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Note: This response to the tragic suicide of Megan Meier was authored by a CrisisLink Hotline Volunteer. For details on the story behind the response, please see A Deadly Web of Deceit in The Washington Post.
MYSPACE SUICIDE: A WAKE-UP CALL FOR PARENTS
While millions debate over the legal ramifications of this tragedy, the importance of suicide prevention gets lost in the shuffle.
Arlington, VA (January 24, 2008)--Megan Meier was heartbroken. Her online admirer had just rejected her for no apparent reason. She was crushed. So, she shut down her computer. Took out one of her belts and hung herself in her closet.
Her mother found her hanging there a few hours later and screamed so loudly that it was heard throughout the neighborhood. The paramedics rushed to the scene and were able to detect a faint heartbeat from Megan’s limp body. In spite of this false glimmer of hope, Megan died that day. A thirteen-year-old girl took her own life to escape the pain of rejection.
After some time passed, the truth came out concerning the identity of Megan’s online boyfriend. It turned out that he was a figment of the imagination of parents who lived across the street. The Meiers were outraged. The community was outraged. And now the country is outraged. In fact, the case to determine how the adults who impersonated this teenage boy can be held accountable continues. The online community and seemingly much of America are calling for blood. The public is desperate to find someone to blame for this tragedy.
Unfortunately, no matter what happens to the creators of this fake profile, the Meiers will never get their daughter back. Due to that terrible truth, CrisisLink asks the public to focus its energy on preventing a similar situation from happening in the future. Suicide happens far more often than anyone realizes. In fact, it is the third leading cause of death for youth nationwide, and by far, the most preventable.
Suicidal thoughts are typically a time-limited crisis, usually lasting only a few hours or days. If a youth who is at risk of suicide can be prevented from attempting to kill him or herself during that crisis period, then that young person has most likely been saved. New research at the National Institutes of Mental Health indicates that the typical time between planning and attempting suicide for teens is only 15 minutes. Since impulsivity is such a strong factor for this age group, getting information to parents and teens ahead of time about resources and action plans for supporting a suicidal person can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Many youth and their parents are unaware of the risk and warning signs of suicide, and they don’t know where to go for help when a crisis occurs. CrisisLink wants that to change. The Hotlines it staffs, including CrisisLink’s own Hotline, the Hopeline, and the Lifeline, are free, confidential, and just a phone call away any hour of the day or night.
For more information about the warning signs of a suicidal teen or more information on how to deal with a suicidal person, visit http://www.crisislink.org/resources/suicide/suicide_signs.html. Through its Tara Sirmans Survivor HOPE Program, CrisisLink also offers information and services for people just like the Meiers, who need help figuring out how to live after experiencing such a terrible loss. More information on “surviving” suicide is available http://www.crisislink.org/programs/hope/index.html.
CrisisLink saves lives and prevents tragedies, giving vital support to those facing life crises, trauma, and suicide, and provides information, education and links to community resources to empower people to help themselves. Since 1969, CrisisLink has answered more than half a million crisis calls, responded to over 20,000 potential suicides, and provided more than a quarter million referrals.
CrisisLink is a Level IV, accredited crisis center—the highest level possible level—by the American Association of Suicidology. In addition to answering calls from its own hotline (703-527-4077), CrisisLink answers calls for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), the National Hopeline (1-800-SUICIDE), and the National Child Sexual Abuse Hotline (1-800-THE-LIGHT). CrisisLink also answers calls for the regional program Into Safe Arms, which prevents unsafe baby abandonment.
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