Say Hello Save a Life - A Podcast About Teenage Mental Health, Depression And Suicide

We would like to thank everyone who turned into the podcast this year. We hope for an even more productive 2021. We love each and every one of you.

If someone you know is suffering a mental health crisis 1. Identifying a Mental Health Emergency 2. Try to De-Escalate the Situation 3. Call 911 or a Hotline 4. Stay With the Individual If Possible 5. Help Them Get the Follow Up Care They Need

1. Get Enough Sleep and Eat Well 2. Exercise Each Day 3. Encourage them to share their feelings 4. See Your Doctor as Needed 5. Spend Time With Friends 6. Find a Purpose 7. Take Time for Yourself

In this episode, we discuss ideas that you can use to help you help a suicide loss survivor through their grief.  We hope you find these suggestions helpful.  Thank you for listening. Admit That You Don’t Know What to Say. Don’t Give the Person Advice — With Exceptions Bring Them Necessities and Give Tangible Help Do Not Assign Blame Stick Around for the Long Haul Don’t Forget the Individual Who Died

Preschool-Kindergarten: Stick to the basics. Ages 7 to 10: Give short, true answers. Ages 11-14: Be more concrete. High school: Not if….when College: Check-in.

10 Warning Signs of Teenage Mental Illness 1. Feeling Very Worried, Sad, or Angry 2. Extreme Mood Changes 3. Not Caring About Physical Appearance 4. Changes in Eating or Sleeping Habits 5. Change in School Performance 6. Isolation or Loss of Interest in Activities 7. Complaints of Physical Maladies 8. Drug or Alcohol Abuse 9. Trouble Understanding Reality 10. Talk About Dying Mental illness is preventable.  However in most cases parents don’t bring the child in until after issues have been going on for months and months because they are in denial.  Most parents feel that “it can’t possibly be happening to my child.  You should talk to your teenif you’re concerned. Parenting a teen is challenging, and it can be hard to know whether a symptom is worrisome or just part of growing up. Keeping the lines of communication open can help you know what your teen is going through. Don’t be afraid to seek care from his or her doctor or to ask your teen to see a counselor to rule out physical conditions of a teenage mental illness. Also, don’t forget to take care of yourself; it’s difficult to care for someone who has concerning symptoms, so take the time to treat yourself well and to seek counseling if you need it.

#1 “Other people have it worse.” #2 “You can choose to be positive.” #3 “You’re always such a complainer.” #4 “Maybe if you just got out more…” #5 “Everyone is sad sometimes.” #6 “You’d feel better if you focused on something else.” #7 “Have you tried taking vitamin D supplements?” Knowing what not to say to someone with depressive disorder is one way to be a good friend to your loved one. If you have made any of these remarks in the past, you can apologize and make the decision not to repeat them. You can also talk to a counselor about ways that you can help a loved one dealing with depressive disorder. Your loved one will appreciate your efforts.

Did you know that over ½ of teens have experienced being bullied online? 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one of six types of abusive online behaviors. 42% of teens say they have been called offensive names online or via their cellphone. (32%) of teens say someone has spread false rumors about them on the internet smaller shares have had someone other than a parent constantly ask where they are, who they’re with or what they’re doing (21%) have been the target of physical threats online (16%)

Parents make sure to look for these 3 Teen Bullying Signs Teen Bullying Signs Beginning at School School is where young people spend the most time together, and it’s where a lot of bullying between same-aged peers is likely to start. Even in cases of cyberbullying, it’s common for the bully and bullied to know each other from school. Conflicts may arise in the school setting and later migrate to the web. When a teenager must encounter someone who is bullying them in school, it’s not surprising that they might begin to have problems in school. Teens who are being bullied might feign illness or come up with other excuses to miss school, or they may skip classes or whole days of school behind your back. If they can’t avoid school, teen bullying signs might exhibit anxiety or express dislike for school and school-related activities. You may also notice a change in your teenager’s grades. It’s common for stress and distractions to impact a teen’s ability to succeed in school, and being bullied is both stressful and distracting. Failing to turn in assignments or work up to their previous standards may also be a way for a teen to express that something is wrong when they don’t feel comfortable saying it in words.

Suicide and our teens It’s the second-leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 24. This means that more middle school, high school, and college students die by suicide than they do from cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, AIDS, influenza, stroke, and lung disease combined. As a parent, the thought of your teen having suicidal thoughts probably sends a shiver down your spine. No one wants to believe that their adolescent will be a victim, but each day in the U.S., there are nearly 3,500 suicide attempts in high school students. This number does not account for middle school students or college students. It’s important to know the signs of suicidal thoughts and ideation, because the vast majority of teens who attempt suicide show warning signs. Read on to learn more about suicide in teens and what you can do to make your teenager safer.

How is your teen copin​g during COVID-19? Should you be worried? Check in with your teen often to discuss how they're feeling and managing, and watch for signs of mental health struggles. Keep in mind that these signs are not the same for everyone; different people show different signs when trying to deal with mental health challenges.​ It's normal for teens to feel sad during this time, crying sometimes because they miss their friends or because sports and musical productions were cancelled. However, your teen likely could benefit from extra support if they expressed anything talked about in this episode.

Growing up is hard, increased responsibilities are stressful, and emotions are difficult to manage. One would be hard-pressed to find an adult who manages their responsibilities, emotions, and relationships in a healthy way 100 percent of the time. The pressures of responsibilities, emotions, and relationships can be particularly intense among teens and young adults, as they have not learned how to manage many difficult aspects of life at their young age. Also, their brains are still developing, and it is very common for teens to act unreasonably or engage in risky behavior. Dopamine levels in adolescent brains can drop sudden and fast which can cause this unreasonably risky behavior.  High achieving youth are especially susceptible to this.  It’s up to us as parents and teachers to provide our children with the tools to handle these sudden drops.

In this episode JJ’s Hello Foundation president and JJ’s dad talks about the worst day of his life and what the goal of JJ’s Hello Foundation is. This episode contains descriptive information about the night surrounding JJ’s death so please listen with a friend or trusted adult.

Welcome to the Say hello Save a life podcast.  Hello my name is Josh Anderson I am the president and co-founder of JJ’s Hello foundation a youth mental health and suicide prevention foundation created following the loss of our 12 year old son JJ to suicide in 2016 On the say hello save a life podcast we will discuss serious topics including youth mental health, signs of teenage depression and suicide. Because of these topics viewer discretion is advised. The goal of this podcast is to have an open and honest conversation about teenage mental health issues, depression and suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24  in the united states. Suicide takes the lives of our youth more than all natural causes of death combined. I hope that you will join our foundation on this journey so that as a community we can end youth suicide and keep any other families from having to live our daily pain.