Despite how it might feel, bringing up the topic doesn’t push teens toward suicide; it communicates that we care enough to recognize their suffering. Most teens don’t want to end their life, just their emotional pain. Teens need to know that parents have seen their despair and are committed to walking with them through this difficult time.
- It can be hard to know how to respond. Check out Talksuicide.ca for text and phone access to trained crisis responders to walk you through.
- Youth can access 24-hour crisis support anywhere in Canada by texting the word “connect” to 686868. Get them to put this number on their phone.