Hey! @Ang-
I'm so sorry that you're going through this challenging time with your son, it would be really tough and confronting to read those messages but also extremely hurtful that he wouldn't open up honestly to you about how he is feeling. But in saying that, often people can be very closed off about their mental health from the people closest to them for many reasons, but the most helpful thing would be to handle this situation with delicacy and care.
The first thing I wanted to ask is if your son is getting any help from others that you know of? This could be a professional, or a supportive friend, or other family member? One of the most important things would be to make sure that he is surrounded by people that love and care for him so that he can feel like he does have a support system to rely on and open up to if he wishes when the time is right.
Another thing that might be really helpful is reading up on how other parents might have approached similar situations with their children. I've found a couple articles that might be helpful to read through. It can be really confusing and majorly confronting for you as a parent, so knowing that your feelings are valid too, but also learning how best to communicate with your son about this could be really helpful for you right now. Here are the articles to have a read through when you're ready:
- Suicide and teenagers
- How I helped my teen with thoughts of suicide
- What to do when you think your teen is suicidal
- How to talk to your teen about suicide
- Look after yourself when your child is in distress
I hope these resources help a bit, but please also remember to be kind to yourself and do things that help you as well, as this is a very tough situation to be in.
Sending you lots of virtual hugs,
Amber22
Thank you for the tag! @Snowie
