A Teen Talks About Suicide and What Parents Should Know

Teenagers are facing a mental health crisis and life challenges unlike anything faced by other generations. According to the CDC, suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 18. Our strategy was to humanize the statistics through a first person account and start a conversation about what more can be done. We captured the story of a 16-year-old from the Midwest whose experience with depression and attempted suicide can provide hope to parents.
We set out to convince people of the issue and offer some guidance forward. Honestly acknowledging a problem is half the battle. We aim to reach parents and grandparents who want to support their teenagers, but don’t know how. Our goal is to help adults understand/help a young person in crisis.
The video has generated a huge response across AARP’s digital platforms. It has more than 400,000 views. The video has over 4,500 engagements across Facebook and YouTube, with people finding connections in comments, such as “Her words are so powerful…thank you for opening my eyes.”