Are you or someone you know:
* Under a lot of stress?
* Being bullied?
* Grappling with your sexual/gender identity?
* Feeling anxious/depressed?
* Struggling academically?
* Thinking about suicide?
The number of teens who take their lives continues to grow. What can you do to help break the cycle of teen suicide? Plenty. Recognize the warning signs. Don't wait until you or a friend is in crisis. Get ahead of the curve. Set up a network of peers and trusted adults that can listen and, if needed, connect to medical health professionals.
Dead Serious: Breaking the Cycle of Teen Suicide explores stories, strategies, and solutions. Suicide IS preventable.
My search for answers about why my brother and other young adults and teens take their own lives continues. This time around, I investigate new issues like bullying, social media, LGBTQ teens, and successful suicide prevention programs. While we can never say for certain why someone opts to die, we can help break the cycle of teen suicide. There is plenty we can do.
Why are more American teens than ever suffering from anxiety? Natalie's answer is to the point: Kids live their lives "for the future instead of actually just living."
Sadly, Natalie is spot on. Depression is on the rise, particularly among teen girls. Today, extreme anxiety is recognized as a disorder. Sometimes they go hand in hand, sometimes not.
The good news: with early intervention, anxiety disorder can be treated.
The sad news: 80 percent of young people with a diagnosable anxiety disorder do NOT get treatment.
There is work to be done!
Book Excerpt
Dead Serious: Second Edition
“If high school is about educating students for a future life, then why is it causing such anxiety that there is an increasing number of hospital admissions for teenage suicide attempts? Why do we have to think about our adult life every day as a teenager? I’m a junior in high school, and sometimes I forget that I’m supposed to have a life as a teenager. I can’t sleep at night; all I do is stay up thinking and planning. Why are more American teenagers than ever suffering from severe anxiety? It’s because we get it into our heads that school is what’s going to make things better; we live for the future instead of actually just living.” — Natalie Jew, 16
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