{"id":5243,"date":"2014-04-08T07:58:23","date_gmt":"2014-04-08T12:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=5243"},"modified":"2014-04-04T13:33:19","modified_gmt":"2014-04-04T18:33:19","slug":"april-13-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-13-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"April 13, 2014–Hope for Youth Without Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributed by Jocelyn\u00a0 Breeland, Farifax, VA<\/p>\n

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Warm-up Question<\/h3>\n

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What are you looking forward to doing or being in your life?<\/p>\n

Hope For Youth Without Hope<\/h3>\n

At W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA, six students have committed suicide in the last three years. Students there, along with school officials, parents and others from the community, have gathered together in recent weeks to grieve, to raise awareness, and to learn about resources to prevent suicides.<\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_126648629edit\"<\/a>The numbers at Woodson are unusual, but the CDC reports that suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 24. It results in roughly 4,600 deaths per year; approximately 157,000 in this age bracket receive medical care each year for self-inflicted injuries.<\/p>\n

Why do teenagers, who seemingly have everything to live for, take their own lives? According to the healthychildren.org website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, at least 90% of teens who kill themselves have some type of mental health problem or are dealing with some type of substance. They may also have problems at school, with friends, with family or a combination. Some may have been victims of abuse. Others are struggling with issues related to sexual identity.<\/p>\n

Efforts to address the problem of teen suicide include programs to make school officials, parents and teenagers aware of the warning signs and resources for suicide prevention; increasing access to mental health resources and removing the stigma associated with asking for help, and programs to end bullying and other actions that make teenagers feel hurt and isolated. There is no one solution.<\/p>\n

One novel approach that has shown results is being offered by ReachOut.com, which connects teens and young adults with each other and with trained professionals via social media to discuss the stressful issues in their lives, increase understanding of mental health issues, and develop resilience and coping skills. For young people who feel alone, as if no one understands or cares about their problems, ReachOut.com can be the antidote.<\/p>\n

Other projects, like It Gets Better, which targets LGBT young people, have inspired people across the country with their messages of hope and community.<\/p>\n

Resources:<\/p>\n

www.ReachOut.com<\/a><\/p>\n

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)<\/p>\n

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Learn the warning signs for suicide prevention at www.suicidology.org<\/p>\n

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Discussion Questions<\/h3>\n