Signs that signal imminent teen suicide

Estimates are that each year 5,000 teenagers commit suicide.

Adolescents may feel that the pain in their lives is too great and that there is no way out. Their disturbed perception of the world and impaired judgment leads them to believe that suicide is the answer to their problems.

Contrary to popular myths, people who are contemplating suicide, including adolescents, communicate their intent in some way.

This communication may not always be verbal but often the adolescent does want to talk to someone. This communication may be troubled and prolonged silence, or it may be displayed in the themes of the teen’s drawing or writing.

Often suicidal adolescents feel no one understands them, that no one cares. This leaves them with the belief that there is no hope for them.

Here are some common signals that adolescents will often display prior to a suicide attempt:

• Use of alcohol or other drugs.
• Withdrawal from friends and family.
• Sudden extreme changes in eating habits and weight gain or loss.
• Obsessive thoughts and preoccupation with themes of death or actual expressions of suicidal thoughts.
• Giving away prized possessions and even making a will.
• Disrupted patterns of sleep.
• Lowered grades, truancy, dropping out of activities.
• Lack of concern about appearance and health.
• Outbursts of anger and prolonged hostility.
• Recent suicide of a friend or relative.
• Self-destructive and dangerous acts or previous suicide attempts.

Parents often sense and detect fear or extreme sadness in their suicidal, adolescent children. Other parents state that prior to a suicide attempt, their child “sent out vibrations of ‘Help me.’”

Friends or relatives may be in the position to detect the teenager in a pre-suicide posture. Teachers, youth activity directors at church, neighbors or siblings are often the first to detect severe depression in the adolescent.

Aggressive intervention including in-patient assessment or treatment are often necessary in a suicidal adolescent.

As in less severe depression, consultation with the adolescent’s physician or mental health professional should not be neglected.

Recognition and early intervention are a necessity in this potentially tragic time in an adolescent’s life.

Copyright c 1995 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.