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Understanding and Preventing Teen Suicide

Unfortunately, teen suicide is not a rare event. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the third leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 24, surpassed only by car accidents and homicide. Suicide rates are on the rise for younger adolescents as well, with dramatic increases noted in this age group from 1980 to 1996. Suicide attempts are even more prevalent, though it is difficult to track the exact rates.

Gender differences affect the means teens use to commit suicide. Girls, who are about twice as likely to attempt suicide as boys, tend to overdose on drugs or cut themselves. Boys, who complete suicide more often than girls, use firearms, hanging, or jumping more frequently. Because they tend to choose more sudden, lethal methods, boys are three or four times more likely to succeed in their attempts than girls.

The risk of suicide increases dramatically when kids and teens have access to firearms at home, and nearly 60% of all successful suicides in the United States are committed with a gun. That's why it's imperative that any gun in your home be unloaded, locked, and kept out of the reach of children and adolescents. Ammunition must be stored and locked apart from the gun, and the keys for both should be kept in a different area from where you store your household keys. Always keep the keys to any firearms out of the reach of children and adolescents.

Risk Factors

Now that you're a parent, you might not remember how it felt to be a teen, caught in that gray area between childhood and adulthood. Sure, it's a time of great possibility but it can also be a period of great confusion and anxiety. There's pressure to fit in socially, to perform academically, and to act responsibly. There's the awakening of sexual feelings, a growing self-identity, and a need for autonomy that often conflicts with the rules and expectations set by others. A teen with an adequate support network of friends, family, religious affiliations, peer groups, or extracurricular activities may have an outlet to deal with his everyday frustrations. A teen without an adequate support network, however, may feel disconnected and isolated from his family and peer group. It's these teens who are at increased risk for suicide.

Teens who are at increased risk for suicide include those who:

• face problems that are out of their control, such as divorce, alcoholism of a family member, or exposure to domestic violence
• have suffered physical or sexual abuse
• have poor relationships with their parents, lack a support network, are socially isolated, devalued, or rejected
• have a family history of depression or suicide. Because depressive illnesses may have a genetic component, some teens may be predisposed to suffer major depression.
• experience the feelings of helplessness and worthlessness that often accompany depression. A teen, for example, who experiences repeated failures at school, who is overwhelmed by violence at home, or who is isolated from peers, is likely to experience such feelings. 
• are dealing with homosexual feelings in an unsupportive family or community or hostile school environment. Several studies have reported greater rates of suicide attempts among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth than among their heterosexual peers.
• use alcohol or drugs in an attempt to numb their pain. Substance abuse is a major risk factor for suicide.
• express their feelings violently
• have had a previous suicide attempt

Warning Signs

Teens are most likely to consider suicide at certain times in their lives, particularly if they have suffered a loss or rejection. Failures at school, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a loved one, their parents' divorce - all of these risk factors can be triggers for dangerous behavior.

Seek professional help if your child experiences serious mood changes that last more than a couple of weeks. Don't wait. The American Psychiatric Association recommends seeking help if your teen:

• withdraws from friends and family
• shows an inability to concentrate
• sleeps too much or too little
• talks of suicide
• has dramatic changes in personal appearance
• loses interest in favorite activities
• expresses hopelessness, helplessness, or excessive guilt
• exhibits self-destructive behavior (such as reckless driving, drug abuse, or promiscuity)
• seems preoccupied with death
• bequeaths his favorite possessions

Seek professional help as soon as possible if your teen says he is thinking about suicide. Contrary to popular belief, people who talk about suicide are likely to follow through. Pay attention to phrases such as, "It's no use, I'd be better off dead." Also be suspicious if a child who has been very depressed suddenly becomes extremely cheerful or hopeful. This intense mood swing may indicate that he believes suicide will be a solution to all his problems

What Parents Can Do?

Remember that any ongoing conflicts between a parent and child can fuel the fire for a teen who is feeling isolated, misunderstood, devalued, or suicidal. Get help to air family problems and resolve them in a constructive way. Also let the mental health professional know if there is a history of depression, substance abuse, family violence, or other stresses at home, such as an ongoing environment of criticism.

Providing Help

Although you may feel powerless, there are a number of things you can do to help a teen who is going through a difficult time. If you are concerned about your teen's behavior:

• Make sure your child has someone he can confide in. If your teen feels you don't understand, suggest a more neutral person - a grandparent, a clergy member, a coach, a school counselor, or your child's doctor.
• Don't minimize or discount what your child is going through. This will only reinforce his sense of hopelessness.
• Take your child's behavior seriously. Three quarters of all people who attempt suicide have given some type of warning to loved ones.
• Always express your love, concern, and support.
• Don't postpone seeing a doctor. Your child should be evaluated for depression so that treatment can begin immediately.
• Express to your child that with help he will begin to feel better and that his problems can be overcome.

If you think your child is suicidal, get help immediately. Your child's doctor can refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist, or call your local hospital's department of psychiatry and ask for a list of doctors in your area. Your local mental health association or county medical society can also provide references. In an emergency, you can call the National Suicide Hotline at (800) SUICIDE.

This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference guide written by our health care reviewers.  The health information written by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your physician.  It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.