

- A majority of teens view their cell phone as the key to their social life.
- Second only to clothing, teens say, a person’s cell phone tells the most about their social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Losing interest in social and extracurricular activities
- Lack of energy
- Feeling tired most of the time
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Anger
- Feelings of sadness for much of the time
- Significant weight fluctuations
- Sleep pattern changes
- Physical pains and aches, or sickness, even though there is nothing physically wrong
- Indifference about the future
- Afraid of being a burden
- Uncharacteristic pessimism
- Guilty feelings
- Lowering self-esteem
- Suicidal thoughts
- Divorce of parents
- Violence in the home
- Inability to find success at school
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Rejection by friends or peers
- Substance abuse
- Death of someone close to the teenager
- The suicide of a friend or someone he or she “knows” online
- Disappointment
- Talks about death and/or suicide (maybe even with a joking manner)
- Plans ways to kill him or herself
- Expresses worries that nobody cares about him or her
- Has attempted suicide in the past
- Dramatic changes in personality and behavior
- Withdraws from interacting with friends and family
- Shows signs of depression
- Shows signs of a substance abuse problem
- Begins to act recklessly and engage in risk-taking behaviors
- Begins to give away sentimental possessions
- Spends time online interacting with people who glamorize suicide and maybe even form suicide pacts
- Counseling – This can be done individually or as a family. Techniques allow your teenager to learn to cope with life. Often, when a teen learns how to handle problems (and families learn how to help), the desire to kill him or herself dissipates.
- Residential treatment – This is treatment in which a suicidal teen goes elsewhere to live for a time. This can be a special treatment facility, or it can be a therapeutic boarding school. In these settings, the teenager is monitored 24/7 in order to prevent a suicide attempt. Additionally, most residential treatment facilities have trained professional staff that can help a suicidal teen.
- Medication – This is often seen as a last resort, or as something complementary to other treatments. It is important to note that in some teenagers, medication can have the opposite effect desired; some studies show that for some teens anti-depressants actually increase the chance of teen suicide. Carefully consider your teen’s needs before medicating.