Muscat, Jan 23 - In the wake of suicides taking place in the region, mental health practitioners have urged parents to spend more quality time with their children.
They stressed the need for fathers and mothers to communicate sensitively and empathetically with their adolescent and other young children, with a view to discerning any problems, challenges or dilemmas they may be facing.
They emphasised the need for medical attention where conditions like autism or any behavioural problems are noticed in the children.
“With proper counselling, medical intervention and family support, many youngsters contemplating suicide can hope to lead positive and productive lives,” said a Muscat-based psychologist.
“Parents must try to reach out to their children, try to understand their anxieties and fears, and show genuine understanding for their concerns. On the other hand, being strict, overbearing and dismissive of their anxieties can be counterproductive.” Suicide is a leading cause of death for people seriously affected by mental illness. However, along with mental illnesses comes the danger of today’s overwhelmingly destructive video games that stoke the anxieties of parents. Scores have voiced concern over the popularity of some video games that seem to be addictive for children.
Mohammed, a father of a young boy who is addicted to video games, expressed his concern over this issue saying “suicide is the saddest result of these games. However, there are some other outcomes like poor academic performance, aggression in teens, and adverse effects on health.” “There should be a clear agreement that spells out rules on the use of the game,” Mohammed said. “That is why I agreed to allow my son to use his phone and tablet for a few hours each day and to sit in a place visible to me or his mother.” To address this issue, many telecom operators have created technology that gives parents control over their kids’ use of their devices and services.
Parental control technology comprises a wide variety of software and hardware solutions that parents and caregivers can use to restrict the content their children can access and the people they can communicate with. On gaming addiction, the psychologist said: “Counselling and behaviour modification are the primary means of treating addicted gamers. Together, individual and family counselling are powerful treatment tools. Some treatments incorporate medication in their programmes.”
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