Alarming statistics about teens who’ve considered suicide

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The lines at Kids Help Phone appears to be ringing off the hook.

New statistics show one-in-five Canadian teens has seriously thought about taking their own life and girls are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts as boys.

The agency’s Vice-President of Counselling Services Alisa Simon says there are several underlying problems at work here. “Those young people who reported that they had seriously considered suicide also reported, in really high numbers, experiencing challenges around body or self-image. A significant number also experienced violence at home or at school. And talked about experiencing an addiction or drug or alcohol challenge.”

She adds while suicidal thoughts seem to be common in teens — they want to make ensure — suicide is not.

The report found young people are most likely to go online for help, and Simon stresses there needs to be credible information available about mental health on the Internet and young people need to know what to do and to look for the warning signs.

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