Your Teen Has a Plan to Hurt Themselves: Get Help Now

Take these steps right now

If your teen has a plan, act now:

1. Stay with them. Do not leave them alone, even for a moment. Ask a calm second adult to help if one is nearby. 2. Call or text 988, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7, connecting you to trained counselors at local crisis centers 1Ref 1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2024).988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.988 provides free, confidential, 24/7 crisis support through a national network of local crisis centers.. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org. If your teen is in immediate danger or has already acted, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. 3. Remove access to lethal means. Lock up or remove firearms, medications, alcohol, and sharp objects. Putting time and distance between your teen and a method is one of the most effective things you can do — most suicidal crises are temporary, and reducing access to means saves lives 2Ref 2Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Means Matter (2024).Lethal Means Counseling.Reducing at-risk individuals' access to lethal means is an evidence-based suicide-prevention strategy.. 4. Ask directly and listen. It is safe to ask, "Are you thinking about suicide?" Asking does not increase risk; it shows you take them seriously 3Ref 3National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2024).5 Action Steps to Help Someone Having Thoughts of Suicide (Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, Follow Up).Asking about suicide does not increase risk; the 5 action steps support someone having thoughts of suicide.. Listen without judging, arguing, or promising secrecy.

Why a plan changes the urgency

Suicidal thoughts exist on a range, from a fleeting wish that things were different to a specific, detailed plan with access to a method. The more specific the plan and the more available the means, the higher the immediate risk — which is why clinicians use structured tools like the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to gauge severity 4Ref 4Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, Brent DA, Yershova KV, Oquendo MA, Currier GW, Melvin GA, Greenhill L, Shen S, Mann JJ (2011).The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale: Initial Validity and Internal Consistency Findings From Three Multisite Studies With Adolescents and Adults.The C-SSRS is a validated measure of suicidal ideation severity and behavior in adolescents and adults.. A stated plan sits near the urgent end of that range and warrants help today, not next week.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among older adolescents, which is exactly why pediatric and mental-health professionals take a teen's plan seriously and respond quickly 5Ref 5Shain B; AAP Committee on Adolescence (2016).Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents.Suicide is the second leading cause of death among older adolescents; pediatricians should identify and manage at-risk youth.. Your fast response matters.

What helps your teen feel safer in the moment

While you connect to help, you can lower the temperature:

• Keep your own voice steady and warm. Your calm is contagious.
• Validate the pain without agreeing with the conclusion: "I can hear how much you're hurting. I'm so glad you told me. We're going to get through this together."
• Avoid lectures, guilt, or problem-solving the underlying issue right now — the goal is safety and connection.
• Stay physically present and reassuring. Crises pass; staying with them through the wave is the help they need.

When a clinician helps

After the immediate crisis is stabilized, a mental-health clinician is essential — and often the emergency team will connect you. A clinician can:

• Complete a structured suicide-risk assessment using validated tools such as the C-SSRS or the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), which were built and tested specifically for adolescents 4Ref 4Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, Brent DA, Yershova KV, Oquendo MA, Currier GW, Melvin GA, Greenhill L, Shen S, Mann JJ (2011).The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale: Initial Validity and Internal Consistency Findings From Three Multisite Studies With Adolescents and Adults.The C-SSRS is a validated measure of suicidal ideation severity and behavior in adolescents and adults.6Ref 6Horowitz LM, Bridge JA, Teach SJ, Ballard E, Klima J, Rosenstein DL, Wharff EA, Ginnis K, Cannon E, Joshi P, Pao M (2012).Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ): A Brief Instrument for the Pediatric Emergency Department.The 4-item ASQ has high sensitivity for identifying suicide risk in youth aged 10-21.. This gives a far more reliable read than a parent's worry alone.
• Build a collaborative safety plan — the Safety Planning Intervention is a brief, evidence-informed best practice that lists your teen's warning signs, coping steps, supportive contacts, and means-restriction steps in one place 7Ref 7Stanley B, Brown GK (2012).Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk.The Safety Planning Intervention is a brief, collaborative, evidence-informed best practice for mitigating acute suicidal crises..
• Guide lethal-means counseling so your home is safer in a way that fits your family 2Ref 2Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Means Matter (2024).Lethal Means Counseling.Reducing at-risk individuals' access to lethal means is an evidence-based suicide-prevention strategy..
• Start or coordinate evidence-based treatment and follow-up, and loop in your pediatrician and school so your teen is supported across every setting 5Ref 5Shain B; AAP Committee on Adolescence (2016).Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents.Suicide is the second leading cause of death among older adolescents; pediatricians should identify and manage at-risk youth..

These are things a trained professional does well and a parent cannot do alone, which is why a same-day clinical connection is the next step after the phone call.