Suicidal Teens Turn to Social Media, Not Hotlines & Support Groups

Article Excerpt: Ohio State researchers conducting a survey of young adults found that text messages were the second-most common way (behind talking to a friend or family member) for respondents to seek help when they felt depressed. Contrastingly, use of suicide hotlines or online suicide support groups ranked last, despite being the most prevalent strategy among existing suicide-prevention initiatives. Findings suggest that suicide prevention and intervention efforts geared at teens and young adults should employ social networking and other types of technology.