| For several years, death by suicide among children and teens has been increasing in frequency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate among teen girls recently reached a forty-year high. The Dana Foundation reports that nine out of ten deaths by suicide have an underlying diagnosable mental health issue.
That's a concern, because fifteen million children ages three to seventeen have a diagnosable mental, behavioral, and/or emotional disorder, yet only 3% of those young people (three million) actually receive help. A person diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, or certain personality disorders has an 8-10% lifetime risk of death by suicide.
We want to lessen that risk; we want kids alive — and we want them to thrive.
That's why Focus on the Family produced Alive to Thrive – A Biblical Guide to Preventing Teen Suicide, a multimedia program that explores the social, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the epidemic.
This new resource is written by Christian clinical experts and is designed to help parents, youth workers, ministry leaders, and teachers understand how suicide is a profoundly spiritual issue. Alive to Thrive also features videos of church workers, healthcare providers, and young people discussing their own struggles with suicidal thoughts and how the Bible provides clarity and comfort in a turbulent and confusing world.
Visit AliveToThrive.com to learn more.
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