Today a group of 8th grader girls came to me for a "very secret" conversation. They told me that an 8th grade boy had written on Facebook that he wanted to die. We had been over Erickson's stages last week and discussed the teenage conflict of "Identity vs Role Diffusion". I had talked about how role diffusion in extreme situations had led to teenage suicides. We talked about ways to develop healthy identity and what to do if you were depressed and began to develop suicidal thoughts. The class is very upbeat and there is not really anyone who I would describe as morbid or seemingly suicidal.
I told the concerned girls that I would talk to the boy. After a chat with the guidance counselor about what I would say and what she wanted me to ask, I spoke with the 8th grader.
He was surprised and said he never put anything like that on Facebook and that he hadn't been on FB for several days. I asked if he had had such thoughts. He (with no hesitation) said no.
Now what? I checked with one of the girls and she said she had defintiely seen it.
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