They say a dead man tells no tales and yet the recent reports of TEENage suicide tell a story of young people taking matters into their own hands, with a fatal response. According to www.stopasuicide.org, 70 per cent of people who commit suicide tell someone about their plans or give warning signs.

TEENage would like to shed light on the subliminal indications given by those considering this fatal act, so we can save more lives and address seemingly dire situations.

An article in the Sunday Observer by Janice Budd, entitled Guidance counsellors mount national campaign against TEEN suicides, mentions three suspected suicides by TEENage girls right here in Jamaica.

The article gives a brief synopsis of their circumstances stating that “fourteen-year-old St James High School student Shaquilla Calame is believed to have taken her own life at her home in Hendon, Norwood, St James last Sunday, after she allegedly stole money from her mother who reprimanded her.

A week before, another St James High School student, Annalise Authurs, of Rose Mount Gardens, Mount Salem, St James, committed suicide at her home. There were reports she had grown depressed over a failed relationship.

One week before that, the body of 15-year-old Tia Murray of Barracks Road, Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland, was found hanging from a mango tree in the community, she too is suspected of taking her own life.”

The reality is that this could have been anyone of us, and as friends and family, we have to keep a close eye on the emotional patterns of our loved ones.

On the SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) website (www.save.org), a list of suicide indicators is provided and we would like to expound on the issues highlighted in this multi-faceted list.

Ideation, which is the thinking, talking or wishing about suicide is the most common indicator, and cry for help. Whether it is said in jest or in seriousness, one must be suspicious of such remarks. Withdrawal is the most obvious sign, which tends to include withdrawal from school activities, church and especially roles in the home, with their personality seeming to take a drastic shift.

The main point of this notion to commit suicide tends to be the feeling of being trapped, which is coupled with a sense of hopelessness. These sentiments tend to provide a platform for suicide to be an appealing escape from the seemingly frustrating situation. It may be harder to appreciate this cry for help if it is in the person’s nature to be sad or unhappy, but one must not wait until it becomes persistent to make a move which could possibly save a life.

TEENage would like to implore everyone to stop and observe the people we interact with, and see if they possess any of the signs previously mentioned. TEENagers all around us are crying out for help, yet their persistent pleas are continuously falling on deaf ears.

There are initiatives like the JAGCE (Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education), which “intends to conduct a series of meetings with Parent Teachers Associations in schools across the country throughout the month of May to teach parents about basic responses to stress among children, and ways to reduce depression and prevent suicide”.

This is a step forward in the right direction to raise awareness about this serious and tragic act, which can only be prevented by asking questions. The president of the JAGCE, Dr Grace Kelly highlighted the fact that “suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem”, which profoundly sums up the fact that once the problem is identified, and we dare to care, lives will be saved.