Suicide: A Resource List

Teenagers are passionate and emotional.  For most teens, intense feelings- of either joy or pain- usually pass quickly.  While many teens have these emotional ups and downs, for some, the downs can be fatal.  Sadly, every year in the United States, thousands of teenagers are unable to deal with these feelings and commit suicide.
 
Our goal with this resource list is to teach the warning signs of possible suicide, and get help for teens who need it.  This is a difficult but necessary talk you must have with your children- and please remind them that peers are often the first to notice worrying symptoms in their friends, and they SHOULD NOT STAY SILENT.
 
Please enter this number in every teen’s phone contacts:  the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255).  It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the US.
 
Academy of Pediatrics- http://www.heardalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Depression-Help-Stop-Teen-Suicide.pdf
 
Parent advice from a psychiatrist/parent in Palo Alto- http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2015/03/16/guest-opinion-keep-calm-and-parent-on#.VQhk8qEp5x8.facebook
 
Suicide Prevention-
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml
http://www.sfsuicide.org/prevention-strategies/
http://www.sprc.org/featured_resources/customized/school_mentalhealth.asp#role
Bring Change 2 Mind (a non-profit working to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness) http://bringchange2mind.org
Project Safety Net (a collaborative community network providing a “safety net” for youth in Palo Alto, with various interventional strategies and resources) http://www.psnpaloalto.com
The Trevor Project (resources about suicide prevention in the LGBTQ populations) http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/suicide-prevention-resources
 
Grief resources for Teens-
http://www.dougy.org
http://www.crisissupport.org/resources/suicide-loss-survivors/
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/someone_died.html
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/coping-loss-bereavement-and-grief
 
Supporting our Teens-
Challenge for Success: “At Challenge Success, we believe that our society has become too focused on grades, test scores, and performance, leaving little time for kids to develop the necessary skiills to become resilient, ethical, and motivated learners.  We provide families and schools with the practical, research-based tools they need to create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for kids…success is measured over the course of a lifetime, not at the end of a semester.”
 http://www.challengesuccess.org
 
Recommended Book:  How to Raise an Adult- Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Child for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Adult-Overparenting-Prepare/dp/1627791779
 
 
TED talks on “How to Raise an Adult”:
Be Your Authentic Self- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Y5DjSZUDE
Throw Out the Checklisted Childhood-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UPUmlyY5M