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After the article «Groups of Death» published in Novaya Gazeta on May 16, parents began to actively ask if their children knew about the existence of these groups. It turns out that many people know, but do not attach much importance to them. Why do some teenagers fall into suicidal groups, while others do not? Opinion of children’s analyst Anna Skavitina.
For several years, Russia has ranked first in Europe in terms of the number of child and adolescent suicides. And this number is increasing every year. In 2010, there were 20 suicides per 100 teenagers, three times higher than the global rate.1. Mass suicides have also become more frequent, in which two or more teenagers jump from the roofs of skyscrapers. Increasingly, there is a topic of groups on the Internet that provoke children to commit suicide. Since 2012, Rospotrebnadzor has been actively closing down numerous groups containing information on how to commit suicide, detailed descriptions of the very process of dying, and calls for suicide. Groups appear again and again, slightly changing appearances. What puppeteers are behind this, I don’t know. It is possible that some of the groups are produced by teenagers themselves, who play a terrible game with other people’s deaths, realizing their sadistic potential.
Can all children fall under the influence of suicidal groups?
Fortunately, not all. In order to go all the way through the deadly Internet game, the child must have some features. Usually emotionally sensitive, vulnerable children are involved in it, incapable of compromise, inflexible in communication, prone to impulsive actions, focused on emotional problems, closed, with a limited social circle. Alas, not always parents can determine for themselves whether their child is at risk.
What can be done? First of all, it is important to pay attention to how the child reacts to stress, especially loss. People often behave stereotypically, the same way, the same way as before. Adults should be alerted if the child reacts too intensely to any stress: panics or, conversely, closes in on himself, or is actively ill. It is also important to evaluate how the child endures loneliness, shame and rage.
Suicidal path
Be sure to pay attention to passive suicidal thoughts: these are representations, fantasies on the theme of one’s death, but not on the theme of depriving oneself of life. Statements like: “it would be nice to die”, “if this happened to me, I would die”, “to fall asleep and not wake up”, and the like. Be sure to talk with the child about his experiences, contact a specialist.
Because the next step is suicidal ideation. The child has ideas “how it could be” and an implementation plan is formed. Ways of suicide, time and place of action are thought out. At this stage, the search for information begins, including on the Internet. Please note: it is not information on the Internet that pushes the child, but internal experiences and conflicts make him look for ways out of the state of despair. At this stage, you can spend a lot of time searching for information, the process itself reduces mental pain.
And go to the next step — suicidal intentions. This is the stage when intentions are reinforced by a strong-willed decision leading to an act. Here, groups on the Internet are reinforcements, a resource for supporting one’s not yet strong will. Sometimes it can take minutes from thoughts to realization, sometimes several months.
- Self-harming teenagers want attention?
How to reduce risk
If it seems to you that a child may be at risk due to their emotional characteristics, intense stress, unsettled relationships in the family, if you know that the child is fascinated by scary pictures (views them on websites, draws), please contact specialists: psychologists , psychiatrists. Don’t leave the situation. Your cry, prohibitions can provoke an increase in mental pain. Find the strength in yourself to talk to your child every day about what is happening to him, just sit next to him, take an interest in what he reads, listens (in headphones), what he watches. About 70% of people who commit suicide have tried to ask for help in the last week of their lives. How could. Important: being interested does not mean rigidly controlling — hacking an account, reading correspondence, checking portfolios. It means: communicate, listen and try to hear.
1 As of March 2013, Rossiyskaya Gazeta.