What parents should know about teen suicide

Watch Video: What parents should know about teen suicide by Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT , ...
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What parents should know about teen suicide

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Teen suicide; it's a big problem, obviously. The rates haven't significantly increased or decreased over the last several decades. It's still a big problem. Historically, you would find kids withdraw. There would be some signs or symptoms of depression. Maybe their would be some big failure, a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Those are some predictable things that parents would have to watch for. In addition to those types of things, there are kids now that you wouldn't expect to attempt a suicide for a variety of different reasons. I don't know that the research is really clearly articulating why that is except that sometimes kids' impulsivity, the idea, access to the internet and stories of incidents that have happened out there. Kids read that and have access to it, more than they have ever had in any other generation. Many professionals thing that's one of the main reason so many kids who weren't typically suicidal, might actually attempt either unsuccessfully, or sadly, successfully commit suicide. But there's hope. Parents have to be involved in kids' lives. It's the number one factor. If parents know, even if they can't reach their kids, they are withdrawing and not communicating, you know there is a problem and something has to be done about that. Don't just leave it alone. Parental involvement is still the number one preventer of teen suicide.

Watch Video: What parents should know about teen suicide by Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT , ...

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Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT

Clinical Director of CRC

Dr. Rick Meeves has spent the last 16 years working with adolescents and their families. He currently serves as the Director of Adolescent Clinical Services for CRC Health Group, the nation’s largest provider of addiction treatment and related behavioral health services.  Rick has helped families deal with the rapidly expanding access to video and electronic media. As a practitioner he has seen teens lock themselves in their rooms, playing video games for days on end. He has also seen teens who became addicted to online gambling. Rick has seen parents who have accepted this behavior as some acceptable alternative to staying out all night or using drugs or alcohol. He has helped families re-establish healthy patterns and use of electronic gaming and has established healthy patterns with his own boys.

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