Contents

Resources

Parent Education

There is very little research on parents’ knowledge about suicide, despite the fact that parents are well positioned to observe significant changes in their child’s behaviour. Signs of depression or suicidal ideation — in contrast to some of the more highly visible mental health problems of adolescence, like substance abuse or disruptive disorders — can frequently go undetected by parents. By ensuring that parents are knowledgeable about the risk factors and warning signs of depression and suicide in children and adolescents we increase the likelihood that symptoms of distress among their own sons and daughters as well as the friends of their children will be more easily recognized, thus extending the overall network of adult vigilance, care, and support to benefit even more potentially vulnerable youth.

Implementation Ideas and Tools

There are a number of useful web sites on the topic of youth suicide prevention that are specifically aimed at parents, including:

For a list of additional resources relevant to improving detection and promoting awareness, click here.