Making mental health treatment and suicide prevention a priority across systems of care and across individual, relational, community and political interventions is fundamental to improving the health of our society.

When someone is struggling with suicidal ideation or behaviors such as self-injury the first goal is to get help. It’s important to note that suicidal thoughts can be normal. Many people feel so overwhelmed sometimes that they don’t want to be alive.

Being concerned about your teen’s mental health can be a terrifying and lonely experience for any parent.  It’s often hard to distinguish normal teenage behavior from something more concerning, and to know when you just need to be supportive and patient, versus when you need to get outside help. 

Parents often are not familiar with this level of care, so it’s important to communicate that getting intensive, coordinated, interdisciplinary support early can often prevent crisis visits to the ED or avoidable inpatient stays

Tom Petty’s famous song American Girl has become a staple American rock song. Urban legend says this song was inspired by a girl who attempted suicide. Recently, the song’s lyrics have rung true for too many American girls.

It is hard to find, is strong evidence for the protective factors against suicide.  What are the traits, the mindset, and the patterns of action, for youth who may struggle with anxiety or even depression, but do not consider suicide at all?