This morning I was watching the news while I was eating my breakfast and caught the tale end of a news story about teen suicide. This isn’t the first news story that I have heard on the news about teens trying to commit suicide or actually following through with it. In fact, teen suicide is on the rise according the Centers of Disease Control. Teen suicide can be prevented if parents actually knew what their teenager is doing and learned the warning signs.
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only and should NEVER be substituted for getting your teenager a professional mental health evaluation to determine if they are at risk for committing suicide. If you feel your teenager is in immediate danger, please call 911 or take them to the nearest ER or Mental Health hospital.
Teenage Suicide Statistics
According to the New York Daily News Paper, 1 in 6 teenagers have considered committing suicide as a way to deal with their problems and 1 in 12 teenagers have actually attempted to commit suicide. As a parent of a tween and teenager, I wanted to be aware of the warning signs so that I can intervene if my children begin showing the signs and symptoms that they are contemplating committing suicide. Today’s teenagers are experiencing far more pressure than most teenagers experienced a few years ago. Not only are teenagers going through physical, emotional, and mental changes but they are having to adapt to their changing roles. Teens are often are faced with new responsibilities and when they enter high school they begin to feel an overwhelming pressure that they must succeed and do well in school.
Teenagers Are Expected to Take on More Responsibilities and Their Roles Often Change When They Enter High School
As your teen, begins to accept their new roles they may begin to experience problems in school or with their friends. It is important that you stay involved in your teenager’s life, by doing so you are more likely to know when your child is feeling down and out or is having a hard time at school or with their friends. If your teen is showing the signs and symptoms that they are contemplating committing suicide you can quickly intervene and get your child help immediately. However, parents who don’t take an active role in their child’s life may or may not recognize the signs and symptoms of depression or suicide until it is too late.
When to Seek Help From a Professional
If you notice that your teenager is experiencing the signs and symptoms, it is important that you take the signs and symptoms seriously, even if they don’t want to open up and discuss what is going on. If they won’t talk about their problems, seek the help of a mental health professional immediately they are specifically trained and can often times get your teen to open up and talk.
Signs and Symptoms of Teen Depression and Suicide
If your teenager or someone you know experiences these signs and symptoms they could be suicidal and need immediate help. Never ignore these warning signs.
- Changes in sleep patterns.
- Changes in eating habits.
- Loss of interest in their favorite extra curricular activities.
- Loss of interest in doing their school work.
- Declining grades.
- Suddenly getting in trouble for their behavior.
- Withdrawing from their friends and family.
- Experiencing problems at work or they don’t care about work anymore.
- Having problems paying attention or concentrating.
- Begin complaining that they are bored all the time.
- Begin to show loss of interest in their hygiene and their physical appearance.
- Exhibiting signs of emotional distress.
- Complaining about physical ailments such as aches, pains, and migraines.
- Turn to substance abuse to relieve their pain. This can include both legal and illegal drugs and alcohol.
- Begin participating in risky behaviors.
- They are a victim of bullying or cyber-bullying.
Depending on your teenager, you may or may not see any of these symptoms in your teenager to give you an indication that they are thinking about committing suicide. However, seeing two or three of these symptoms in your teenager could indicate that your teenager is feeling depressed or is considering a suicide attempt. It is important to keep an open line of communication with your teenager so that they can come and talk to you if they are feeling overwhelmed instead of feeling as if they are going through things in their life alone.
When Does Monitoring Your Teenager’s Social Media and Cell Phone Become Necessary?
If your child uses the computer or a cell phone, you might monitor their accounts to see if they are communicating their problems with their friends. Of course, your teenager might not be happy if your spying but if you feel as if they are going to endanger their lives then going through your teenager’s cell phone or monitoring your teenagers social media accounts might not be a bad idea.
Comments
28 responses to “Teen Suicide is on the Rise: Parents Learn the Warning Signs of Teen Suicide”
We were all teens ourselves and I’m sure most of us have witnessed sadness or tough times during those years. I could definitely understand why the stats are so high. Thanks for this thorough explanation.
Lexie I remember being a teen and it was hard. However, I was always a determined person and didn’t get drawn into the wrong crowd. It is easy to do though.
We’ve got to be open and aware — you’ve opened the door to a something heartbreaking and real. The daily challenges compiled with the teenage angst we’ve all likely experienced, mixed with the responsibilities many teens are taking on — enough pressure to really take a person to the edge. Hopefully communication, love and awareness can rescue those who are buried beneath pressure and bring some light to their life. So sad. Excellent information in this article Thanks
Rhonda this topic isn’t going to go away anytime soon either. I do hope that other’s find this post and find the information helpful. I have no idea how my own daughter deals with the things that she has to deal with at school. She told me that there is quite a bit of bullying going on. It is sad.
Being involved in your child’s life is so important. Even if you know the signs, you have to be there and interactive with them regularly to be able to see the changes and offer help. This was a great article. Thanks for sharing.
DelSheree I agree, if you don’t act on the warning signs your child can harm themselves before you intervene.
This reminds me of my uncle. We lost him more than a month ago to suicide through hanging. 🙁 Well, he’s not a teen, but I guess it should had been prevented if only someone never neglected his symptoms.
Kristine I am so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what you and your family is going through.
Wow, I had no idea that the teen suicide was so high.. that is frightening. There is so much pressure from so many directions for everyone so I can see how teens could easily become overwhelmed. I did have a good relationship with my teens back in the 70’s & 80’s. Now they have teens of their own.. so far I see them all doing a good job. I am so thankful for that. Thanks for sharing this important information.
I didn’t either until I heard it on the news. It is troubling and a sad topic. I feel as if my own daughter has far more pressures in her life than I did as a teenager.
Yes, I hear about it on the news as well and it’s on the rise. Such a shame! Thanks for sharing this article. Praying it will help teens and their parents to understand….and help save a life. Bless you.
Yes it is a sad subject Alexandra, I hope that this post will reach the hands of parents.
This is very sad to hear. It’s a good thing that media keeps us informed of such alarming issues. It’s important to take note of these signs and watch the teens. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, I am thankful that the media actually warns parents with some of their stories.
Very important info, the teen phase it is a really difficult one and the parents should be alert for all the signs to help.
I don’t think I would want to be a teen today, it seems much harder now than when I was a teenager.
This is so sad. I have 4 daughters, 2 of them in or past the teen age. I think it is so important to keep the lines of communication open with them. It is really a great idea to get to know their friends and be involved in their lives.
Thank you for sharing Deanna, it is very sad that they feel this way. But having an open line of communication gives them an open door to talk to you about their problems.
Teens are so touchy and moody anyway. I think it might be hard to know when they are having a serious problem. Thanks for your insight.
Deborah they are often touchy and moody but often times you will know when your teenager is having major issues. They might even spend as many hours away from home and spend time with the wrong crowd. It is a good idea to get to know their friends too.
Teen suicide is such a sad part of our world. I wish parents were more attentive and catch the early warning signs
I agree Veronica, there are more pressure on kids today then when I was growing up.
Suicide is so very painful. It has hit my family on two occasions. Any information that will help people recognize any signs and know what to do should be read thoroughly.
Thanks !
Terry I am so sorry for your loss. I couldn’t imagine how you or your family dealt with the pain and loss. I hope that your comment touches parents and allows them to help their teens or young adults before its too late.
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. As a parent, I can’t possibly imagine what your loss was like.It is so terribly sad to hear that teen suicide is on the rise. Thank you for all the great information you provided!
Thank you for the awareness!!!
My cousin committed suicide in 2012 and even though he wasn’t a teen he still had a lot of these warning signs. He began to careless about his health, started to abuse substances, lost his job, got in trouble with the cops, pulled away from family and towards the end he even convinced himself that his daughter didn’t love him anymore. Several times before he committed suicide he threaten his dad with it. When they would argue he would tell his dad that he couldn’t take it any more and he was just going to kill himself. My uncle at the time thought it was just for attention, now he knows it was a cry for help. Never ignore the signs.
I don’t have teens, yet, but this terrifies me. I think we also need to focus on LGBT youth because stats are disproportionately high for them, too. So sad.