SYNTHETIC DEMONSTRATION — no real student or patient. Not a medical device.

Urgent & emergency

Your Teen Ran Away and May Be at Risk: What to Do Now

If your teen ran away and may be at risk of self-harm, call 911 to report them missing and call or text 988 for crisis guidance. You can also reach the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Do these things first

Call 911 to report your teen missing and tell the dispatcher you are worried about self-harm — that detail matters and changes how the situation is handled. Then call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for free, confidential, around-the-clock support and guidance from trained counselors at local crisis centers 1. You do not have to wait a set number of hours to report a missing minor. If you can reach your teen, asking directly whether they are thinking about hurting themselves does not increase risk — it is a recommended step that opens the door to help 2.

While you search and wait

Contact people who might know where your teen is — friends, their parents, a partner, a trusted adult. Share a recent photo and what they were wearing with police. Check the places your teen feels safe. At home, take a protective step that genuinely lowers risk: secure or remove firearms and medications, since reducing access to lethal means is one of the most effective suicide-prevention actions 3. Keep a phone line open and stay as calm as you can on it; your steadiness helps if your teen calls.

What to say if you reach them

Lead with relief and love, not anger: "I'm so glad to hear your voice. I'm not mad — I just want you safe." Ask directly and without panic whether they are thinking about hurting themselves 2. Listen more than you talk. Avoid arguing, lecturing, or making promises you can't keep. If they will tell you where they are, offer to come or to send help. NIMH's action steps — ask, be there, keep them safe, help them connect, follow up — are a useful frame in the moment 2.

Once your teen is safe

Getting your teen home is the beginning, not the end. A clinician should evaluate them for safety and underlying concerns, since suicide is the second leading cause of death among older adolescents and running away can signal a deeper crisis 4. Work with the team on a collaborative safety plan — warning signs, coping steps, supportive contacts, and crisis numbers — an evidence-informed best practice for getting through acute crises 5.

When a clinician helps

After the immediate crisis, a clinician assesses risk in person with validated, adolescent-tested tools like the ASQ and C-SSRS rather than guesswork 67. They can rule out medical causes, start evidence-based treatment, guide lethal-means safety at home, and coordinate with your teen's school for a supported return 3. AI chat tools are not a safe stand-in — they have been shown to fail at holding safety boundaries during crises 8. A trained human in your community is the right next call once your teen is home and safe.

Common questions

Do I have to wait 24 hours to report my teen missing?

No. There is no waiting period to report a missing minor. Call 911 right away, and tell the dispatcher you are concerned about self-harm.

Will asking my teen about suicide make things worse?

No. Asking directly does not plant the idea or increase risk; it is a recommended step that signals you care and opens a path to help.

What should I do at home while I wait?

Secure or remove firearms and medications, keep a phone line open, contact people who may know where your teen is, and share details and a photo with police.

This is an emergency

  • —Your teen has run away and has talked about wanting to die or hurt themselves
  • —They have access to firearms or medications
  • —A prior suicide attempt or recent severe distress
  • —They have stopped responding to calls or messages
  • —Goodbye messages or giving away belongings

Call 911 to report your teen missing and share your safety concern. For crisis support, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line), or call the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

This is general education, not medical advice or a diagnosis; in an emergency, contact 911 and trained crisis services.

References

  1. 1.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2024). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. SAMHSA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). link ✓988 offers free, confidential 24/7 crisis support through a network of local crisis centers.
  2. 2.National 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). National Institute of Mental Health. link ✓Asking about suicide does not increase risk; the 5 action steps frame how to help.
  3. 3.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Means Matter (2024). Lethal Means Counseling. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Means Matter). link ✓Reducing access to lethal means is an effective suicide-prevention action.
  4. 4.Shain B; AAP Committee on Adolescence (2016). Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1420 ✓Suicide is the second leading cause of death among older adolescents.
  5. 5.Stanley B, Brown GK (2012). Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001 ✓Safety planning is an evidence-informed practice for acute crises.
  6. 6.Horowitz 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. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2012.1276 ✓The brief ASQ reliably identifies at-risk youth.
  7. 7.Posner 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. American Journal of Psychiatry. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704 ✓The C-SSRS is validated for measuring suicidal ideation severity in adolescents.
  8. 8.Adrian Arnaiz-Rodriguez, Miguel Baidal, Erik Derner, Jenn Layton Annable, Mark Ball, Mark Ince, Elvira Perez Vallejos, Nuria Oliver (2025). Between Help and Harm: An Evaluation of Mental Health Crisis Handling by LLMs. arXiv preprint. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2509.24857 ✓LLMs fail to reliably maintain safety boundaries in crisis scenarios.

8 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice — synthetic demonstration content.