Communication is the one thing that will allow you to sufficiently relate to your teen.

By communicating openly and often, you are giving your teen one of the most important gifts you can - a shoulder to lean on. You help them work through their problems and stresses in an appropriate way. Suicide is only a threat to their well-being when they believe that it is the best or only option available to cope with difficulties they have encountered in their life.

Depression is a huge problem for today's youth. Teenagers are often lacking adequate experience to combat social and personal problems, which are frequent and difficult. Friends turn out to enemies, scholastic expectations exceed capabilities, and extra-curricular schedules lead to overload. When you throw a girlfriend or boyfriend into this mix, you end up with a scary hormonal cocktail that can lead to extreme emotions.

Depression usually has its onset in the teenage years. Your teen may be struggling with his or her intense emotions, but not sure how to cope. He or she will be unaware that these emotions are chemically and hormonally based - to a teenager emotion is life. Teenagers are turbulent, spontaneous creatures. This lack of impulse control is one of the major factors that lead to teenage suicide. In a strange way, they see suicide as a way out of their current emotional state - not as a permanent ending to a life full of potential. The suicidal teenager may not actually want to die; only to stop the emotional pain he or she is experiencing.

So how would the average parent go about suicide proofing their teen?

The truth is, there is no one hundred percent positive proof method of doing so, short of tying them down in a padded room until they turn eighteen. However, there are steps that you can take to help the situation.

It is important for your teen to understand that there is another way out of the way that they are feeling. Be open with them about strong emotions, and discuss how they are feeling whenever you can get them to talk. Open lines of communication with your teen, informing them of options available at their disposal to deal with whatever problems they face, internal or external. At this point in a child's life, your role as a parent is transitioning, and you are entering a stage where you have to discipline them less, and advise them more.

Be sure your teenager understands that they don't have to talk to you, as long as they are talking to someone. If your teen admits to being depressed, find a child and adolescent therapist and get your teen in for an appointment. These professionals are a neutral solution. You can rest assured that your teenager is discussing her emotional state, while he or she can confide in someone that is not a parental figure. This allows your teen to discuss issues such as romance, sexual identity, and personal growth, without fearing your reaction or disapproval. If necessary, the therapist can also refer your teenager to a doctor for evaluation for medication.

Be as open and accepting of your teen's lifestyle choices as possible. Don't allow them to do anything obviously dangerous, but give them choices within reason - hairstyles, activities, and friends.  Keep in mind that the more that you try to dictate what goes on in their life, the more they will attempt to defy you, and the more likely they will feel alienated and alone at home as well as at school or whatever other social endeavor they are attempting. Your fear of risky behaviour, if handled improperly, can lead to your teen acting out the very situations you fear.

The most important attitude when attempting to suicide proof your teen is one of patience. Teenagers live in a world much different than ours, and even more different from the world in which we were the same age as they. A loving, open, and understanding home will impart unto any young adult the tools and skills necessary to deal with any negative experience. Barring these methods, however, it sometimes becomes necessary to seek outside medical assistance. If you must do so, allow your teen as many choices as possible in the process. By allowing them to help make decisions about their care, you are giving them skills that they can use for a lifetime.

Article by Rachel Goodchild

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