1. Presented by Beth Swanson English 108

2. Statistics

3. A suicide occurs every 40 seconds

4. An Iowa Case Southest Polk Senior High loses 3 in 6 months Spring 2008 – Kyle Johnson Summer 2008 – Austin Drabek Early Fall 2008 – Ryan Webb

5. Causes Most common cause of a teen taking their life is DEPRESSION Other contributing factors:  Feelings of hopelessness  Anxiety  Feeling trapped in a life they can not handle  Divorce of parents  Violence in their life  Death or suicide of a friend or family member (rebound effect)  Alcohol and or Substance abuse  Rejection  Feeling unsuccessful  Peer pressure  Financial troubles  Feeling Worthless Although the causes are similar, every teen’s reasoning is different

6. Warning Signs  Depression  Dramatic change in personality  Changes in sleeping or eating habits  Expressing that nobody cares  Talking about suicide  Having issues with friends or family  Substance or Alcohol abuse  Complaining regularly of being sick  Writing about suicide  Making plans of suicide  Interacting with people that glamorize suicide  Begin giving away sentimental possessions  Have made previous attempts of suicide NEVER IGNORE THE WARNING SIGN(S)

7. Effects  Questions left of “why” for family and friends to figure out  Leaves a “hole” in the family  Blame felt by family or friends  Suicide rebounds (others commit suicide due to a recent suicide or death of a loved one)

8. Prevention  Talk to your teen about suicide. DO NOT KEEP IT A SECRET  Never judge your teen if they are thinking of taking their life. Let them know you are there to help  Listen to your teen. Do not start to solve their problem(s) for them  Do not show anger towards your teen if they come to you to talk about the problems they are having  Keep lethal weapons out of their reach (ropes, guns, pills, knives, etc)  Seek professional help for your teen if needed  Residential Facilities that specialize in teen suicide