Are You Thinking About Suicide?

We really wish to talk to you because we know you are feeling so much pain. Maybe we can help you in other ways, though, until you feel ready to reach out to TeenSpace.

 

If you’ve reached the point where you think that killing yourself is the only solution, you’ve probably already tried to let someone know what’s happening to you. You might have done something or said something to your parents or a good friend, hoping that they’d pick up on it and realize that you can’t cope with your problems anymore. Maybe you even threatened to kill yourself. Most likely, though, the people you tried to let know what was happening to you didn’t pay any attention. That probably made you feel that no one understands or even cares about you.

 

It isn’t that these people don’t care or love you; they just don’t know what to do to help someone who’s thinking about suicide. They become frightened or embarrassed and pretend they don’t notice or hear. They might feel hurt because they think you’re blaming them or feel angry because they’re being asked to deal with something they just can’t handle. For most people who haven’t been there, wanting to end your life doesn’t make any sense.

 

But if the parent or friend you’ve turned to for help doesn’t know how to help you, your situation is not hopeless. Before you do anything to hurt yourself, please talk to someone who is trained to give you the kind of help you need right now. Talk to a social worker, guidance counselor, or psychologist at your school. Or, talk to a priest or minister. They care, and they can help.

 

If you don’t want to or feel you can’t talk to anyone you personally know, don’t give up. TeenSpace is here for you. The Helpline Counselor whom answers your calls, texts, chats, and emails to help you really care about your problems.

 

We’d like to say something else that might help you. We know that sometimes things can get really rough, especially during the teen years. Parents and other older people may tell you that these are the best years of your life, but you know better. You may be having serious problems with your family and feel that your parents don’t understand you or even love you. They may be making impossible demands on you to do better in school or pressuring you to do this or that, which makes you feel that they don’t accept you for who you are. Maybe you’ve lost someone without whom life doesn’t seem worth living. You may be feeling terribly lonely, or feeling worthless as a human being, for whatever reason.

 

We can only guess what’s happening to you, but we know that you are probably frightened, confused, and feeling hopeless. Right now, death might seem like the only answer because it doesn’t look like things will ever get better. But don’t give up without trying at least one more time to get someone to understand what’s happening to you.

 

Since most people do not know what to do to help someone who’s thinking about suicide, make sure the person you pick is a trained professional to give you the help you need. We suggested that you see a psychologist, social worker or school counselor, teacher, minister or priest to who you would feel comfortable talking to.

 

We realize you’re feeling really down now. Please reach out for help until you find it. We really care about you. Thank you.