Teen Suicide, warning signs and how to get help

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide. Let’s show support today on World Mental Health Day by taking “40 seconds of action” to raise awareness and work together to prevent suicide. How to take “40 seconds of actions”.

Be prepared to help …

It is important that as Scouters, Scouts, friends, siblings, parents and care givers we keep our eyes open for possible warning signs – red flags – and once spotted, talk to an adult or professional we trust in order to make sure the teen gets the help they need.

It’s normal for teens to feel sad, angry or moody. Setbacks such as getting cut from a sports team, doing poorly on a test, being grounded by a parent or having problems with a friend or classmate can bring on lots of emotions.

It’s also normal to feel overwhelmed and desperate sometimes and just want to escape from a situation that seems impossible to deal with or to get out of. Other times we can get really angry or be very ashamed and just want to hide. But when the depressed mood stays for weeks or even months and affects a teen’s ability to function normally, it might be depression.

In order to help you Be Prepared we have summarised some information and listed some contacts here: Fact Sheet teen suicide prevention.

Related article: “How Scouting saved my life”

#WHO #ScoutsSouthAfrica #ScoutsSA #WorldMentalHealthDay #MessengersOfPeace #BePrepared