Patrick Solomon, the director of business and health services for Rivendell Behavior Health in Bowling Green will be speaking about teen suicide at 6 p.m. Friday evening at KP Hall, located on the corner of 5th and Morgan streets in Russellville.
“I’ve been working on getting something like this together for about three months now,” said Dorris Vick of the Concerned Citizens. “When I got in contact with Mr. Soloman, he said he would be happy to come up here and talk to us about this. Parents really need to wake up and see that there is a problem.”
In working with area young people, Vick said she realized that suicide was an issue that needed to be discussed in an open forum.
“I have talked to a lot of youth out there and we’ve had had a teen rap session and these young people have come together and expressed their problems in home and schools – they are really troubled,” Vick said. “One young lady, I felt it coming on. She was really troubled on a lot of different issues and she tried to commit suicide.”
The program will be structured to help adults know what signs to look for – but that’s not the only purpose.
“A lot of adults are going through the same thing as the kids,” Vick said. “So this is really for everybody. I’ve talked to parents and they just need to get in front of somebody and get some help.”
Some of the warning signs for a youth in danger include:
• Saying things like, “I wish I could die.” or “I want to kill myself.”
• There are also verbal hints that could indicate suicidal thoughts. These include phrases such as, “I want you to know something, in case something happens to me.” or “I won’t trouble you anymore.”
• When teens start giving away favorite belongings or promising them to friends and family members.
• Throwing away important possessions.
• Showing signs of extreme cheerfulness following periods of depression
• Creating suicide notes
• Expressing bizarre or unsettling thoughts on occasion
The public is invited to the discussion on Friday at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
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