Suicidal thoughts and self-destructive tendencies among adolescents

Abstract

One must not ignore or underestimate it when adolescents say that they feel like a burden to those around them or that their life has no meaning. Suicidal thoughts in young people can be a signal of a threat to health or life or of a weakened mental condition. Increasing awareness of the frequent thoughts of giving up and the experience of a lack of meaning in life, characteristic of adolescents, helps to develop standards and preventive strategies in the field of mental health care. The article is an attempt to define terms related to suicide, data regarding the magnitude of the phenomenon among young people and discuss the causes of self-harm and suicide. It is also a reference to the approach of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which considers, for example, emotional dysregulation and suicidal tendencies as a transdiagnostic problem. The characteristics of the transactional model in DBT emphasise that what is most important for a favourable prognosis is the provision of adequate support from the close environment, especially parents and professionals. Suicide prevention among children and adolescents is possible through scientific conferences, suicidological research and preventive programmes. Multidisciplinary cooperation to prevent suicidal intentions during childhood and adolescence is essential. In conclusion, as far as working with patients with emotional dysregulation and suicidal tendencies is concerned, the guiding motto of DBT should be stressed, which is to shape “a life worth living”.