A Message for Teens ( How to Help a Suicidal Teen)

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There may be some of you who are hoping to find information to help you with your own thoughts or feelings about suicide. While this is not something you will specifically find on this site, what we can offer you is the phone number for the national suicide prevention hotline.

Here’s why we think this can help: Suicidal thoughts or feelings can make us feel frightened and overwhelmed. We can feel crazy or worried we’re going crazy and may be embarrassed to share what we’re thinking with others. Or maybe we’ve tried to talk about it and were dismissed (“Come on, you don’t really feel that way!”), or made fun of (“There you go again, you wimpy cry-baby!”), or not taken seriously (“You’re always talking about that- one of these days maybe you’ll do it”). Perhaps the people we talked to didn’t know what to say so they just ignored us and said nothing.
  
Just because we couldn’t find someone who listened in a helpful way, though, doesn’t mean we should give up! Talking about suicidal thoughts and
feelings—with the right person—can make all the difference in the world.


Speaking up is sometimes a hard enough task without the added stress of thinking about where to find the answers to the questions you worry most about. Life as a teenager can be stressful enough as it is… from homework to friendships, fighting with parents to getting into college. Sometimes, you could be looking for answers to questions you haven’t even asked yet!

Lots of people think about suicide at one time or another in their lives, teens included. Usually it’s because they’re struggling with problems in their lives that seem overwhelming, and they feel trapped, helpless, and hopeless. It isn’t that they want to die—they just want to stop feeling miserable. They may be depressed, angry, or empty- but whatever they feel, they’re not thinking clearly.

HELP PREVENT TEEN SUICIDE

If you or any of your friends are feeling this way and have had thoughts of suicide, the most important thing to do is to talk immediately with an adult you trust. Sometimes friends tell us things in confidence and make us promise not to tell anyone else. You may have done this yourself. Secrets can take on a life of their own and become even more powerful because they’re private.  Keeping the secret of suicide doesn’t help anyone—it can actually make things worse. Remember, “Friends Help Friends” – so when someone tells you something that worries you, make sure you tell a trusted adult right away.

If you don’t know an adult who would be helpful, call that hotline number 1-800-273-8255 and ask them to help you figure out what to do.

FACTS: Warning Signs For Suicide

What Can Parents Do to Prevent Youth Suicide?




Can You Monitor a Teen’s Behavior Too Much?

While it can seem nearly as impossible as herding cats, keeping tabs on teens is a worthwhile parental responsibility. But it’s difficult at best to maintain a balance between being too lax and too intrusive. What it all boils down to is this: Can you monitor your teen’s behavior too much?


First, it’s important to know the risks of allowing teens an all-access pass on whatever behavior suits them at the moment. The reality is that most teens will push for as much freedom as they can get. Lacking family rules and oversight, the situation is ripe for all kinds of behavior that can land teens in trouble – from experimenting with alcohol and drugs, to petty crime to support a growing drug habit, accidents and injuries caused by drug and/or alcohol use, poor grades and getting suspended from school, HIV/AIDS, unwanted sexual activity, pregnancy, and addiction.