My Friend is Struggling with Thoughts of Suicide

Doug and Jenny Shaw were leading a youth group trying to earn money for summer church camp. After a car wash, Sean, a high school senior, approached them. "I need to talk to you two about something" Sean said soberly. "I'm worried about my friend Kevin and wonder if he has thought about suicide." Jenny reached across the table and touched his arm. "This must be difficult for you, Sean. I'm sorry you have to deal with this issue again after what you have been through." Sean felt a lump in his throat. He remembered all too clearly his bout with depression two years earlier that pushed him to gulp down a fistful of sleeping pills. But Doug and Jenny had been there to help him through. Sean would be forever grateful for the love and concern this couple had shown in his darkest hour.

Doug spoke next. "What else is Kevin doing that makes you suspect he may have thought about suicide?" "Some things that are painfully familiar. Kevin seems tired all the time - he has no energy. If I call him at noon on a Saturday, he's still in bed. Even when I talk him into coming over, he just wants to flop in a corner and go to sleep. He’s also getting into black stuff - clothes, leather, jewelry - and talking like he's fascinated with death. He's been real moody too - angry one minute, silent the next. And the thing that really bothers me is that Kevin has been giving stuff away - even some great stuff, like his mountain bike. He doesn't seem to care about anything. It's like he's not planning to stay around much longer." Doug and Jenny were immediately concerned. Sean exhaled a brief sigh of relief that he had shared his concerns—even if it turned out that Kevin was okay. (To be continued.)