This story is from January 21, 2015

Spot tell-tale signs of suicide

If your child has a crush in school, make sure you maintain her privacy even if you're discussing it with other parents.
Spot tell-tale signs of suicide
BENGALURU: If your child has a crush in school, make sure you maintain her privacy even if you're discussing it with other parents.
"And no emotionally charged words, don't be critical or make derogatory comments-that'll help children suffering from stress and a sense of hopelessness," said Dr Mahesh R Gowda, consultant psychiatrist, Spandana Health Care.
Dr Gowda deals with cases of virtual relationships where the boy and girl may not even talk to each other in school, but interact on social networking sites and have a soft corner for each other.
"What's missing in bringing up children is basic survival skills, to feel that it's ok to make a mistake. Each child is different and not all can be treated in one way. Both parents and teachers should anticipate the repercussions of their conversation with teenagers," he said. He gets 7-8 cases of adolescent relationship issues a month.
Managing teenagers extremely sensitive to reprimand is a skill schools are trying to learn fast.
Many have professional counsellors who interact with parents, teachers and students on a variety of subjects. "Earlier, there was stigma attached to going to counselors. But that's changing. We see at least five children every day with relationship issues," said Subhadra Gupta, senior counsellor, DPS South.
"Children get into relationships to fill a gap — they need somebody to listen. Peer pressure is a factor too," said Uma Revanath, who works with Little Flower Public School. While some schools talk to their high school students and rope in their parents too, others leave it all to the parents.
A parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "There is no better counsellor than a child's parents. It's important to talk to the child the day you notice a change in behaviour."
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