Working at a Suicide Prevention Hotline
More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, and strokes, combined. There are more than 1,000 suicides on our nation’s college campuses per year. I hope to reduce these horrible statistics by picking up the phone at a teen suicide hotline and listening to teenagers speak about what they are dealing with and also educating others about the signs and symptoms of depression.
September generally marks the end of summer and return to school. For most kids, back to school means new clothes, backpacks, and a sense of anticipation and excitement. For other teens, however, September is as dark as every other month. They do not want to start a new school year; instead, they want to end their suffering by suicide. For this reason, September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month and Teen Lifeline, a teen peer-to-peer hotline, is there to support those students who are in the darkest time of their lives and in need of help.
I was first exposed to the challenges that other kids face in the eighth grade when I transitioned from homeschooling to a traditional middle school. The first year of attending in-person school opened my eyes and expanded my perspective of the world. While I had supportive parents and a positive home life, not all kids were so lucky. I watched and listened to my friends who struggled in school because of what was going on at home or inside their own minds. I was glad that they were comfortable sharing their struggles with me and I found myself looking for ways to help them. In doing so, I discovered my passion for helping people in need of emotional support.
I began working at Teen Lifeline as a Sophomore in high school, which gave me a chance to talk to and help teenagers, who needed just one person in their lives to listen to them and support them. Through my training, I have learned that many people experience horrible times in their life and need a safe way to share their thoughts and feelings without being judged. The hotline was just what they needed.
Teen counselors take calls from teens around the world, who need just one person in their lives who cares about them and their struggles. Kids who do not have supportive relationships with their teachers, parents, or any other person call Teen Lifeline, seeking guidance and support from someone their own age; someone who will take the time to listen and not judge them. The peer counselors who work at the hotline have well-developed listening skills and they understand the power of human connection and caring.
While in high school, I spent 25 hours per week at Teen Lifeline, taking calls, training other peer counselors, and spreading mental health awareness. It feels fulfilling when your connection to another teen provides the support and strength they need to put down the pills, knife, gun or to step away from the edge of rush-hour traffic.
The Call
John, a young teen similar to my own age at the time, called while he was standing next to a busy street, considering walking into rush hour traffic, and giving up on life. I could feel his confusion and anxiety through the telephone and kept my own composure to prevent my own nerves from causing him more stress. John told me that he had been kicked out of his home, he had no place to go and felt no hope in life. With the urge to have it all over, his voice cracked, and I could hear him getting closer to the rushing traffic. I asked John what had kept him alive for the past couple of months and how his death would impact others. John told me that his friends had been giving him the support that his family was not providing. Though he didn’t feel as close as he would like to his friends, they were all he had. After taking a moment of silence, John also told me about his close relationship with his dog and how horrible his dog’s life would be without him there to feed and care for him. John then began to realize that his dog and his friends would miss him, even though it wasn’t as apparent sometimes.
John also described his expectations of himself and how he had been disappointed in his use of time in the past months. He had not reached his personal goals and had been slacking in school. He felt like he was constantly letting others down and a huge disappointment to his parents. John began to realize how much he had to improve and how much he wanted to change in his life. I could sense his new understanding of himself and his future goals. He realized he had a future and would keep going no matter how much hope he had lost.
In less than an hour, I was able to connect with John, help him realize he did have a positive future, and that he absolutely mattered to others. He agreed to be picked up and taken to a nearby shelter where he would be given a place to stay. John promised me that he wouldn't kill himself and that if he felt like that again, he would call back and talk to me. A few minutes later, John called the hotline again–asking to speak with me. He thanked me for talking to him and told me that he was going to be in a safe place that night. I thanked him for calling and wished him the best.
My call with John helped me realize the power of peer-to-peer connection. This was one of the first calls I took at Teen Lifeline. It has stuck with me ever since. I find meaning and purpose in my life when I can help impact the course of life or death of a teenager by being there at that critical moment when they need the most help.
We each have a purpose and meaning in life and we find different ways of fulfilling our goals and dreams. Connecting with another teen can make a difference; it can change their course of life or death by simply being there at that important moment where lives could go off course. Teen Lifeline significantly impacts the lives of many teens and impacted my life as well; both through the care and support of others.
If you are a teen who is struggling or know a teen who may be at risk, please call Teen Lifeline at 602-248-TEEN. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This is me in high school taking a hotline call in the call center.