TOLEDO, Ohio — One in three girls admitted that they considered suicide in 2021, according to recent CDC data.
"24% of them actually had a plan, so it's not like a fleeting through that went in and out of their brain," Robin Isenberg, the executive director of NAMI Greater Toledo, said. "They actually set a plan in place. Those are alarming statistics, that's one in five."
Isenberg also said that teenage girls are more likely to share their emotions than teenage boys. It's not that boys aren't struggling, it's that they are less likely to share if they are going through a hard time and in need of support.
Samantha Boyle lost her 14-year-old son Luken in 2017 after he took his own life.
"I had to give my 14-year-old CPR and I didn't get to bring him home at the end of the day," Boyle said.
She said it happened the same day the Blessed Scarament found out that he was catfished on social media.
"The scary part was that we had no warning signs because Luke was not bullied on a regular basis," she said. "He was well liked, he was well loved,"
She created the Luken T. Boyle Campaign for Kindness and is spreading the message of kindness and suicide prevention, especially online.
"I truly believe he got the idea from hearing other kids talking about suicide so flippantly," Boyle said.
Isenberg said social media, bullying and sexual violence are all contributing factors. CDC data shows one in five teen girls experienced sexual violence in 2021.
"You've got a bunch of young people whose brains aren't developed, they don't have the coping skills and they're getting bombarded with trauma and negative things," Isenberg said.
While Boyle said Luken didn't show signs, every teen is different.
Brooke Budion, a physician assistant at the Zepf Center, said parents should pay attention to a teen's change in sleep or appetite, if they withdraw from family or friends and if they are any worrisome changes from their normal self.
"A lot of people are afraid to ask teens if their having suicidal thoughts, thinking that they'll induce those, but that's just not the case," Budion said. "Actually talking about it reduces those chances."
Boyle's suggestion for parents is to check in with your kids and even consider looking through their phones for warning signs.
"If someone is suicidal, whether you think they're going to do it or not, you need to take action, you need to tell an adult, you can do it anonymously, whatever it is, we have to be more in tune with one another," Boyle said.
NAMI Greater Toledo can help connect people in need of assistance with resources. The Zepf Center also takes walk-in appointments.