Ways to Help a Suicidal Teen

While many teenagers experience mood swings and extreme emotions, too often depression and suicidal tendencies are overlooked in teenagers. Such tendencies may be dismissed as a normal teenage phase. If you know a teen who is talking about suicide, even if it does not seem serious, he needs to know that help is available to him.

  1. Take Signs Seriously

    • It's easy for adults to see teenagers' problems as trivial. If a teenager expresses suicidal thoughts, it's better to be safe than sorry. Without humiliating her, speak with the teen privately and seek outside help. Listen to her and let her know you just want to help her feel better.

    Get Professional Help

    • Often suicidal thoughts are a symptom of major depression, PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), bipolar disorder or even a vitamin deficiency or some other physical ailment. They may also be a response to traumas happening in a teen's life. Antidepressant medications can do a lot to improve quality of life for someone who is clinically depressed or suicidal. But they should always be used in conjunction with talk therapy -- whether it's with a psychologist or other type of counselor. Be aware that antidepressants have been known in some cases to increase suicidal tendencies, sometimes only for a period early on in their use. And as one drug or type of talk therapy may work for one person and not another, it may take some time to find the right treatment.

      If the teen is uninsured, look for programs in your community that include free or sliding-scale talk therapy. Some of these programs even include access to free or reduced-price medication. Certain antidepressants, such as the generic form of Prozac, are inexpensive.

    Provide Resources

    • The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-TALK (8255). (For Spanish, call 888-628-9454.) This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. See Resources for links to a list of hotlines by country. The people who answer these hotlines are not formally trained counselors and will not always give the right advice, but they can be there for a teen anytime if she is in a moment of crisis, even if she isn't planning to commit suicide at that moment.

      Books on depression, self-esteem and psychology may give teens a better understanding of what they're going through and give them hope that they can get better. Consult websites where teens can read others' stories, share their experience on forums and find tips on how to cope when they are feeling unsafe (see Resources).

    Intervene in Destructive Home Environments

    • If a teenager is feeling suicidal as a result of abuse or other environmental factors in the home or elsewhere, don't assume there is nothing you can do to stop the problem. Ask the teen if there are any concrete reasons for his suicidal feelings. If abuse, drug use or other illegal activity is present in the teen's life, you may be justified in working with the teen to take legal action and protect him. Make sure to discuss this with the teen first and determine that any action you may take would not worsen the problem.

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