Hurtful Emotions: Understanding Self-Harm
People deal with difficult feelings in all sorts of ways. They may talk with friends, go work out, or listen to music. But some people may feel an urge to hurt themselves when distressed. Read more ›
Suicide Awareness & Prevention
Safe Spaces for Teens Aren’t Controversial, They’re Critical. Here’s Why.
When the researchers Carl Hanson and Quinn Snell set out to identify the top 10 factors that predicted suicidal thoughts and behavior in 179,000 Utah high school students, they had no preconceived notions. Instead, they fed years worth of survey responses from those teens, who’d answered questions about things like school involvement, family life, and mental health, into 100 different machine learning models, eager to let the data lead them to a conclusion. Read more ›
Colleges Are Turning to Science to Limit Suicide Contagion and Help Heal Campuses
Just as there’s research on how to prevent mental health crises and interventions for people who are actively suicidal, research is also developing around the effective steps that can be taken after a suicide to help communities grieve, restore a sense of stability and limit the risk of more deaths. Read more ›
California Joins Other States With Laws Limiting Wait Times for Mental Health Issues
Many Americans with mental illness report waiting weeks for care, even for serious depression or suicidality. California has a new law for insurers, limiting those wait times to two weeks or less. Read more ›
Pediatricians Say the Mental Health Crisis Among Kids Has Become a National Emergency
A coalition of the nation’s leading experts in pediatric health has issued an urgent warning declaring the mental health crisis among children so dire that it has become a national emergency. Read more ›
Worried About Your Teen on Social Media? Here’s How to Help
The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that researchers at Instagram had studied for years how its photo-sharing app affects young users and found that it can be particularly harmful to teenage girls, news that alarmed parents and lawmakers. Read more ›
Teen Suicide: What Parents Need to Know
Parents of Suicidal Teens Say They Feel Alone. Here Are Resources to Help.
When I wrote about my son’s depression and suicidal ideation, I was afraid to read the comments. I expected the Internet to tell me what I still feared deep down: it was all my fault.
What I received instead was a flurry of messages from mothers all around the country. These women didn’t contact me to criticize or accuse me, and none of them wanted to tell me what I could’ve done better for my son. Every woman who reached out to me did so with a single unifying message: “I felt like I was the only one.” Read more ›
How to Talk to Children and Teens About Suicide: A Guide for Parents
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for adolescents. The social and academic stresses of these years, combined with the availability of alcohol and drugs and the effect of social media, leave many parents concerned about the mental well-being of their children. Read more ›
My Life is Worth Living: Animated Series Tells Stories of Teenagers Struggling With Thoughts of Suicide [video]
My Life is Worth Living™ is the first animated series that models the human connection shown to be protective against suicide. The series tells stories of characters who face some of the most difficult issues that young people deal with and shows their evolution in the key decision: that life is worth living. Read more ›
