February 28, 2011
Blurb
At Risk for Suicide:
Dr. David Shaffer, chief of the department of pediatric psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said that teenage girls make more suicide attempts but boys are four to five times more likely to succeed in their attempts. Older teens are also at greater risk than those entering the teen years.
"Adolescents with underlying mental issues such as depression, anxiety or drug abuse are at the highest risk," Shaffer warned.
Red flags: Parents should look for signs of depression, anxiety, irritability and withdrawal that seem to go beyond the usual teenage angst. "Depression in particular is very untreated in adolescents. This is a problem because many don't understand it or know how to articulate it, and because of this parents miss it or don't take it seriously," Shaffer said.
Read more at
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/parents-action-teens-engage-risky-behavior/story?id=13018820&page=2
Dr. David Shaffer, chief of the department of pediatric psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said that teenage girls make more suicide attempts but boys are four to five times more likely to succeed in their attempts. Older teens are also at greater risk than those entering the teen years.
"Adolescents with underlying mental issues such as depression, anxiety or drug abuse are at the highest risk," Shaffer warned.
Red flags: Parents should look for signs of depression, anxiety, irritability and withdrawal that seem to go beyond the usual teenage angst. "Depression in particular is very untreated in adolescents. This is a problem because many don't understand it or know how to articulate it, and because of this parents miss it or don't take it seriously," Shaffer said.
Read more at
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/parents-action-teens-engage-risky-behavior/story?id=13018820&page=2