YOUTH RESOURCES: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO SUICIDE PREVENTION
Find practical advice to help safeguard your children and foster open communication about gun safety and mental health.
MEET THE OHIO AAP
Life Side Ohio is partnering with the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) to bring its Store It Safe initiative to youth and families across our state.
Follow these steps to ensure a safe environment for your child in the event of a mental health emergency:
RESTRICT ACCESS
First, store any lethal means present in your home, including firearms, medications, and alcohol, in a location children cannot access and secure with a lock and key.
MAKE A SAFETY PLAN
Work with your child to create a list of people they would feel comfortable talking to during a crisis and identify coping strategies for navigating periods of emotional distress.
UNDERSTAND CRISIS WILL HAPPEN
For many, it’s not a matter of if, but when their child will suffer a mental health emergency, which is why it’s so important to be ready to respond with kindness and compassion.
USE BARRIERS TO SEPARATE CHILDREN FROM LETHAL MEANS
Establishing barriers between your child and potentially lethal items like firearms can mean the difference between life and death.
Firearms
Medications
Alcohol
Risks:
Close to 90% of suicide attempts involving a firearm are fatal.
Nearly 2/3 of all firearm deaths in the US are suicides.
Barriers:
No matter the reason, do not allow your child to handle a firearm unsupervised.
Keep firearms and ammunition locked away in a firearms safe at all times.
Never share the combination or keys to your firearms safe with your child.
Risks:
Ingesting medications, including over-the-counter products, can result in life-threatening injuries or death by overdose.
The most common medications used in youth suicide attempts include acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), and antidepressants (SSRIs).
Barriers:
Store both prescription and over-the-counter medications out of reach of children.
Never share medications with other family members, including children.
Safely dispose of leftover medications by dropping them off at your local pharmacy.
Risks:
Because it is easily accessible in most homes, alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among US youth.
More than 4,300 US teens die each year from alcohol-related causes.
Barriers:
Like medications, keep alcohol out of reach of children at all times.
Talk to your children about the dangers of alcohol, including how to respond to peer pressure.
Establish an open line of communication that includes the opportunity for your child to avoid punishment in the event that they come to you with concerns about alcohol or thoughts of suicide.
When not in use, guns should be unloaded and locked inside a gun safe or other secure location unknown to your child, with all ammunition stored in a separate, equally secure location.
Funding for the resources on this webpage is made possible under grant number SM086105 from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The views expressed in written training materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, or HHS; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
"Get a safe, get a lockbox, get something that makes it harder for somebody that shouldn’t have (access to a firearm) to get their hands on it."
Jerrod Combs, US Army Veteran
GET INVOLVED
Whether you’re a gun owner or have lost a friend or loved one to suicide by firearm, our goal is simple - to save lives. We don't talk politics, nor do we wade into debates on legislation. We talk openly and honestly about Ohio’s suicide crisis and how to address it.
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