22: What Can Parents Do About Teen Suicide Prevention

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kerry Stutzman is a Family Therapist and Parenting Instructor passionate about teen suicide prevention. The numbers in teen suicides are rising and it’s frightening to feel so helpless as a parent! What can parents do to better support their teen’s mental health journey? Kerry has some tips on how to reduce internal teen conflict within your household and be supportive of your teen’s development. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Key Takeaways</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Kerry was heartbroken when she looked at teen suicide rates. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">When there’s intense parental conflict, the risk of suicide increases. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Kerry understands parents don’t want to have intense conflict with their teens. They often are just scared.  </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Teen suicide went up 58% from 2017 to 2019 in Colorado, where Kerry is from. In the US as a whole, it went up 25% over the last three years. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Youth suicide has a big ripple effect. It’s not only devastating families, but it’s impacting their friends and communities as well. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What can parents do about this? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What do teens wish their parents knew at this time? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Teens want to be heard, but parents are so focused on talking more than listening. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The trick about talking less and listen