MENTAL HEALTH
Teen Suicide
O
ver the last three decades, the
suicide rate for all Americans
has been rising slightly. How-
ever, among American teenagers, the
rate of suicide is increasing far more
rapidly and dramatically.
According to the Centers for Dis-
ease Control (CDC), teen suicide in-
creased by nearly two percent over a
24-month period. Furthermore, not
only is the rate of suicide increasing
but thoughts of suicide by teens are
on the rise. Of the teens surveyed by
the CDC, 15.8 percent indicated they
had seriously considered suicide, up
from 13.8 percent two years earlier.
Today, suicide is the third leading
cause of death for 15-24 year olds and
is the second leading cause of death
among college students.
Even though this trend is alarm-
ing, it is one which can be reversed.
Suicide is a preventable cause of death.
IN BRIEF
Recognize the
warning signs
Listen
Be direct
Believe it
Avoid disapproval
Remind teens they have
other choices
Help them see hope
Never leave a suicidal
teen alone
36 The Priest June 2014
Ten pathways to prevention
Here are 10 pathways to prevention
which parents and other significant
adults in the life of a teenager can
use to guide and support a desperate
young person. Helping a struggling
teenager is one way of fulfilling the
exhortation of Scripture to carry one
anothers burdens (Gal 6:2).
1) Recognize the warning
signs of depression. Nearly 6,000
teenagers end their lives each year.
It is the third leading cause of death
among teenagers. Key issues of teen
stress are family discord, separation
or divorce, excessive academic and
social pressures, a painful loss such
as a relationship break-up, the death
of someone close, relocating to a dif-
ferent city. These stresses can trigger
deep depression. As a significant adult
in the life of a teenager, be on the alert
for the warning signs of depression.
Mental health professionals identify
A young person, at an emotional breaking point, needs a friend.
By Victor M. Parachin
the following as some key signs that a
person is severely depressed:
Sleeping more or less than usual.
Eating less or more than normal.
Feeling restless and agitated.
Having trouble concentrating or
making decisions.
Easily hurt feelings: crying a lot.
Abusing alcohol and other drugs.
Losing interest in activities which
used to bring pleasure.
Persistent sad, anxious or emp-
ty mood.
Feelings of pessimism, hopeless-
ness.
Decreased energy, fatigue, being
slowed down.
Feelings of worthlessness, guilt,
helplessness.
2) Listen compassionately.
When teens are stressed and hurt-
ing, they need and want to talk. Be
an adult whom your children or your
SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
 No one chooses suicide because
they think its a good idea
childrens friends can they choose it because they feel ing about suicide is what
speak with. Be willing often pushes a person
to listen. Your listening they have no other choice. over the edge because
will be therapeutic and not talking is what bot-
can save a life. tles up the depression,
At a funeral service for a young opens the door for a depressed teen to isolation, loneliness and fear. Talking
man who ended his life by suicide, the respond honestly and share how they openly and honestly allows the per-
boys mother pleaded with the young are feeling. A recent study published son to get the feelings out, resulting
people in attendance to please talk by the National Institute of Mental in comfort, relief and hope.
to someone, anyone, if something Health, identified the four best ques- 4) Believe it. When a teenager
was bothering them. She also chal- tions to ask teenagers at risk for sui- indicates they have suicidal feelings,
lenged adults to sit down with their cide: believe it. In his book, Suicide, Rabbi
children and ask whats happening in i) In the past few weeks, have you Earl Grollman offers this wisdom:
their lives. If the children are troubled felt that you or your family would be Accept the possibility that the per-
about something and dont want to better off if you were dead? son may really be suicidal. Dont as-
discuss it, they should be encouraged ii) In the past few weeks, have you sume that she or he isnt the type
to speak with a teacher, minister, rab- wished you were dead? or really wouldnt do it. The temp-
bi, priest, relative, friend someone iii) In the past week. have you tation is to deny the possibility that
so they can get help in resolving been having thoughts about killing someone you care about would take
whatever conflicts they are experienc- yourself? his or her life. But thats how thou-
ing. iv) Have you ever tried to kill your sands of people of all ages and
3) Be direct. If you suspect a teen self. races and economic groups com-
is contemplating suicide, dont hesi- Dont buy into the myth that talk- mit suicide.
tate to ask directly, Are you think- ing about suicide will only make a And dont allow others to mislead
ing about committing suicide? That person more likely to do it. Not talk- you into ignoring a suicidal situation.
If you believe someone is in danger of
suicide, act on your own judgment.

Common Sense Catechesis: The danger that you might be em-

barrassed by overreacting is nothing
Lessons from the Past, Roadmap for the Future compared to the danger that someone
by Fr. Robert J. Hater might die because you failed to inter-
vene.

Twelve Suicide
With an engaging and personal style, Fr. Bob
Hater considers both the future and the past in
this one-of-a-kind bridge building book about
catechesis in America.
Warning Signs
1. Suicide threats and/or previous
Discover Fr. Haters entirely new concept for
suicide attempts.
2. Statements indicating a death
catechesis a Common Sense approach. It
wish.
takes into account the historical framework
3. Preoccupation with and asking
over the course of the 20th century and overlays
questions about dying.
key concepts to give catechetical leaders and 4. Putting affairs in order.
catechists, usually volunteers, what they need 5. Giving away personal items.
to succeed today. 6. Personality changes and unusual
behavior.
ID# X1584 Paperback, 200 pp., $16.95 7. Loss of interest in usual activi-
ties.
Bulk discounts available! 8. Withdrawal, isolation, moodi-
ness, anger, crying.
9. Depression.
Visit osvparish.com 10. Statements about feeling hope-
less, helpless, worthless.
Call 800-348-2440 Ext. 2173 11. Loss of interest in friends.
12. Increased alcohol/drug use.
38 The Priest June 2014
 5) Respond gently and with
compassion. When listening to a
teenager who may be suicidal, re-
spond with gentleness and compas-
sion. Treat him or her the way you
would want to be treated if you were
severely depressed and feeling hope-
less. Follow the golden rule of Jesus:
Do to others as you would have
them do to you (Lk 6:32).
Dont criticize or argue. For ex-
ample, rather than responding to a
young person by saying Youve got
to be kidding. Youre going to kill
yourself because your math scores
are low? a better response is to say:
Lets talk about solutions other than
suicide. Similarly, never argue with a
suicidal teenager. That young person
is already at an emotional breaking
point and needs a friend, not an ad-
versary. Do all you can to communi-
cate friendship, understanding and
caring.
6) Avoid expressing shock
and disapproval. Saying some-
thing like How can you feel that
way? or But suicide is a sin! will
probably only make the person feel
worse, note authors Bernard Frankel,
Ph.D., and Rachel Kranz in their book
Straight Talk About Teenage Suicide.
No one chooses suicide because they
think its a good idea they choose it
because they feel they have no other
choice. They are already more upset
that they feel this way than you are,
even if they are acting calm and se-
cure.
Rather than expressing shock or
disapproval, permitting teens to ex-
press their feelings is a more construc-
tive approach. Depressed people who
can talk about their feelings openly
and honestly often find the intensity
of their emotions becomes defused by
the simple sharing of feelings.
7) Remind desperate teens
that they have other choices. Too
often, depressed teens conclude they
have only one choice, and that is sui-
cide. If you suspect they are thinking
about suicide, remind them they have
other options.
Teens often benefit from the re-
minder that there are ways to end
their pain without ending their lives.
The reality is that they have many
other choices. They can reach out to
people who can help them through
the crisis. They can call a hotline, a
friend, a teacher, a spiritual leader, a
doctor, a hospital, the police.
8) Help them see and sense
hope. Sadly, suicide is a permanent
solution to a temporary problem. If
a teens are so troubled that they say
theres no hope, try to balance their
negative thinking by stressing the
positive. Yes, I understand you may
feel this way now, but perhaps youll
feel differently later today, or tomor-
row or next week. Maybe youll re-
ceive a phone call that will lift your
spirits or a piece of mail that will help
you see things differently. Perhaps
what youre needing is just a minute,
a week or a month away.
9) Never leave a suicidal teen
alone. Once you have determined
that a teenager is a high risk for sui-
cide, dont leave him or her alone.
Stay with the person or ask someone
else to stay with him or her until the
crisis passes or until help arrives, says
Rabbi Grollman. It may be necessary
to call a hospital emergency room or
an outpatient clinic.
Once that crisis has passed, Rab-
bi Grollman advises entering into
a suicide contract with the teen.
That means asking the person to
THE UPPER
promise that she or he will contact ROOM CRISIS
you prior to attempting suicide in
the future so that the two of you can
HOTLINE
discuss available alternatives. It may A Unique,
sound strange, but it can be very ef- Comprehensive
fective.
Hotline System
10) Get professional help.
A key aspect for breaking suicidal skilled listening
thoughts is to get professional aid for information and referral
a desperate teen. Friends can be help- suicide prevention
ful and supportive, but they often
crisis intervention
lack expertise and experience. Suicidal
teens should be taken for professional
theupperroomcrisishotline.org
help. Good professional adult helpers
include clergy, physicians, psycholo-
gists, psychiatrists and other thera-
pists. TP
Call for help:
1-888-808-8724
REV. PARACHIN writes from Tulsa,
Okla.
June 2014 The Priest 39
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