Teen suicide is a grave matter. One of the major ways you may prevent teen suicide is by quickly taking action once you have a clue that your teenager is dealing with depression.

Those teenagers who have gone through depression and have healed may tell you that thoughts of suicide came to them in steps. Many of these teens have described feelings of sadness, which grew into deeper feelings of despair, which finally enveloped them in depression with isolation. Some teens even describe varying stages of depression wherein suicidal tendencies are included in the later stages.

As a parent, you do not want your teen’s depression to reach these later stages where suicide can easily be seen as a “way out” from your teen’s intense negative emotions. As soon as you notice your child’s negativity or he or she is diagnosed with depression, start to act. Don’t let him or her isolate him/herself or keep to being lonely. Get him or her active in extracurricular activities. It is important to try to keep your teen’s social relationships alive and thriving. Remind him or her that he or she has friends that want to spend time with him or her.

 

Having your teenager talk to someone like a psychotherapist can be truly beneficial for him or her. The therapist can try his or her best to blot out any ideas of suicide that your teen may be having. Of course, make sure your teen knows that you love him or her. You may be thinking, Of course my kid knows I love him/her! But you may be surprised by how many teenagers when asked in a survey weren’t sure if their parents cared for them! There’s no harm in telling your teen that you care, and that you’re here for them if they need a shoulder to lean on. It may sound cliché, but it’s a simple truth that can blot out the suicidal tendency in any teen. Tell your teen you care.