Did you know that in 2005, suicide was the third leading cause of death among teenagers?
Even for preteens, children from the ages of 9 to 12 years old, suicide was the sixth leading cause of death!
And unfortunately, teen suicide rates have been rising in recent years.
Suicide Prevention
One of the primary objectives of suicide prevention is to get a child help when they are thinking about hurting themselves. This can include:
- taking the child's thoughts of suicide seriously
- don't be afraid to ask if the child has a suicide plan
- talking to the child about suicide and let them know you are concerned about them
- make a no-suicide contract with the child and don't leave them alone until you get them help
- encouraging the child to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline yourself if you are not sure what to do
- calling your pediatrician for help
- taking the child to an emergency room, local crisis center, or psychiatric hospital for help
- remove medications, even over-the-counter medications, and guns from the home if you think a child is thinking about suicide
Also, learn the warning signs of suicide so that you can recognize when a child might be thinking about hurting themselves
