Shiny Pop Star: Amber of Teen Mom Threatens Suicide

Like being a teenager isn't hard enough.  School, peer pressure, family problems, acne, weight issues, substance abuse, health problems, and financial stress are everywhere. And for so many teens, add on top the stress being a mom or dad of a new baby. Now imagine projecting your difficult teen life on to the TV screens (and smartphones) of 5.6 million viewers. (By choice, granted, but do these young people, most from impoverished homes, REALLY understand the consequences of being on a reality show?)

Amber and her baby in happier times

Yesterday, newswires lit up with reports about Amber Portwood, one of the MTV hit show's stars, and her alleged suicide threat, called in by her ex-fiance Gary Shirley and not yet confirmed by Amber.  She was hospitalized as a precaution, but it makes you think... was this threat fueled by fame? Stress? Drugs? The fact that the next season of "Teen Mom" premieres July 5th?

Whatever the reason, teenage suicide is a very real issue, with suicide ranking third among the leading causes of death for young people like Amber, ages 15-24 (after unintentional injury and homicide).

One of my favorite bloggers, Barbara Greenberg of "Talking Teenage", gives parents some very wise tips on her Galtime post today. If you are the parent of a child who may seem depressed or you feel may be contemplating suicide, she gives some nice advice on how to start the conversation on her site. 

Is it silly for parents to keep in touch with pop culture? Are they trying to be "cool" or do you watch MTV with an ulterior motive... connecting with your kids? I applaud parents who keep connected with their kids' youth culture and watch their shows, listen to their music... and use that knowledge of their "world" to fuel discussions with your child about important issues like suicide. Instead of asking, "How are you feeling today?," you can ask, "Did you hear about Amber? What do you think happened...? I can see that being a more effective ice breaker for any important topic.

Check out the ABC News story here.

More eye-opening facts about teen suicide from Youth Noise:

Where suicide ranks fourth among the leading causes of death for young people ages 10-14. 5,000 young people ages 15-24 who commit suicide each year. Every 100 minutes another teenager will commit suicide. 80% of people who talk about suicide before taking action. 5-10% of teenagers have depression or manic-depressive illness. Four times as many men commit suicide than women but women attempt suicide three times more frequently than men; they just don't follow through as often as men do. 60% of high school students who said they had thought about killing themselves, according to a recent survey of high school students.