Issues and Answers

A staff member of a group home for adolescent girls asks how staff can distinguish between regular acting-out behaviour & behaviour that indicates real suicide intent. The response is that staff should focus on managing the behaviour & not on whether the behaviour may or may not be manipulative. An approach that is suggested is to set up a behavioural program that addresses all acting out, undesirable or unsafe behaviour. Questions to keep in mind when assessing these behaviours are provided.