Parent Resources

Suicide Prevention (Parents)

Suicide Resources for parents of Adolescents

Facts about Suicide in Adolescents 

Suicide is complicated and involves the interplay of multiple risk factors. It is not simply the result of stress or difficult life circumstances. Many people who die by suicide have a mental health condition. In teens, the behavioral health conditions most closely linked to suicide risk are major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, eating disorders, and substance abuse problems. Although in some cases these conditions may be precipitated by environmental stressors, they can also occur as a result of changes in brain chemistry, even in the absence of an identifiable or obvious “trigger.” 

Other key risk factors for suicide include the following: 

SEIZE THE AWKWARD

This is a great resource to better guide parents, community members and students to have hard conversations about mental health. 

"You don’t need to be an expert to recognize when someone needs outside help – if you can tell a friend isn’t doing well, they might need a greater network of support." (read more...)

Stanford psychology expert: This is the No. 1 skill parents need to teach their kids—but most don’t

As parents, we all want to raise kids who are smart and focused, especially in a world where digital distraction seems to be inescapable. (Even tech titans like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have strategies for limiting their children’s screen time.)

Why? Because in the future, there will be two kinds of people in the world: Those who let their attention and lives be controlled and coerced by others and those who proudly call themselves “indistractable.”

Becoming indistractable is the most important skill for the 21st century — and it’s one that many parents fail to teach their kids. After years of studying the intersection of psychology, technology and how we engage with it, one of the biggest mistakes I see parents making is not empowering their kids with the autonomy to control their own time. (Read more...)