Theme 2: My Cry of Pain: Telling/Not Telling
The teens in this study did not tell people about their suicidal thoughts prior to the attempt. The participants described wearing a mask to hide their feelings of being uncared for and alone. Their sadness and hopelessness was hidden. Clients will be able to answer the question, “are you thinking of harming yourself?” only if they are consciously aware of and can verbalize their thoughts. The mask that hides true feelings may produce an answer that is not accurate.