I'm afraid they'll hurt themselves or others

Situation Recognition

Fear that your child might hurt themselves or others during addiction creates overwhelming anxiety for parents. This fear may stem from direct threats, concerning behavior, past incidents, or general knowledge about addiction risks. While these fears are often justified, learning to assess actual risk levels and take appropriate action helps protect everyone involved.

Michael Wilson's Insight

"Fear without action helps no one—assessment with appropriate response can save lives. Your intuition about danger is usually accurate, and taking it seriously protects both your child and innocent people around them." Many parents ignore warning signs hoping things will improve, but addiction-related violence and self-harm require professional intervention, not family hope.

Comprehensive Guidance

Assessing self-harm risk factors:

• Direct statements about wanting to die or hurt themselves
• Previous suicide attempts or self-harming behaviors
• Giving away possessions or talking about "ending things"
• Extreme mood changes, especially sudden calmness after deep depression
• Increased substance use combined with hopelessness
• Social isolation and withdrawal from all relationships
• Recent major losses (relationships, jobs, legal consequences)

Assessing risk to others:

• Threats against specific people or groups
• History of violence or aggressive behavior
• Paranoid thinking or blame directed at others
• Access to weapons or knowledge of others' routines
• Statements about "teaching people a lesson" or getting revenge
• Combination of substance use with anger or resentment
• Loss of reality or delusional thinking patterns

Immediate protective actions for self-harm concerns:

• Remove all potential weapons and dangerous items from accessible areas
• Don't leave them alone if immediate risk appears high
• Contact mental health crisis services for professional assessment
• Be direct: "I'm worried you might hurt yourself—let's get help together"
• Take all threats and statements seriously, even if they seem manipulative
• Create supportive environment while maintaining appropriate boundaries

Protective actions for concerns about harm to others:

• Warn potential victims if specific threats have been made
• Contact law enforcement if credible threats against others exist
• Remove all weapons from home and consider temporary removal of the person
• Document threats with specific details for law enforcement
• Don't attempt to handle violence risk alone—seek professional help immediately
• Consider involuntary mental health evaluation if risk appears imminent

Implementation Steps

1. Trust your instincts about danger and take concerning statements or behavior seriously—don't minimize risks

1. Remove all potentially dangerous items from your home including weapons, medications, and tools

1. Contact mental health crisis services for professional risk assessment rather than trying to evaluate danger yourself

1. Warn others if specific threats exist and involve law enforcement when threats against others are credible

1. Get professional help immediately rather than hoping the situation will improve on its own

What to Expect

Taking protective action often feels like betraying your child's trust, but it's actually protecting their life and the lives of others. They may become angry about your "overreaction" or claim they weren't serious about threats or concerning statements. Professional crisis workers are trained to assess these situations and can determine appropriate levels of intervention. Many parents feel relief once professionals are involved because the responsibility for safety assessment shifts to trained experts. Don't expect to handle these situations alone—addiction combined with mental health crises requires professional expertise. If emergency intervention is needed, focus on the goal of keeping everyone safe rather than maintaining family harmony in the moment.

Professional Resources

East Point Behavioral Health: (855) 887-6237 - Mental health crisis assessment and addiction treatment coordination

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 24/7 crisis support and risk assessment for self-harm concerns

911 Emergency Services: For immediate danger to self or others, or when professional crisis intervention is needed

Local Crisis Mental Health Services: Emergency psychiatric evaluation and possible involuntary commitment when needed

Local Police Non-Emergency: For threat assessment and documentation when others may be at risk

Mobile Crisis Teams: Many areas have specialized teams that respond to mental health crises in homes

Hospital Emergency Departments: For immediate psychiatric evaluation when other crisis services aren't available