Some common misconceptions

Never talk about suicide with teenagers, as this will only give them ideas.
WRONG

It is common for teenagers to hear about and even think about suicide. When we avoid discussing this subject with them, we come across as being unwilling to listen and talk to them. Who can they turn to when they have problems

Don't pay attention to a teenager's suicide threats - ignore them and they'll pass.
WRONG

A teenager who feels that no one listens to what he or she is saying is more likely to take action.

Teenager suicide attempts are cries for help, or else forms of emotional blackmail. Those who really want to kill themselves will manage. Others are just being over-dramatic.
WRONG

It is true that many survivors of suicide attempts say that they are happy to still be alive. However, in many cases, suicide attempts - which were meant to be no more than mere attempts - have gone too far and ended in death

Those who talk about suicide never actually kill themselves.
WRONG

Seven out of ten people who have attempted suicide first confided in those around them. Any allusion to suicide should be taken seriously.

Suicidal once, suicidal for life.
WRONG

A former suicide attempt is the most important risk factor for subsequent suicidal acts. Nevertheless, if an teenagers' suicidal crisis has been well treated, he or she will then be able to move on and find alternative means for dealing with life's difficulties.

Those who try to commit suicide have made a firm decision to die.
WRONG

A young person who considers suicide is looking for a change in life's circumstances.Death may seem like the only way out at a given moment.

Speaking about suicide with someone considering killing himself or herself only encourages this person to act.
WRONG

When we choose to speak about suicide with teenagers, we convey that we are ready to hear what they may have to say, no matter how shocking. Asking teenagers if they are contemplating suicide is a way of showing that we can see their anxiety and are taking them seriously.

Suicide is hereditary, it runs in the family.
WRONG

Suicidal tendencies are not inherited. However, someone who has lived through the suicide of a family member may well be traumatised to the point of turning suicidal.

Only spoilt rich children contemplate suicide.
WRONG

Youth suicide rates vary from country to country. However, they do not seem to be determined by a country's wealth, employment rates or living standard.

An improvement after a suicidal crisis means that the danger is over.
WRONG

Once a suicidal crisis or attempt is over, there is a common tendency for it to be immediately trivialised, as much by the teenager as by those around him or her. However, problems are not solved by ignoring them. To say that everything is now fine does not mean we understand what has happened. Nor does it guard against further thoughts of suicide if similar situations arise in the future.

There are some suicide attempts that are harmless.
WRONG

The seriousness of a suicide attempt cannot be measured by whether death is the end result or not. Any violence used against oneself is serious: such acts reveal the teenager's inability to express himself or herself in words. Whether the teenager happens to take ten fatal tablets or ten harmless ones is purely a matter of chance, especially when he or she is not fully aware of the effects of the medication or other means used.