When Your Child Talks About Suicide with Crystal Paine

Raising Mentally Healthy Kids with Michelle Nietert

With 94% of kids expressing anxiety and 84% experiencing depression, mental health has hit an epidemic level for today’s youth. In this episode, I’m talking with author Crystal Paine about what it’s been like to have a suicidal child, the signs of anxiety and depression leading up to a diagnosis, the process of finding a counselor, and different levels of mental health care.

Key points from today’s episode:

In teens, it can be hard to identify what is typical hormonal change behavior or something more. When the severity of the outburst doesn’t match the severity of the situation, it’s a sign of stored anxiety.

✅ “When in doubt, check it out.”

🧠 A child experiencing mental health issues or expressing suicidal thoughts is traumatizing for parents, so it’s important that parents are also processing their PTSD in healthy ways.

️ In the faith-based community, we link poor choices with character. With mental health issues, that does them a huge disservice by creating a guilt-shame cycle.

Giftedness changes the intensity of a person. If not managed well, it can become overwhelming and result in unhealthy behaviors.

🧭 Navigating mental health may require a team of doctors, counselors, and therapists as well as investment from the parents, both individually and together. It takes time to find the right combination, but it’s worth the investment to find the right fit.

Resources Mentioned:

Love Centered Parenting Smart, but Scattered

Follow Crystal Paine: website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

You can find more resources about mental health, parenting, and coping with anxiety at MichelleNietert.com.

And don't forget to join the conversation about raising mentally healthy kids with Michelle on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!