Adolescents reach out through social media.

• Position: Suicide - Brief article

Teens and young adults are making use of social networking sites and mobile technology to express suicidal thoughts and intentions as well as to reach out for help, suggest two studies in Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.

An analysis of one month of public posts on MySpace revealed 64 comments in which adolescents expressed a wish to die. Researchers conducted a follow-up survey of young adults and found that text messages are the second-most common way for respondents to seek help when they feel depressed. Talking to a friend or family member ranks first.

These young adults also reveal they would be least likely to use suicide hotlines or online suicide support groups--the most prevalent strategy among existing suicide-prevention initiatives. The findings indicate that suicide prevention and intervention efforts geared at teens and young adults should employ social networking and other types of technology.

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