KNOX SUBSTANCE ABUSE ACTION TEAM - Blog Updates

Back to School: Mental Health Tips and Resources to Help Youth Thrive in – and out of – the Classroom

8/22/2024

As the dog days of summer draw to a sweltering close, many families across the nation are gathering books, binders, and other school supplies in preparation for a return to the classroom. And while the back-to-school season can be an exciting time, it can also be stressful – and even scary – for some young people. That is why it is critical to include mental health and wellness tools and resources on the back-to-school checklist to help prepare your children for the stressors and challenges they may face in the school year ahead. SAMHSA is here to help. READ MORE>>>

Know! Tip Special Edition: Excessive Social Media Use

2/3/2024

In the present day, teenagers find themselves consumed by social media. I got social media early on in middle school and for me, it began as aimless scrolling through the different platforms. Scrolling turned into a compulsive habit and the constant notifications that took over my phone influenced me to continue spending my time on social media. Real-world interactions took the backseat, replaced by virtual validation. My screen time was equal to the number of hours I was awake during the day. The need to use social media abruptly took over my life, and it was hard to focus on simple tasks throughout the day. This is a common experience for many teenagers who use social media.

Research on social media platforms demonstrates that “the platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments,” (mcleanhospital.org.) Using social media releases dopamine in teens’ brains, creating a pleasure loop that can lead to excessive and harmful use. Effects of habitual social media use include:

Lack of attention span
Sleep disturbances
Increased stress levels
Eyesight impairment
Decreased social skills
Neck and back pain
Mental health issues, including depression and anxiety

When children are exposed to social media at a young age, it increases the likelihood of excessive use as teens. Striking the balance between online and offline engagement is a crucial issue for young people using social media. When adolescents are growing and finding themselves, social media can have a major impact on the creation of their identities. Therefore, when consenting to social media, consider the effects that excessive social media use can have.

Written by Bridgett Bajorek, current Senior at Olentangy High School, working with a group project focusing on the issues associated with social media and teens, and educating parents on Ohio House Bill 33.

27 Minutes is an educational campaign created by Bridgett Bajorek, Samantha Happel, and Audrey Williams, three students at Olentangy High School in Central Ohio. The campaign focuses on educating parents and guardians about the dangers and issues of social media. In the coming weeks, Special Edition Know! Tips will be released on topics related to sextortion, depression, anxiety and self-esteem, personal safety, excessive social media use, and Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act. These tips will be written by teens, for caring adults everywhere.

Know! Tip Special Edition: Youth Depression and Anxiety

12/27/2023

27 Minutes is an educational campaign created by Bridgett Bajorek, Samantha Happel, and Audrey Williams, three students at Olentangy High School in Central Ohio. The campaign focuses on educating parents and guardians about the dangers and issues of social media. In the coming weeks, Special Edition Know! Tips will be released on topics related to sextortion, depression, anxiety and self-esteem, personal safety, addiction to social media, and Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act. These tips will be written by teens, for caring adults everywhere.

Imagine you're staring at your illuminating phone screen and hesitate before sharing a post. The pressure to have the perfect post weighs on you as you scroll through all of the flawlessly filtered lives. Your post goes through, and with each like comes validation, but the seconds of silence cause unease. Your self-worth is based on the digital applause from your post, and the comparison to others makes you incredibly anxious. The fear of missing out and the need for affirmation transformed the joyous act of posting into an anxiety-inducing activity. Friendships are decided by whether they comment or not, and happiness is measured in pixels. The pressure to look as though you have a perfect life dictates your happiness, and you fall into an anxiety and depressive episode.

This is how adolescents live. Their lives are dependent on their like count or other people's post. People only want to portray themselves as a perfect image and don’t share the negative aspects of their lives on the internet. This can affect people in many ways. “In 2021, an estimated 3.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode with severe impairment in the past year” (National Institute of Mental Health). Depression and anxiety are two of the most common side effects of having social media and spending a plentiful amount of time on it.

When spending time on social media, I have seen different aspects that can decide my mood and how I feel. The following instances are examples of potential causes of that:

The pressure of what to post, in fear of getting made fun of.
How many likes and comments your post gets in comparison to my friends.
Noticing your friends are hanging out without you and questioning if they like you or want to be friends with you.
When you aren’t allowed to hang out with your friends and become anxious that you're being left out.

Social media is a material to receive validation and could leave positive or negative impacts on mental health. As children under the age of 16 are on social media, they are not excluded from getting depression and anxiety; it is a real issue in today’s society. When parents/guardians are considering allowing their children to get social media, they need to take into consideration what stems from it.

Written by Bridgett Bajorek, current Senior at Olentangy High School, working with a group project focusing on the issues associated with social media and teens, and educating parents on Ohio House Bill 33

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Line's #BeThe1To campaign offers 5 evidence-based action steps for communicating about suicide.

2/7/2023

Step 1: Ask questions like “How are you feeling?”, “Are you thinking about suicide?”, and “How can I help?” Engaging in non-judgmental, supportive, and direct communication opens the door for an honest dialogue about their emotions. Be sure to listen calmly and take them seriously. Let them know that you understand and appreciate their courage in sharing something so difficult with you. Pay attention to the reasons that they are in pain as well as their own reasons for living. Remember that the language you use matters. Stigma surrounding suicidal thoughts can prevent young people from seeking support. Avoid asking leading or shaming questions, like “You’re not thinking of suicide, are you?” Instead, reassure them that there are no taboo thoughts and that you are a safe person. Do not be afraid to directly ask if they are thinking of suicide or self-harm. It is a myth that talking about suicide will “plant the idea” in someone’s head. In fact, acknowledging and discussing suicide can reduce suicidal ideation.
Step 2: Be There Offer your physical presence, a phone call, or any way of showing that you support and care about the person at risk. Make sure that you follow through on your offer of support. Do not commit to anything that you are not able to accomplish. If you can’t be there for them, talk with them about who might be an effective source of help. Being present for someone with thoughts of suicide saves lives. By increasing someone’s sense of connectedness and reducing their isolation, being there for them helps to alleviate feelings of hopelessness and other risk factors.
Step 3: Keep them Safe If they express thoughts of suicide, ask questions to better understand the severity of danger they are in: Have they tried to kill themselves before? Do they know how they would do it? Do they have a plan? What access do they have to their plan? If they indicate that they are in crisis, connect them with immediate resources like 988, the suicide prevention lifeline, or local crisis services. It is important to remember that, for many people, particularly people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, these immediate resources may not be safe. Resources like the Trevor Lifeline, the Trans Lifeline, and the Veterans Crisis Line, are available for LGBTQIA+ youth, the transgender community, and veterans. For people who are a part of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, there are various local, statewide, and national mental health resources available. Cuyahoga County Community College and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention have compiled lists of key mental health resources for BIPOC folks experiencing suicidal thoughts. Put time and distance between them and their chosen method. You should prevent their access to lethal means by practicing safe storage for items like firearms and prescription medications. If they do not have a plan, keep talking. Share your own experiences with mental health and continue listening to their experiences.
Step 4: Help them Connect Collaborate with them to connect them to supports and resources within your community. Do not dictate the solution. Instead, acknowledge their pain and offer to help them figure this out, find help, and learn more. Explore potential supports, like mental health professionals and organizations in your community, with them to create a safety net in the event of a crisis. You may want to help them develop a safety plan that includes how to identify when they are experiencing severe thoughts of suicide as well as what to do and who to contact in those moments.
Step 5: Follow Up Continue to check in with them to see how they are doing and if there is anything you can help them with. Even small acts like reaching out with a caring card shows support, increases connectedness, and can reduce their risk for suicide. Talking to young people about suicide is important, especially if you have noticed any warning signs of suicide risk. Even if a young person in your life is not experiencing thoughts of suicide, having meaningful conversations about mental and emotional health is key. Consistently checking in with how they are feeling and truly listening to their experiences establishes a strong connection that may encourage them to seek help when they need it.

6 Questions To Help Students Cope With Everyday Stress

11/30/2022

Stress is a reality of everyday life for students in middle and high school. As young teens learn how to navigate increased demands on their time—newly intense workloads and schedules, after-school clubs and jobs—they’re simultaneously experiencing explosive physical and cognitive growth. It’s a complex developmental phase during which routine experiences like meeting a term paper deadline or being unexpectedly called on in class can feel like a cooling breeze—or a flash flood.
In teenagers, the brain is still maturing, and communication between the areas of the brain that generate and then manage impulses and emotions is not yet fully developed, explains Pamela Noble, a psychologist and research associate at the National Institute of Mental Health. This means the teenage brain is “extra-sensitive to the things going on in [its] environment, both good and bad,” says Noble. Learning how to cope with stress is a critical skill—especially in adolescence—and teens happen to be uniquely primed to “begin developing healthy behaviors so they become a habit for life.”

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Alcohol Use Among Girls and Young Women: A WORRYING TREND

7/19/2022

For at least the past two decades, data showed that boys and young men were more likely to drink than girls and young women. However, an unsettling trend has taken hold: Data now show that girls and young women, ages 12 to 20, are drinking more alcohol than their male counterparts. Alcohol use by people under the legal drinking age of 21 has decreased over the past few decades, but the decreases were more pronounced for males than for females. In 2020, more girls and young women reported past-month alcohol use than boys and young men. 1 What is behind this trend? Here are some facts that organizations and those working in prevention should know as they design strategies to curb harmful drinking behaviors among girls and young women.
Mental Health Affects Underage Drinking
Evidence suggests that problems with anxiety and depression are increasing among adolescents, particularly young women. Girls and young women can be more susceptible to internalizing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. This, in turn, may make them more likely to drink as a way to cope.2 In fact, when girls have high levels of anxiety, they are more likely than boys to use alcohol, and to do so at earlier ages. Helping girls and young women handle difficult emotions in healthy ways may help them reduce their consumption of alcohol or avoid it altogether.3,4 Because of the association between underage drinking and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, girls and young women who have these challenges need strong underage drinking prevention support coupled with general mental health support. Alcohol Increases the Risk of Certain Health Problems Girls and young women differ biologically from boys and young men. Females tend to have less water in their bodies than males of the same weight, so the alcohol they drink becomes more concentrated in their blood, where it then travels to the brain.5 Other gender-specific physical risks faced by girls and young women who use alcohol include:
-Increased risk of memory problems. Compared with boys, girls’ memories are more likely to be affected negatively by drinking. Girls and young women are more likely to experience memory impairments from alcohol, such as alcohol-induced blackouts.6 Furthermore, girls and young women who report binge drinking show less brain activity and worse performance on memory tests than peers who either drink a little or abstain. Boys and young men do not show the same outcomes.7
-A greater risk for long-term health consequences. Females are more susceptible than males to experiencing long-term health consequences like alcohol-induced liver inflammation and liver cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease. Drinking alcohol, even in girls and young women, contributes to future breast cancer.8 Among adult women, even one drink per day has been linked to a 5 to 9 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer compared to those who abstain from using alcohol.
By educating young people and adults about the risks and consequences of alcohol use, we can work to continue the downward trend and address gender patterns of underage drinking and risky alcohol use. Parents and other caring adults play an important role in young people’s decisions to consume alcohol, so it is imperative that adults support girls and young women as they work to protect their mental and physical health. SAMHSA’s Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students, and the HHS Office on Women’s Health and Girls Health websites have information to help caring adults navigate the mental health challenges girls and young women face as they transition to adulthood. Likewise, SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.” substance use prevention campaign and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s publication “Growing Up Drug Free” have resources to help adults start and continue conversations about alcohol use with children, teens, and young adults.

How Parents and Children Can Learn Emotional Skills Together

11/3/2021

You can better connect with your children and their communities by learning social-emotional skills alongside them.BY TERRI HUGGINS | OCTOBER 18, 2021If you’ve found yourself feeling like you don’t understand your kids more and more recently, you’re not alone. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 79% of Americans see major differences between younger kids and older adults in the way they look at the world.
And it goes both ways. As children navigate circumstances much different from their own parent’s upbringing in areas like social media, sexuality, and workloads, it’s not uncommon for them to say they consistently feel misunderstood by their parents. This disconnection also contributes to children feeling more anxious and stressed in school, and more lonely and misunderstood overall.
It’s a scenario that Rebecca Marsh witnessed often within her community at United Schools of Indianapolis.
“Parents in the school would tell me that they were raised to not talk about feelings, and developing character was never discussed,” she says. Because of that, they often feel as though they are struggling to do what’s best for their children, themselves, and those around them.
While the schools made efforts to teach character development and mindfulness to students through social-emotional learning, it wasn’t as beneficial as it could have been because students were going home to parents who didn’t understand the practices or concepts themselves.
Malati Kalmadi of the Kaveri Group of Institutes witnessed similar issues within her schools and community in Pune, India. The result was a lack of openness, connection, and dialogue between parents and their children, as well as with teachers.

With funding from the GGSC’s Raising Caring, Courageous Kids initiative, both of these organizations addressed this challenge by creating programs where parents and children learned together. This equipped parents with new skills and tools to help their children grow into mindful, caring adults. It also assisted the parents in practicing empathy, which led to a deeper connection between children, teachers, and the community and boosted their confidence. Together, these programs illustrate just how important it is for parents to get involved in their children’s social and emotional growth.
Bringing parents and kids together“For the last 20 to 30 years, the social-emotional learning movement in this country has focused exclusively on children,” says Robert Roeser, professor of human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University and scientific advisor to Kaveri’s Mindful Parenting Program. “We also need to think about building those competencies in adults.”
Yet it’s a tall order to encourage introspection and self-awareness in parents that would translate to their children and in the school, considering the often-demanding schedules of parents. Both programs were able to yield high parent engagement by ensuring the program materials were accessible, easy to digest, and relatable for parents regardless of their background.
In Marsh’s Social and Emotional Learning Parent Workshop series, parents were paired with mentors and attended in-person parenting workshops about character strengths like gratitude, forgiveness, purpose, and compassion, as well as parent-child group sessions that made space for families to discuss applying what they learned.
For example, when emphasizing the character strength of gratitude, parents were given gratitude journals to write down grateful moments, as well as the chance to create a family manifesto to use as a reminder of their personal and familial values. To practice forgiveness, participants identified some grudges they’d been carrying, wrote them down on pieces of paper, then dropped those grudges into a box that they had decorated, to symbolize letting go of them.
At the conclusion of the program, a survey revealed that 91% of participants saw the benefit and need for it. One of the biggest takeaways from the program was the parents’ realization that their children have thoughts, perspectives, and opinions of their own that are worth expressing, and how to actively listen to them. Their ability to be engaged when listening opened lines of communication, and assisted both parents and children in feeling more secure with their growth.
Meanwhile, Malati Kalmadi and Jyoti Kumta created the Mindful Parenting Program in India that was designed to help parents foster character strengths like forgiveness, mindfulness, generosity, and gratitude in themselves and their children, thereby fostering a compassionate community.
The Mindful Parenting Program consists of 10 sessions and two weekend camps for parents and children, to not put the burden of finding child care on parents. With the goal of cultivating self-awareness, volunteerism, and open dialogue between parents, children, and their teachers, each session included a quiet moment of reflection or meditation, sharing personal experiences within the group, and lessons from an expert. One of the most successful segments of the program was the 21-day kindness challenge facilitated through WhatsApp, in which participants engaged in a series of activities and discussed their experiences with other parents in the group. Some of the activities included giving away something dear to you, making a thank you card for someone in the family, and teaching someone something new.
Learning these skills translated into more positive interactions between parents, teachers, and children. And being involved in the program led parents to be more involved in the schools, said Kumta.
“Not only did more parents volunteer to substitute classes when a teacher was absent, but communication between parents and teachers improved, as both were better able to extend empathy to each other.”
Surveys at the end of the program showed that more than half of the parents had a better relationship with the school and saw a positive change in their relationship with their children.
Both programs were hopeful that their methods would lend to creating more sound relationships between parents and children. This is especially useful during a time when current events have become so polarizing and pandemic stress is high.
Lessons for parentsResearch suggests that there are many ways for parents to get involved in their children’s character development, and one of the most important things we can do is to model behavior. This not only inspires our kids but can also deepen our relationships with them and improve our well-being even beyond our role as parents.  
For example, research suggests that self-compassion goes hand and hand with balanced and calmer parenting. When parents practice self-compassion, they’re better able to be gentle with themselves and feel more connected with others, as opposed to feeling isolated. This enables them to better handle difficult situations, such as divorce and other traumas, and feel less stress. That ability to be mindful and kind to themselves is then extended to the children, as they learn by example and get the benefit of a more relaxed and engaged parent.
When self-compassion is coupled with mindfulness, parents have the unique ability to manage their emotions even chaotic situations. A study that examined the thoughts and behaviors of 62 mothers found those who were able to recognize their less-than-ideal parenting experiences as challenges and not failures were more likely to have a healthy mindset and better relationship with their children.
Another resource for difficult parenting situations is having a sense of purpose. Research suggests that fathers who have a sense of purpose make healthier decisions for themselves, practice better daily habits, and are happier. While determining your purpose as a parent is a deep question, it’s beneficial for the entire family. Children can see that you are working for something bigger than yourself, and see the strength that stems from using your voice for a purpose.
Finally, grateful people tend to have greater life satisfaction and better social interactions—and research suggests that grateful parents raise more grateful kids. While there are many different ways for parents to foster gratitude in children, it’s clear that the more children are exposed to it, the more they are able to improve their outlook on life.
Making a lasting impactOne year later, the programs at the United Schools of Indianapolis and the Kaveri Group of Institutes have had lasting effects on their participants. According to Marsh, Kalmaldi, and Kumta, parents have reported the continued effort to practice active listening, mindfulness, and open communication to strengthen connections with their children. Some have even sought out therapy for themselves to further extend their ability to understand and focus on their personal growth.
If more schools employ mindfulness workshops and social-emotional learning programs that highlight character strengths for parents as well as students, the compassionate and open relationships that these parents, children, and teachers cultivated could become more common. But it must be done in a way that doesn’t blame, shame, or isolate parents in the process, suggests Roeser.
“We have to feel safe and then we can venture out into learning new things, but if we’re not feeling seen or heard, we may not feel very confident to do that or receptive to the idea,” says Roeser.
“This kind of programming acts as self-development for the parents, as well as something meaningful to do with their children,” says Melinda Bier, codirector for the Center for Character & Citizenship at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and advisor for the parenting program at the United Schools of Indianapolis. “It gives the parents a chance to learn better skills in a non-threatening way, and that positive work spills over professionally and in other scenarios.”
“These programs are valuable and have positive outcomes. It definitely connects parents and schools in a meaningful way so that students and the community can thrive,” says Bier.

Fall Drug Take Back Day Collection Totals

10/27/2021

Knox County, OH – Saturday, October 23, 2021, Knox County participated in the National Drug Take Back Day. We were able to collect 96.04 pounds of unused, unwanted and expired medication. Residents also brought in quite a few syringes that were destroyed courtesy of Knox Community Hospital.

Specifically, 70 lbs. were collected in Mount Vernon at Knox Public Health and Conway’s Eastside Pharmacy at the Knox Community Hospital Medical Pavilion, 3.84 lbs. were collected at Centerburg Foster’s Pharmacy, 17.6 lbs. were collected at the Danville Police Department and 4.6 lbs. were collected at the Fredericktown Police Department.

The Knox Substance Abuse Action Team (KSAAT) would like to thank the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Fredericktown Police Department, Danville Police Department and the Mount Vernon Police Department for leading each drop-off location as well as the volunteers that donated their time to make this event a success.

If you missed Drug Take Back Day, you can anonymously drop off your medications at any of the year-round drop-boxes. These locations include; the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Fredericktown Police Department, the Danville Police Department (NEW LOCATION), the Mount Vernon Police Department, Rite-Aid-Mount Vernon and CVS-Mount Vernon. To dispose properly, place your medications in a clear Ziploc bag. Please do not put liquids, inhalers or illegals in the drop-boxes.

Residents can also request a free Deterra Drug Deactivation Bag, courtesy of RALI Ohio, by calling Knox Public Health at 740-392-2200 ext.2229.

KSAAT thanks all of you for cleaning out your medicine cabinets to make Knox County safer! We are all a part of the solution.

To learn more about KSAAT visit ksaat.org.

Know! To Balance Work and Play

10/12/2021

The lazy days of summer have come and gone, and the school year is full steam ahead. But with our children’s school day followed by homework, sports, music lessons, dance classes, and them wanting to spend time with friends, it’s no wonder many of them are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. While we want to enrich our children’s lives through a wide variety of fun and enjoyable activities, helping them become well-rounded people, we also must help them find balance in their lives and minimize stress. Sometimes this means cutting back on the “extra stuff.”

It's challenging because there are many benefits to the extra stuff, like building self-esteem, discovering self-interests, teaching responsibility, helping to grow friendships, etc. The extra stuff can be good for them, so knowing when it’s too much may not always be that simple.

In an article shared by Synergy Academics, Dr. Jerry Bubrick, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, encourages parents to ask ourselves the following questions to determine if our children are overscheduled:

Are your children getting quality homework done?
Are they getting the recommended amount of quality sleep each night?
Are they able to take part in family activities?
Are they able to hang out with their friends?

Dr. Bubrick says that if the answer is ‘no’ to one or more of these questions, then it’s time to cut back. He also says that while it’s tempting to allow our kids to sign up for all the different activities or programs they are interested in, the risks can sometimes outweigh the rewards.

Those risks include our children:

Feeling too much pressure.
Developing issues related to stress and anxiety.
Experiencing disrupted or not enough sleep.
Not getting enough free or “down” time.
Feeling isolated and not spending time with friends.
Getting poor grades and decreased academic performance.

In helping our children find balance, they must first be clearly aware that their number one priority is school. If grades begin to decline or they are falling behind in their schoolwork, then that means something else must go. And that something else is the extra stuff.

Figure out how much time your child needs on average, to complete daily and weekend homework. This will vary for every child and planning is key. From there you will know how much time is left in your child’s schedule to dedicate to extracurricular activities, knowing that time may need slight adjustments around school testing, big projects, etc.

To help minimize the stress that surrounds homework, and help your child make the most of their study time, encourage them to follow these simple tips:

Select a well-lit, comfortable, quiet place to study, free from distractions.
Keep extra pencils, pens, paper, etc., in your dedicated study space.
Keep your space clean and organized.
Use a daily planner for assignments and check them off as you go.
Don't wait until the last minute to complete assignments. Create timelines for long-term projects and stick to them.
Dedicate space for every class in your book bag.
Make study guides and/or study cards to help break down important information.
Talk about assignments with friends.
If you are struggling, ask for help.

Young people are much less likely to feel overwhelmed with school and homework when they’ve taken steps to be prepared, organized, and focused. These steps will also help to free up time to then put toward the extra stuff, like spending much-needed time with their friends, participating in their favorite sports, playing an instrument, taking a dance class, etc.

Of course, there are additional stressors that come with school, as well as extracurriculars, which can overwhelm and exhaust our children. In the tip to follow, we will look at ways to help our children unwind and destress on a regular basis to maintain healthy minds and bodies.

Tips For School Personnel

Are your students overscheduled and stressed out? Pose these questions in the classroom and let your students determine for themselves.

Does your schedule allow you to get quality homework done?
Does your schedule allow you to get the recommended amount of quality sleep each night? (6-12 years old: 9-12 hours, 13-18 years old: 8-10 hours)
Does your schedule allow you to take part in family activities?
Does your schedule allow you to spend time with friends?

Tell them that if they answered “no” to any of these questions, then they are overscheduled and need to talk to their parents about ways to adjust or cut back.

Sources

Synergy Academics: Balancing School and Extracurricular Activities. Oct. 16, 2019.

Eli Terry Jr. Middle School (Terryville, CT): Study and Homework Tips for Middle School Students.
About Know! Parent Tips

Everyone has a role in prevention. By reading and sharing this Know! Parent Tip today, you’re doing your part to prevent substance misuse and create a healthier world for all.

We created these free parent tips to empower parents like you. Know! helps you promote health and wellness and protect the young person in your life from unhealthy behaviors, including alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. However, we rely on donations from people like you to provide these tips. If you found this tip interesting or helpful, please consider donating at preventionactionalliance.org/donate.
Know! Parent Tips are provided by Prevention Action Alliance with support from the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, Start Talking! and the Ohio Department of Education.

Know! Parent Tips are also available in Spanish at the Know! archives.

Know! How To Help Youth After A Suicide Loss

7/15/2021

The following information is shared by the Klinic Community Health Centre’s “After a Suicide: A Practical and Personal Guide for Survivors.”

Historian Arnold Toynbee once wrote, “There are always two parties to a death: the person who dies and the survivors who are bereaved.” When that death is by suicide, grief and despair may be further intensified and the healing process may be more complex. Survivors often struggle to understand “why” their friend or loved one chose to end their life and question what they could have said or done differently to have changed the outcome.

In the aftermath of suicide, it is difficult enough as an adult to try to wrap our minds around what has occurred. Given the stage of development adolescents are in, it comes as no surprise that it tends to be even more difficult for a young person to try and make sense of the loss of a friend or family member by suicide. A young person needs information, guidance and continued support to help them get through the grieving process and move forward in a positive direction.

A good first step is helping them understand why people die by suicide. We may not know for sure why a person they cared about made the choice they did; however, we can share with them common factors and circumstances that contribute to someone’s decision to end their life.

We know that factors, such as loss, addictions, trauma, depression, physical and mental illness, and major life changes, can make some people feel overwhelmed and unable to cope to the point that their thoughts turn to suicide. We also know that people who consider suicide usually have extreme feelings of hopelessness, despair and helplessness. They believe that the tremendous amount of pain they are in will never end and that the only way to stop their suffering is to end their life. Even people who have strong support systems around them may be so debilitated by their pain that they fail to ask for help when it is needed most.

Important statements a young person needs to hear and believe in the aftermath of suicide:

No matter the situation or circumstances, it’s not your fault that someone else made the decision to end their life. Nothing you could have said or done would have prevented your loved one from dying.
The decision your friend or family member made is not a reflection of their love for you, and it does not take away from the friendship or meaningful relationship the two of you shared.
It’s okay to use the word suicide. Using the word and talking about it can help the healing process.
Healing does not mean forgetting your loved one who died by suicide. You don’t dishonor their memory when you heal, laugh and live your life again.
Everyone grieves, reacts and copes differently. There is no right or wrong way to mourn your loss.
You will likely face some difficult times on your road to healing, but remember you are not alone. You have your family, friends and people in the community who love and care about you. They are here for you and want to help—you simply must ask.

According to the Full Circle Grief Centre, additional ways to support youth dealing with suicide loss include the following:

Be available and patient. Listen generously.
Ask questions. Be invested in their well-being.
Validate their feelings.
Give them choices in determining which avenues of support they prefer.
Understand how important their peer relationships can be and be open to changes.
Challenge the stigma and shame around suicide. Use the verbiage “died by suicide.”
Support their desire to create remembrance experiences.
Provide opportunities to maintain connections with others.
Help to prepare them for others’ insensitivity.
Give them permission to grieve the way that feels right to them.
Seek out additional professional support if needed.

The death of someone we care about, especially death by suicide, is devastating, complex and immensely impactful, especially for young people. It’s important to provide them with information, guidance and support—encouraging them to live alongside their grief and to grow from it.

A final reminder from Klinic Community Health Centre, “Not only is it important to grieve, it is necessary to experience the pain of your loss in order to gain relief.”

Sources
Full Circle Health Centre, Maryse Eubank, M.Ed: Supporting Teens After a Suicide Loss.
Klinic Community Health Centre: After a Suicide: A Practical and Personal Guide for Survivors.
About Know! Parent Tips
Everyone has a role in prevention. By reading and sharing this Know! Parent Tip today, you’re doing your part to prevent substance misuse and create a healthier world for all.

We created these free parent tips to empower parents like you. Know! helps you promote health and wellness and protect the young person in your life from unhealthy behaviors, including alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. However, we rely on donations from people like you to provide these tips. If you found this tip interesting or helpful, please consider donating at preventionactionalliance.org/donate.
Know! Parent Tips are provided by Prevention Action Alliance with support from the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, the Ohio Department of Education, and Start Talking!.

Know! Parent Tips are also available in Spanish at the Know! archives.