As a teen, have you lost a friend or loved one to suicide?

• There are always two parties to a suicide; the person who dies and the survivors who are left to grapple with the agonizing pain of their loss.
• Many young survivors of suicide suffer alone and in silence and often deal with their own depression.
• Survivors feel the pain of the loss, yet may not know how, or where, or if, they should express it.
• Just like other people grieving the loss of someone they loved, suicide survivors need to talk, to cry, and sometimes to scream, in order to heal.
• Young survivors of suicide are often left with a feeling of abandonment at a time when they desperately need unconditional support and understanding.

"The rate of suicide for this age group has nearly tripled since 1960, making it the third leading cause of death in adolescents and the second leading cause of death among college age youth." One in eight teens suffers from clinical depression - that's three adolescents per classroom!  50 percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.  And, more teens die from suicide than from the TOP EIGHT LEADING MEDICAL ILLNESSES, COMBINED!

IF YOU NEED TO TALK…..
The Helping Hands Circle, in association with the Kaitlin Harris Foundation, is a safe environment that provides support for teens who have lost someone they care about to suicide.

"Our goal is to lend an empathetic ear to those who need a place to talk about these issues. Talking about suicide and depression is not easy, but we are here to help."

Katherine Kientzle, MA, P.L.P.C., and Robin Harris (co-founder of the Kaitlin Harris Foundation) are the co-founders of this support group. If you are interested in additional information, feel free to contact Robin Harris at: 636-236-6644, and Katherine Kientzle at: 314-401-7003 or 314-432-2428.