AskDrO Wants To Know, “Is Your Child At Risk For Suicide?”

Statistics:

  • Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in children ages 15-24
  • It is the leading cause of death for gay and lesbian youths (1,500/year)
  • Children as young as five years old have completed suicide
  • Guns, Suffocation and poisoning are the major methods
  • From 15-19, four times as many boys kill themselves than girls
  • From 20-24, six times as many boys kill themselves than girls
  • Mood disorders predispose children to suicide
  • Alcohol and Substance abuse predispose children to suicude

Risk factors:

  • suicide notes
  • being male
  • Substance abuse
  • previous attempts (high)
  • failing in school
  • problems concentrating
  • loss of a parent
  • loss of a boyfriend/girlfriend
  • bullying (high)
  • Poor communcation with parents
  • Over-Identification with stars who complete suicide

This is a very serious problem in our community. I was asked to write this article by a parent whose child attempted suicide this morning. Yes, she is active in the church and they even attended services yesterday, but somehow they missed all the signs. If your child is acting strange, giving away things and or pulling back from the family, explore with them their feelings. If you are still uncomfortable, seek help via a licensed mental health professional immediately. if you can not get a same day appointment, please go to the nearest emergency room for help.

Your child may be feeling signs of depression and or loneliness. If you are unsure about how they are feeling, get HELP! Feel free to share with AskDrO.Com any experiences that you may have had with this or any mental health problem.  We will NOT provide any clinical treatment via this site, but sometimes anonymous testimonials of successful medical  treatments are helpful to some who may be on the fence about seeking mental health services.  Also, if you personally are feeling these symptoms or sadness,  just take the Dr. Owens Mental Health Prescreen Assessment and check your own mental status. We are here for you!

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