If you talk about suicide, you won't attempt it. There are different kinds of mental illness that are commonly seen in adolescence, all of which have significant effects on a teen's day to day living. The symptoms can be there day and night and life can become a chore. These teens may not realize that what they are experiencing are symptoms of a potentially treatable disease. Suicidal thinking and behaviour often go hand in hand with depression in adolescence.
Suicide is the second most common killer of Canadian teens.
While some suicidal behaviour may be impulsive, any mention of suicidal thoughts and actions should be taken seriously. Feelings of fear and dread can become so intense that they keep you from going to school, from being in a group, and from many activities that would not be a problem otherwise. Accidents represent the number one cause of death in Canadian teens and are often caused by different types of risk-taking behaviour. Such behaviours can be a sign of various mental illnesses and can result in some of the real tragedies of adolescence. As well, if a person engages in one risk-taking behaviour they are likely to engage in more than one.