Please Love Me (A look into teen suicide)

Order today!

By Penelope Przekop

For as long as she can remember, 17-year-old Peyton Bound has struggled to remain strong despite being lost in the whirlwind of her emotionally disturbed mother’s life … then she finds Matthew Adler at a frat party. He’s the first boy who kisses her with open eyes; Peyton finally sees herself in their sparkling reflection.

She’s sure that her fairytale moment has finally arrived, the day when everything will magically fall into place, and the burdens of her disturbing childhood will begin to lift. But when everything goes wrong, Peyton can no longer run from the truth about herself. Something is missing, and no one can save her.

Artist and writer Penelope Przekop grew up in Louisiana during the 1970s and 80s. Despite fictional elements, Please Love Me is her memoir; she is Peyton Bound, a character she created as a young adult to understand how she fell into a destructive relationship that led to a suicide attempt, and violent public cry for help.

As she wrote the book, she realized it was about much more than first love gone wrong. It was about her dysfunctional childhood, her mentally ill mother, and her desperation to break free. Please Love Me gives a raw voice to some of the deepest issues contributing to teenage suicide. It is an honest look into the human spirit's need for love and truth in a world full of craziness, and just how far some will go to find it.

Order on Amazon today!

Learn more here.

SuicideHotlines.com

Suicide Hotlines.com

For suicide prevention and emotional crisis, please take a moment to pass this on to someone you know is struggling or if you need this yourself.

You are not alone, there are people that care, people that will listen and help.

Visit www.suicidehotlines.com and click into your state.

Toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

1-800-SUICIDE   1-800-273-TALK
1-800-784-2433   1-800-273-8255

Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Teens

Order today!

This is a unique book of advice and commentary for teenagers, co-written by teenagers. It combines Dr. Wes Crenshaw’s nineteen years of clinical experience as a board certified family psychologist with the natural wisdom and empathy of eight really sharp sixteen- to eighteen-year-olds, each of whom spent a year writing for the Double Take advice column.

Though humorous and entertaining in tone, the book offers serious, honest and practical advice on real world issues including: sex, contraception, pregnancy, sexual identity, mental health, cutting, falling in love, breaking up, friendship, divorce, the future, conflict with parents, teen technology, suicide, foster care, school success and failure, fear and hope, and all the other issues you wake up and face each day in the middle and high school years. Most of the advice was written in response to letters sent to ask www.dr-wes.com, many written by teenagers themselves.

The rest were written on topics selected by the authors based on teen trends and current events. In addition to specific suggestions on each problem, the authors share their thoughts on how the world influences your generation, and vice versa.  Order this book today on Amazon.

Be sure to have your parents check out: Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Parents of Teens.

SAVE: Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

SAVE was one of the nation's first organizations dedicated to the prevention of suicide and was a co-founding member of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. Their history and growth from an all-volunteer, small grassroots group of passionate survivors led them to what is one of today's leading national not-for-profit organizations with staff dedicated to prevent suicide. This site, along with their work, is based on the foundation and belief that suicide should no longer be considered a hidden or taboo topic and that through raising awareness and educating the public, they can SAVE lives.

SAVE cannot operate without the generous support of individual, corporate, foundation, and event support. They also rely heavily on volunteers for their speaker's bureau, office help, events, conferences, and raising awareness in every city.
SAVE provides resources centered on suicide prevention and coping with loss due to suicide. Educational brochures for adults and youth are available for community prevention programs, schools, health care professionals, businesses and for individuals concerned with suicide prevention. These valuable tools provide an excellent opportunity to build community awareness as well as help those in need.

They at SAVE believe that suicide is preventable and that suicide prevention works. In order to accomplish Their mission and goals, they use the public health model along with a media campaign to raise awareness of suicide. They use an educational approach to dispel the myths about suicide, and to let others know about the realities surrounding what in 1999 the former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called a "public health crisis." On the following pages you will find information and resources that will help you if you are suicidal or if you know someone who is.

If you are suicidal or you think someone you know is, they want you to know that help is available and recovery is possible! Start by learning the warning signs, and do whatever you can to get yourself or someone you care about to the help they need so that they can return to living a fully functioning life.

SAVE – Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

In memory of 14 year-old Jamey Rodemey.  Click here. 


Know the warning signs.


Be a voice.


Make a difference in your community.


Don't be silenced.

More Than Sad: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a 501(c)(3) organization, has been at the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives in 2010 -- each designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. We are investing in groundbreaking research, new educational campaigns, innovative demonstration projects and critical policy work. And we are expanding our assistance to people whose lives have been affected by suicide, reaching out to offer support and offering opportunities to become involved in prevention.

We are increasing the number of community-based chapters, now at 39, with two-dozen more in development. And we have a growing list of friends and supporters leading a grassroots constituency that can advocate for the policies and legislation at the state and federal levels to advance suicide prevention.

With a suicide attempt estimated to occur every minute of every day in the United States and over 34,000 lives lost each year, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.

Visit www.asfp.org for more priceless and educational information. More Than Sad offers valuable information on teen depression, suicide and other tools to help you parent  your children through difficult times.

Read more about the recent suicide pact of two teens.  Click here.

Your Life Your Voice: Hotline for Teens and Kids that are Struggling

The Boys Town National Hotline is a toll free number available to kids, teens and young adults at anytime. Please contact us if you're depressed, contemplating suicide, being physically or sexually abused, on the run, addicted, threatened by gang violence, fighting with a friend or parent, or if you are faced with an overwhelming challenge.

We can provide help and hope if you call our Hotline (1-800-448-3000) or fill out our email form. You don’t have to face your problems alone!

The Boys Town National Hotline has been taking calls from kids and families since 1989.  In fact, we have taken over 8 million calls since we started.

We will always encourage people to contact us by phone if they are in any danger or if it is a really serious issues because talking on the phone can provide more immediate help.  We realize though that people today are often more comfortable to contact us over the internet.

YourLifeYourVoice.org is set up so you can contact us via the web.  You can email your questions and we can post them (along with our reply) for others to see.  If you aren’t ready to come right out and ask a question, you can share Your Life & Your Voice by sending us your story of success.

Maybe you don’t want to send anything in to us, but you want to look around our site to see what others have sent.  We also have some quotes and printable journal pages that you might find helpful.

Either way you want to contact us, we’d like to help!  We are here 24/7. 

Call our Hotline (1-800-448-3000), or email us at YourLifeYourVoice@boystown.org.

You don’t have to face your problems alone!

Sue Scheff: The Butterfly on my Shoulder - A Grief Journey of Love and Growth to Inspire Healing

The Butterfly on my Shoulder: A Grief Journey of Love and Growth to Inspire Healing by Helene Levin

Suicide is a subject that is not easy to talk about.

The Butterfly On My Shoulder is an inspiring book composed of poems and commentary about the grief process. Its purpose is to share the love, pain and growth that so many have lived through and to inspire healing by all who grieve.

This book lets mourners know that they are not alone and they are not going crazy, they are grieving and they can heal. It was written over a 22 year period by a mother after the death of her 24 year old son by suicide in 1986. Many of the poems have been previously published in newsletters, brochures and on the internet.

They have proven to be very encouraging to those who grieve by helping them to deal with and understand their grieving journey. The book offers a clear explanation of the grief journey and grief process as experienced from the perspective of all family members, friends and fellow grievers in fourteen chapters. The chapters are divided by the stages and the friend or family member's perspective. The poems and commentary offer suggestions and information about helpful methods and modalities that a grieving person can use to better negotiate the different stages of grief.

The author uses her experiences and education as the Executive Director/CEO of the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention, Inc. and a member of the Florida State Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to explain and share the experiences of thousands of grieving individuals which she has come in contact with over the last 22 years. The commentary and poems express the perspective of both the author and survivors with which she has worked and describes their pain and ultimate healing. This book is a useful tool for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one including those dealing with a death by suicide.

Order on Amazon today.

Sue Scheff: "Boy Interrupted" Bipolar, Depression and Teens

This is the first time I have posted a Documentary Review on my Book and Website Blog, however this movie/documentary is so profound - and has an urgent message to parents. How many of us have "typical teens" and start making excuses for their negative behavior? We watch as they slowly start failing in school, dropping off of sports activities (or being expelled from them), changing friends, not having friends, the list goes on.

"Boy Interrupted" moved me in such a way that I can barely put it into words. Dana and Hart Perry are filmmakers - they are the Director's of this film, but first and foremost - they are Evan Scott Perry's parents. Evan tragically ended his life at 15 years old on October 2, 2005. He struggled with depression and finally was diagnosed with Bipolar.

So, how do these professional filmmakers complete such a film? It is straight up raw emotion - and at the end of the day, it is about helping that next family so they may not have to endure the pain the Perry's went through.

I cannot express how unselfish Dana and Hart Perry are in giving us this opportunity as they share their private lives, including the suicide note which was very compelling as it was typical. The note itself can be a wake up call to all parents of at risk teens. Evan's older brother (Nick) bravely admits that his note is how he (when he was 15 felt) and typically how most teens feel. If Nick only knew - he could have answered all those questions and negative feelings to Evan.

Boy Interrupted interviews the doctors, friends, family members as well as intimate conversations with Dana and Hart. The footage they have is amazing and gives an indepth look at their private lives and allows the viewers to see, hear and "feel" their love and their pain.

This documentary will be airing on HBO on Monday August 3rd (check your local listings) as well as being sold on Amazon. Type the title in the Amazon Box on the side bar. Don't miss it!

Remember, don't be a parent in denial - be an educated parent and proactive!

Read my Blog from earlier this week prior watching this film - click here.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration

Every day in our schools and communities, children are teased, threatened, or tormented by bullies. To help care for our youth, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) developed webpages and resources (print and online) that serve can as useful tools to parents, educators, and everyone with today’s children, teens and tweens.

• About Bullying http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/15plus/aboutbullying.asp
• Systems of Care http://www.systemsofcare.samhsa.gov/
• National Strategy for Suicide Prevention http://nmhicstore.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/pubs.aspx
• National Suicide Prevention Initiative http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/nspi/

These sites offer parents, caregivers, educators, and other professionals a great opportunity to know the facts, recognize signs and symptoms, and access easy to read tips on how to talk to children about mental health. These resources can help caregivers build healthier, safer environments and support anti-bullying initiatives.

For additional information on this topic and more, or to order resources at no cost, please call the SAMHSA hotline at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 or visit http://www.samhsa.gov/shin/.

Sue Scheff: Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition

Today is April 22, 2009 which is Suicide Prevention Day at the Capitol is a statewide event in which the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention and the Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition are joined by advocates, survivors, grassroots organizations, youth and other state agencies to bring suicide to the forefront as a public issue. This year, the actual day is Wednesday, April 22 but we are holding several activities throughout the week of April 20th - 24th. Below, you will find the tentative schedule of events, but I encourage you to continue checking our website for the most current updates as they become available.

(http://www.helppromotehope.com/events/index.php). Please see the attached flyer and Governor's proclamation.

If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, please reach out for hope by calling:1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255)24 hours a day; 7 days a week





SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

April 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM, Capitol Building Plaza Rotunda
Educational Display Booths and Legislative Advocacy

April 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM, Capitol Building Cabinet Room
Suicide Prevention Day Press Conference featuring:
Director Bill Janes, Florida Office of Drug Control
Secretary George Sheldon, Florida Department of Children & Families
Senator Evelyn Lynn, Florida District 7

April 23 – 24, 2009; from 8:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Location TBA
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) (tentative)
Don't forget to also visit our portable billboard that will be in front of the Historic Capitol all week!

Please take a moment to post these events on your agency websites and forward on to your colleagues. We hope to see everyone there!

Sue Scheff: Teen Peer Pressure, Teen Body Image and More

The Triple Bind - By Dr. Stephen Henshaw

In many ways, today is the best time in history to be a girl: Opportunities for a girl’s success are as unlimited as her dreams. Yet an alarm is sounding, revealing a disturbing portrait of the stresses affecting girls of all ages. Societal expectations, cultural trends, and conflicting messages are creating what psychologist and researcher Stephen Hinshaw calls “the Triple Bind.” Girls are now expected to excel at “girl skills,” achieve “boy goals,” and be models of female perfection, 100 percent of the time. The Triple Bind is putting more and more girls at risk for aggression, eating disorders, depression, and even suicide.

Type Book Title in the Amazon Box for more information.

National Suicide Prevention Week

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in older children and teens. And statistics show that suicide rates in teenagers are on the rise.
That makes it even more important for everyone to raise awareness of suicide prevention, especially now during National Suicide Prevention Week.
In addition to learning to recognize the risk factors and warning signs of suicide, spread the word about the availability of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -- 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

You Don't Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way, by Aunt Laya

Easy to understand. Helpful. No Bull. No Bluff. No Hype. Just straight talk and the knowledge you need to help you succeed in growing!

Visit http://www.auntlaya.com/ to learn more about Aunt Laya.

Remember, type the title into the Amazon Box on the sidebar and find the book quickly.