The Staggering Truth Of Youth Suicide

When you look at causes of death in 15 to 24-year-olds the third leading cause is suicide. It is the only leading cause of death in teens that has shown an alarming increase in numbers over the years. In general, there is a suicide every 11 minutes and among teens that is about 1 every 2 hours. Prevention requires education, resources, being open and talking about the issue and people better recognizing the warning signs of suicide. What most have in common though is the belief that life is hopeless, that they are in a lot of emotional and mental pain and that they cannot tolerate living anymore. The most important thing we can do as parents, teachers, coaches and so on, is to talk to them.

 

Take teens seriously

Firstly it is essential that when a teen talks about the thought of suicide that this is taken seriously every time. Their feelings should be taken seriously and the best way to help them is to connect with them and support them. Acknowledge them and what they feel and what they say. Nothing says that you want to help more than really listening. Just as important as having one or both parents to talk to is having outside support.

 

One option that can help with youth suicide prevention is peer counseling. Teens often rely heavily on peers for all kinds of support as well as information. If they are educated as well about talking openly with each other about these things it could do a lot of good. They could get not just support but information too. Being a peer counselor can help teens as they have improved self-esteem and feel like they have something to contribute. They have a feeling of being more in control and being more socially useful. They are recognized for their abilities, skills and the important role they can play. Using learned skills, support and things like self-reflection a teen can come to eventually see themselves in a stronger and more positive manner.

 

Keeping up with the times

As teens change how they interact with the world so we need to change to keep up with that. Where once the typical stereotype of teens was them sitting talking on the phone for hours, now this is more likely to be them texting or using social media. Therefore as well as watching and learning about warning signs of suicide resources need to reflect this. Offering peer support online, via text messaging as well as other more traditional methods such as on the phone is crucial. 88% of teens use their cells to chat, email or text. Out of that 88%, 3 out of 10 actually send more than 100 messages daily. On average boys text about 30 times daily and girls about 80.

 

Summery

There are many programs working toward supporting teens and with the goal of youth suicide prevention. But with as many attempts and successful suicides as there still are, it is not enough. It is important as a society that we try to pick up the gap that is there.