Important steps to prevent young people from committing suicide

“Starting a conversation,” Sept. 24 news story. Suicide is tragic, but also preventable. Several factors contribute to young people taking their lives. The decision to attempt suicide until the attempt often is only a few hours. Therefore, the means to the suicide attempt matter.

As 50 percent of youth suicides are caused by a firearm, parents can take immediate action to make their homes safer. The safest home is one without firearms present. If your child is at risk, at least short-term removal of firearms during the crisis is recommended. Recognizing the impracticality of parents making their homes firearm-free all the time, the next safest home is one that has all firearms absolutely inaccessible to children. Firearms should be stored unloaded, locked in a gun cabinet or lock box, or secured with a cable or trigger lock.

Similarly, all medicines should also be locked. Recognize mood changes in your child and seek help from your primary care provider or mental health professionals.

Denver The writer is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Send letters of 150 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 800, Denver, CO, 80202. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1331.