Not My Kid: What Every Parent Should Know

Created by The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Not My Kid: What Parents Should Know About Teen Suicide is a 17-minute web-based video that features eight parents from culturally diverse backgrounds asking two mental health professionals a variety of common questions about youth suicide. It was designed to:

• Increase parental awareness about the extent of youth suicide.
• Answer commonly asked parental questions about youth suicide.
• Clarify misinformation about youth suicide.
• Demonstrate to parents how to talk to mental health professionals about youth suicide.

Video content is based on the questions asked most frequently at parental workshops conducted by The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide between 2006 and 2008, as well as content developed by the Washington State Youth Suicide Project, the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Project and the Youth Suicide Prevention School-based Guide of the University of South Florida. Three themes emerged from these sources: (1) lack of awareness about the extent of teen suicide; (2) the misconception that asking about suicide could plant the idea in the mind of a vulnerable teen; and, (3) parental lack of knowledge about questions they should ask mental health providers about the issue of suicide risk.

Program Objectives
After viewing the video, parents will have:
1. Increased awareness and knowledge about youth suicide.
2. Increased knowledge of warning signs of suicide risk for youth.

Implementation Essential: When promoted by schools and other institutions, promotional materials should include information about local mental health and related resources.

2012 NSSP Objectives Addressed: 

Objective 2.1: Develop, implement, and evaluate communication efforts designed to reach defined segments of the population.