Adolescent Suicide

Adolescent suicide is one of the worst disasters that can befall a family. The real tragedy of teenage suicide is that, were the teen to wait a few years and to suffer through the depression, things would probably get better. Most adolescent suicides don't realize that they're going through the toughest time in their life. Being a teenager means having to deal with identity crisis, peer pressure, depression, moodiness, and all the rest. We have a society that glorifies adolescence constantly, so we don't usually see the darker side. This just contributes further to the trend towards adolescent suicide. Teenagers believe that everyone else is having fun but them, and this makes their bleak depression that much worse.

The good news is that most attempts at adolescent suicide prevention help. You see, adolescent suicides rarely actually intend to kill themselves. This may seem strange, but it is the truth. In general, a suicide gesture or attempt is more of a cry for help. The adolescent suicide doesn't expect it to work. He or she does it because he or she needs some kind of intervention. The problem is that sometimes the adolescent suicide attempts do work. Teenagers who think that taking too many pills will just land them in the hospital where they can get help sometimes overdose on something so dangerous that it results in almost instantaneous death.

This is why you have to be there for your teenager. A lot of families buy into the stereotype of sullen, withdrawn teens, but teens don't get withdrawn in families that provide the right sort of support. If you're continuously active in your teenager's life, you can stop him or her from straying from the path. You can talk about thoughts of suicide, depression, peer pressure, and all the other issues that teenagers have to go through. Adolescence is the time when you have to relax your hold as a parent, but that doesn't mean you should relax your vigilance. You teenager will need you less as a role model and more as a friend.

Of course, having adolescent suicide resources outside the family is also really important. Suicide helplines have helped plenty of teenagers avoid making a mistake that will destroy them and their friends and families. A lot of schools make suicide help lines available to teens, making it much easier for them to get the help they need. Even if your school doesn't publish the information, you can easily find it in the phone book. A lot of these help lines are national, so you can call from anywhere in the country. They're also anonymous something which is crucial for teenagers who are afraid to ask for help publicly.