good source for this info?
I don't have stats. But we've been told there is no direct correlation between threats and the real thing. Some people threaten and eventually do, others only threaten, and some do go through with it without ever having threatened. It's as though the two activities are completely separate.
 

TiredSoul

Warrior Mom since 2007
I don't have stats. But we've been told there is no direct correlation between threats and the real thing. Some people threaten and eventually do, others only threaten, and some do go through with it without ever having threatened. It's as though the two activities are completely separate.
Thank you for your reply. I can imagine a scenario where you take seriously each and every threat (by going to er or whatnot) and the child gets to the point where they just stop threatening and start acting on it instead. Suicide scares me so much.

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