Preventing teen suicide

Hazelden provides evidence-based, comprehensive resources for schools that address the topic of teen suicide prevention

Teenagers experience intense feelings of self-doubt, peer-pressure, stress, pressure to succeed, and other fears. For some, additional stresses such as divorce, moving, or combined families can intensify their feelings of self-doubt.

The statistics about youth suicide are disturbing:

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24 year olds
It is the second leading cause of death in college students
There are 50-200 suicide attempts for every completion
Almost 7% of high school students report making a suicide attempt
Over 14% of high school students report suicidal thoughts
Suicide is often linked with drug and alcohol use

According to the Hazelden publication LifeLines, clinical studies have shown:

The vast majority of youth who died by suicide had significant psychiatric problems, including depression, conduct disorders, and substance abuse problems
Between one-quarter to one-third had a prior attempt.
A family history of suicide greatly increased the risk
Stressful life events such as interpersonal losses, legal or disciplinary crises, or changes for which the teen felt unprepared to cope

The LifeLines program organizes the warning signs of suicide by use of the acronym FACTS, which stands for feelings, actions, changes, threats, and situations.

Feelings

Hopelessness--feeling like things are bad and won't get any better
Fear of losing control, going crazy, harming oneself or others
Helplessness--a belief that there's nothing that can make life better
Worthlessness--feeling useless and of no value
Self-hate, guilt, or shame
Extreme sadness or loneliness
Anxiety or worry

Actions

Drug or alcohol abuse
Talking or writing about death or destruction
Aggression
Recklessness

Changes

Personality--behaving like a different person, becoming withdrawn, feeling tired all the time, not caring about anything, or becoming more talkative or
outgoing
Behavior--inability to concentrate
Sleeping pattern--sleeping all the time or not being able to sleep
Eating habits--loss of appetite and/or overeating
Losing interest in friends, hobbies, personal appearance
Sudden improvement after a period of being down or withdrawn

Threats

Statements like "How long does it take to bleed to death?"
Threats like "I won't be around much longer" or "You'd be better off without me"
Making plans, such as studying about ways to die or obtaining the means to self-inflict injury or death
Suicide attempts

Situations

Getting into trouble at school, at home, or with the law
Recent losses
Changes in life that feel overwhelming
Being exposed to suicide or the death of a peer under any circumstances

Hazelden is dedicated to helping young people live healthy lives. We provide evidence-based resources that address the important issues that teen face everyday, including teen suicide, alcohol and drug use, bullying, and dating violence. To see a complete listing of all the materials Hazelden offers addressing the topic of suicide, please visit our online bookstore.