A new report by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention shows one in five high school students across the state of Indiana have considered killing themselves. And a local family which experienced the nightmare of suicide first-hand, is speaking out.
Christian Turner, 20, was two years out of high school when he shot and killed himself.
His parents, Tina and Bill Turner, told their son’s story in an exclusive report that aired on ABC 57 on Wednesday, May 3. The couple also participated in a Facebook Live discussion.
Bill Turner says his son, a former Penn High School student, was diagnosed and was given medication to treat manic depression. Despite that, and six years of therapy, he says Christian took his own life in March, 2016.
The Turners told their story to bring awareness of suicide to the forefront, in an effort to get others to seek help.
Some websites that provide help and information included in the ABC 57 story:
Watch the full story, presented by ABC 57 News Anchor Brian Dorman
Meantime, the issue of teenage and military suicides continues to be a front-burner topic on Capitol Hill.
Senator Joe Donnelly has introduced legislation to prevent suicide, particularly among teenagers and veterans.
The bill would reform the current suicide prevention lifeline system and Veterans Crisis Line by the government to study the current national suicide hotline system and make recommendations to Congress on how to improve it, including an easy to remember 3-digit number for the national suicide prevention hotline.
