Get Help!
For Immediate Crisis, Call and/or Text:
Ask 4 Help!®
Suicide Survivor Support Groups
Coping Strategies for Teens
- Needing help is not failing…it is simply being human. It’s OK to Ask for Help!
- Spend time with family and friends.
- Get involved with after-school activities.
- Volunteer – you have a lot to offer.
- Think and plan your future. Set realistic goals.
- Try to be open with your feelings. Write your feelings and thoughts in your journal or diary.
- Read books & subjects that uplift you.
- Laugh ~ keep your sense of humor!
- Consider the importance of spirituality in your life.
- Accept other’s thanks, compliments toward you, and praise for you.
- Eat right! – – – Chocolate is good! Exercise regularly.
- Do not tolerate physical, emotional, or sexual abuse from anyone. Get help immediately! Seek help if you feel overwhelmed or troubled.
- Visit:
How to respond to a cry for help
- Breathe!
- Be honest, caring and show respect.
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
- Don’t try to solve their problem.
- Tell them:
“I am glad you called/came/talked to me”
“I do care. “What’s happening?”
“How can I help”?
“Let’s find someone who can help you get through this”. - Be A Link®! And get help- don’t try to do this by yourself…don’t risk lives.
- Remember, you can call the crisis line to help you help another.
How to talk to your own teen:
Talk to your kids to establish that they can talk to you, and to establish a baseline of their knowledge and understanding
- You already teach them life skills
- They are accustomed to learning from you
- Talking about suicide won’t plant the idea
- If you don’t talk to them and teach them, who will?
Show them the Ask4Help!® Card
Tell what you’re learning today (from this review)
Ask them:
- “Do you know about the YR program?”
- “Do you know anyone who has talked of suicide?”
- “You can come talk to me about suicide”
- “Do you know anyone who has attempted suicide?”
- “Have you ever thought of attempting suicide?”
- “What can I do to help?” “We are in this together!”
How to Respond if their answer is yes I need help
- Breathe! Catch your breath!
- Be genuine, caring, and show respect.
- Don’t lie or make promises you can’t keep.Tell them:
- “I am glad you called/came/talked to me”
- “I do care. Tell me what’s happening in your life”.
- “How can I help”?
- “Let’s find someone who can help you get through this”.
Tips for preparing to have the conversation with your teen/youth
- Identify your resources
- Identify a buddy you can call
- Remember to say the “S” word
- Choose an appropriate time to talk with them
Often, what appears to be a singular, external pressure or occurrence is merely “the last straw” when added to ongoing stressors, depression and/or hopelessness. Suicide is the result of a long-term “wearing-away”, an erosion of a person’s ability to cope. The more warning signs shown and risk factors present, the higher the risk.
Warning Signs
- Acting differently than they normally do
- Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself
- Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or buying a gun
- Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
- Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
- Talking about being a burden to others
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
- Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Withdrawing or feeling isolated
- Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
- Displaying extreme mood swings
- Giving away possessions
Risk Factors
- Previous Suicide Attempt
- Problems with school or the law
- Breakup of a romance
- Unexpected pregnancy
- A stressful family life. (having parents who are depressed or are substance abusers, or a family history of suicide)
- Loss of security…fear of authority, peers, group or gang members
- Stress due to new situations; college or relocating to a new community
- Failing in school or failing to pass an important test
- A serious illness or injury to oneself
- Seriously injuring another person or causing another person’s death (example: automobile accident)
- Major loss…of a loved one, a home, divorce in the family, a trauma, a relationship
Suicide victims are not trying to end their life – they are trying to end the pain!
Ask 4 Help! cards
The Ask 4 Help! cards are at the heart of the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program. These cards are a ‘voice’ for youth when they can’t find the words to say “I need help”.
Teens who have attempted suicide tell that they were so overwhelmed at the time of their crisis that they did not know what to say to ask for help! The cards are their ‘voice’ to say “I need help”. They help Start the Conversation!
The Ask 4 Help! program is two-fold:
- Get cards to youth for them to be able to use to ask for help for themselves or friends, and
- Inform adults what they are and how to respond. It is important to respond appropriately and immediately – it can help save a life! Learn how to start the program in your area so youth will be able to obtain cards locally.
NOTE: The 800 Crisis and Text #s are not a Yellow Ribbon organization. To reach the Yellow Ribbon office please call: (303) 429-3530.
If someone hands you a Yellow Ribbon card or asks for help:
Stay with the person unless there is risk of harm to yourself. Studies show that most people will not harm themselves if they are with someone. You don’t need to say much and there are no magic words. If you are concerned, your voice and manner will show it. Show patience and caring. Avoid arguments and advice giving. Be supportive.
What might seem trivial to you can be overwhelming and consuming to the person in pain. If the person is saying: : “I can’t go on”, ask: “Are you having thoughts of suicide?” You are not putting ideas into their head; you are showing that you take it seriously, and that it is OK to share their pain with you. Ask, “How can I help?”, then Listen for them to answer. Ask, “Is there someone you’d like to talk with?”, then Listen for an answer. Don’t be afraid of the silence. It might take a bit for them to be able to form an answer for you. Reassure them that you will be here for them, or will go with them, if they want.
The person receiving the card or cry for help, does not have to be a counselor. We just ask that you ‘Be a link’, be a lifeline…call for help. Call their parents, a counselor, minister, someone they ask for
Youth – call your parents, their parents, another trusted adult – 911!
Adults – call their parents, other help or 911.
Studies show that the crisis peaks just prior to a suicide attempt and is often a temporary crisis. The danger level decreases as much as 90% with contact with, and by talking to, people. Suicide is often an impulsive act for teens.
