As your children start to hit puberty and navigate teenage life, their mental state can change and they may start to experience significant feelings of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
These feelings are common among teenagers, so if you see that your child is struggling, it’s time to reach out for support.
To help you do the right thing for your teenager, we’ve created this list of the best suicide prevention services for teens.
We’ll also help you to understand suicidal thoughts and the warning signs that your teen might be experiencing them.
What Are Suicidal Thoughts?
Suicidal ideation is characterized as having suicidal thoughts or ideas of committing suicide, and it’s much more common than we might think.
However, having suicidal thoughts does not guarantee that a teen will actually try suicide. Although many teenagers have suicidal thoughts, these impulses never materialize into suicide plans or attempts.
Suicidal thoughts can also develop into a cognitive habit, a consistent thought pattern. Such ideas are frequently the result of depression or the desire to get away from a challenging situation.
Teenagers with suicidal ideas need to receive therapy before making any actual plans since suicidal thoughts can swiftly progress to a suicide attempt.
When warning signals are recognized early and a suicidal adolescent receives excellent mental health treatment right away, youth suicide prevention is most successful.
Statistics For Depression And Suicide In Teens
In the past 10 years, suicide rates among young people ages 10–17 have increased by more than 70%.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States among ages 15–24.
Every day in the United States, there are more than 3,000 suicide attempts by high school students, according to the Jason Foundation.
The number of teens admitted to children’s hospitals as a result of suicidal thoughts or self-harm has more than doubled during the last decade.
Current teen suicidal stats from the National Alliance on Mental Illness show that 20% of high school students have seriously considered suicide, and 9% have made suicide attempts.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s campaign, #BeThe1To, aims to raise awareness of steps people can take to prevent suicide during National Suicide Prevention Month and beyond.
This website offers details on how to get involved, current resources, and the five measures to help prevent suicide.
This coalition of governmental and private organizations is focused on reducing suicide.
To help people understand and avoid suicide, the Action Alliance collaborates with a wide range of organizations, including governmental bodies, houses of worship, educational institutions, and mental health organizations.
A comprehensive list of resources can be found on the AFSP website.
These resources include crisis hotlines, guidance on finding mental health care, help for substance abuse, and resources for problems like self-harm, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and other conditions that frequently coexist with suicide.
Teens frequently prefer texting to speaking on the phone, so Crisis Text Line offers an alternative for those who are less at ease with voice calls.
Crisis workers with specialized training will assist in defusing situations for people contemplating suicide or struggling with serious mental health problems.
This website provides statistics, symptoms, treatment possibilities, risk factors, and information regarding mental illness and suicide prevention.
Additionally, it offers materials that can be used to understand how depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions are related to suicide.
A non-profit group called SPTS was founded by parents whose teenagers committed suicide. By giving kids, parents, and teachers resources, it aims to help lessen the epidemic of teen suicide.
Additionally, SPTS advocates for legislation mandating teachers to complete suicide prevention training.
SAVE’s goal is to help prevent suicide via public awareness and education, lessen the stigma of suicidal ideation, and act as a resource for individuals affected by suicide.
Founded by a mother who lost her daughter to suicide, the website offers information, training materials, and methods to participate and give, among other things.
One of the most comprehensive resources for preventing suicide is SPRC.
They provide information, training, and a hotline, 1-800-273-TALK, to assist anyone who is contemplating suicide.
Their website features a video with tips on how to support those who are contemplating suicide as well as connections to organizations in different states.
The Trevor Project is the foremost national organization offering crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ young people under 25.
It was founded in 1998 by the makers of the Academy Award-winning short film TREVOR.
The Warning Signs
Parents, educators, coaches, and anyone else who works with or lives with teenagers must exercise extra caution during the back-to-school period as teenagers adjust to new routines and expectations.
Here are several warning signals that a teen may be contemplating suicide:
Feeling hopeless or trapped in their situation
Increased use of drugs and/or alcohol.
Posting on social media about wanting to die
Changes in appearance, weight, or sleep patterns.
Gathering a stash of objects that might harm them, such as drugs, sharp items, or firearms.
Isolating themselves from their friends and family.
Partaking in risky or self-destructive behavior.
Searching online for suicide methods.
Decreasing grades, work ethic, and concentration.
Giving away their most valuable items.
Saying goodbye to loved ones.
Physical illness, like migraines, stomach aches, or pains.
Final Thoughts
The idea that your child is experiencing suicidal thoughts is terrifying as parent, but by noticing the signs and reaching out for support, you can protect your child and help them deal with these feelings and lead a happier life.
