The behavior of teens can tell us a lot about their home life, school, abuse, happiness or sadness with life, and moods that have changed or don’t appear to be normal for that person.  As a parent, your observations are very important because there may have been things going on in his or her life that you don’t know anything about.  Awareness is a key to being a helpful and authoritative figure in your child’s life.  Watching and active listening to their actions and discussions will be a valuable tool for their physical and mental health.

The website http://www.familyandteens.com is a valuable source of articles that every parent can read to understand the underlying causes of self-abuse and suicidal behavior that a teenage might be experiencing.  The author of articles addressing these serious events brings to light the importance of therapy along with medication