Navigating the teen years has never been easy. Students struggle with stress, academics, peer pressure, bullying…and teens in military families have to factor in moves every few years as well.  Many teens say stress contributes to depression and isolation, and sometimes, thoughts of suicide.

American Forces Press Service reports this week that Defense Department schools are taking on the tough topic of suicide. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Results announced this month of a suicide prevention project in San Antonio found that nearly 35 percent of more than 200 children from local military families needed to be treated for mental health conditions. That number is 3 1/2 times greater than the percentage of children 4 to 17 nationwide who use mental health services, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Studies have shown that deployments, frequent moves or having a parent injured during combat exacerbates the development of depression and suicidal behavior.

Indicators that a teen may be at risk of suicide:

a change in a student’s behavior
a drop in grades
an increase in absences
physical ailments that seem to defy definition or diagnosis
depression of any kind
lack of interest in things that usually brought happiness

Friends and family also should note if a depressed child suddenly becomes cheerful, which could indicate a decision to commit suicide.  Other resources are available here through Military OneSource.

Keep open communication with your teen. Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult, such as a teacher, guidance counselor, pastor or chaplain. Help them find counseling, if needed. Click here to arrange for confidential counseling or to learn about other resources available through Military OneSource.

Prayer: Lord, our young people face so many challenges today. They feel isolated and depressed, and struggle to make good choices. Shine your light of love and hope on teenagers around the world who are at risk of injuring themselves. Guide them to help and hope for a brighter future. Protect each of these precious children, we pray. Amen.

For more information about military efforts to help teens deal with and prevent teen suicides, click here and here.

Tags: counseling, Families, prevention, stress, student, suicide, teenagers

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm and is filed under Active Duty, Chaplains, Families, Information, National Guard, Parents, Reserves, Spouses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.