RemedyLIVE is a 24/7 suicide prevention chat center via phone, web, and texting. They are committed to serving teens and young adults. There are certainly other suicide prevention hotlines nationally and locally, but this organization is specifically based on Christian beliefs.
If you are interested in other resources beyond RemedyLIVE, check out the ones we have listed on our mental health resources page. This is an alternative for teens who want to talk to someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts.
The Facts About Teen Suicide
Here are some facts you may need to know about teen suicide from the latest report from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics Report.
- In 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death for persons aged 10–14, 15–19, and 20–24.
- The suicide rate for persons aged 10-14 has nearly tripled from 2007 to 2017, settling at 2.5 deaths per 100,000 people in that age range.
- The suicide rate for ages 15-19 in 2017 was 11.8 deaths per 100,000 people in that age range.
The question researchers and people in mental health and crisis services are trying to answer is: How well do we understand what behavior in youth signals suicidal risk, and is the mental health community well-positioned to help? I don’t think the easy answer of “they just need Jesus” will end this epidemic.
About the Mission of RemedyLIVE
Here’s a quick video of one of a RemedyLIVE testimonial.
Some of the self-reported statistics they shared for 2018 include nearly 18,000 people served, having nearly 60,000 conversations, with each conversation averaging about 39 minutes.
Via their latest 2018 annual report, they say the organization “recruits SoulMedics, part-time staff, to be online so we can provide interactive chat services 24 hours a day. This guarantees that our chat clients will always have someone to interact with anonymously. Our clients find our website thanks to a monthly Google Adwords grant and a well-built website that connects them with RemedyLIVE.com when they use a search engine looking for help with a hard issue. The issues we target in our ads, through our website structure, and our on-demand video library orbit around suicidal thinking, bullying, depression, abuse, self-harm, and faith. As a Christian organization we believe that asking questions and listening to our client’s story through a technological chat conversation builds a bridge of trust and truly extends God’s love for all young people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or religion.”
How To Use It?
I’d encourage youth pastors to have the chat line (text the word REMEDY to the number 494949 to chat) and website on hand. And don’t keep it to yourself: preach about it from the pulpit, put it in newsletters you give to parents, tell your volunteers about it, and make sure that your volunteers have it in their phones if they need to share it with students.
What is your youth group or church doing to help address the growing concern of suicide with teenagers?
What if my son doesn’t really believe in Jesus? I am afraid of the local in patient place but something has to be done. Do you have a chat or resources for a God fearing mom to help stop her son from doing this?
Child’s safety is most important and you need to get them assessed at a hospital or counseling center if they are feeling suicidal. If it is not imminent and a risk, you can take with someone from RemedyLIVE as well or seek out your own Christian counselor.
I am 16 snd I have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts, I am also a Christian, and my advice to you is if he is not interested in god at the moment try your hardest to help him but without so much god involved, of course, let him know that God is there for him and there to help but cater to him, he will not listen if you are only using gods word to help. I go to a Christian counselor but I have asked her not to use god in our lessons and it has helped me immensely.
Be completely honest with you son about how God had a part in something of your life that there is no other explanation. Discuss a time where Jesus has healed you from an illness. How Jesus carried you through a challenging time. I cannot stress your son needs to hear these stories. Then share these scriptures with your son. These particular 3 helped me years ago (not as effective now) but there are 365 verses on fear.
2 Timothy 1:7, Phillipians 4:13, and Roman 8:28.
When they are no longer effective God has given us many to get back. Pray with your son through all of this.
May God bless you throughout and I will keep you in my prayers
Hello my name is Margie and I’m looking for a christian based suicide help center in Ontario Ca or some where near.
My son who believes he is transgender and has been feeling suicidal for years. His best friend died some years ago and he speaks of him during these low times. Hes been recieving counseling and is on medication for depression and is now also on estrogen hormone therapy. He is currently seeking surgery options. My concern is that he is seeking happiness, wholeness and contentment in this transformation and I know after everything is done he will not, maybe for a season, but not ultimately. And when that happens he will again plummet onto depression and suicide. Which he still struggles with and feels once he accomplishes his transformation all will be well with his world. I need guidance. I need to gain understanding. My son will not go to any Christian counseling. I’m not only seeking help for myself but that I may help other parents and possibly volunteer.
Margie, the first place to begin is by truly trying to understand who your child is. Learn more about what’s going on in their world….without judging. You say that your child won’t be happy after the transition but think about it…no one puts themselves through that much (surgery, hormones, ridicule from others, etc) if they don’t believe what they are expressing to you to the core of their being. In most cases, I have seen people come out of their shell and thrive after transitioning. And that is because they feel their body is aligned with their soul.
The fact that you keep misgendering and you seem to be focused on the transition halting, let’s me know that you haven’t quite done this part yet. Trust me, trying to ‘pray it away’ or force what YOU believe on them, will only make things worse. While you should pray, I hope it is not misdirected/guided. I hope that you are praying that God shows you how to love your child the way He loves us…unconditionally.
I know it’s been quite a while since your post; I pray your son is doing well. I decided to answer anyway since I saw no one replied to you.
We all have our “cross” to carry in life (our burdens). Some people are motherless/fatherless, some are disabled physically, some mentally, some have no love from their parents, some never even knew them, some have same sex attractions, some deal with violent tendencies, some struggle with chemical dependencies, etc. Most people have more than one of these issues and others. Especially in today’s climate, our situation can seem hopeless, our lives pointless. The fact that we lack meaning in our lives, that can be a real bummer to say the least. From my own experience, I think it’s important to first focus on the good things we do have that we may take for granted. In your son’s case, he has a mother who’s worried about him and wants to help. Alot of people don’t have that. The truth is, we were created by a loving God who provided everything we could ever need in life, including a purpose. We were created to love honor, and glorify God. Unfortunately, through centuries of manipulation, and twisting of the truth, that truth is now a very hard pill to swallow. Our society says (and implies) that we are our own god, we should do whatever we want to do no matter what, and we came from absolutely nothing or we evolved from apes. They say there are no consequences to our actions, and nothing matters. So that’s how we now act. And how we teach our children to act. We are ALL sinners, and none of us can get close to God or go to heaven on our own because of this. The penalty for sin, even lying just once throughout your lifetime, is death. Thankfully, God sent His only begotten Son to earth over 2,000 years ago to suffer and die for all of our sins (if we acknowledge our sins, repent, and trust in His perfect work on the cross) (John 3:16). Jesus Christ took the death penalty in our stead because He lived a sinless life (as only God can do), and died a horrible blameless death. He then rose from the dead after three days and later ascended to heaven. He conquered death for us. He was a Lamb without blemish, a sacrifice so perfect, that it is able to atone for all the sins of everyone, everywhere. This is a gift from God that cannot be bought or earned (Ephesians 2:8-9). Again, the only thing we need do to receive this gift is to sincerely recognize all of this, sincerely repent, and trust that the shedding of Jesus’ blood is our only way to salvation (John 14:6). Once we are gifted with forgiveness, we are also gifted with the Holy Spirit; a very real Presence, a Helper that Jesus sends to help us with our every day tribulations. God knows we’re messed up, and He doesn’t wait until we fix ourselves, because that’s impossible. He only waits until we turn to Him. Then He will work many wonders for and through us. So not only are we forgiven for all of our sins (past present and future, AND we can never lose our salvation), and we can go to heaven, but amazingly, we’re also now able to have a personal and loving relationship with God, our Creator during our lifetime here on earth! It’s a real shame that we no longer believe any of this, when it was there the whole time. The Bible is our only source for truth not religion, not sects, just the Bible, which is God’s law and lessons He knew we would need during the last days. Turning to and trusting in Jesus will lighten your load immensely (Matthew 11:28-30) I know for a fact that all this is true because God instantly lifted a burden off of me I’d been carrying around for 40 years. A burden that no amount of drugs, hair dye, piercing, tattooing, or false religions could even touch. And I’ve been ride or die ever since. I’m not saying that my life was magically fixed afterwards, far from it. But the difference is, now I know I have real help, I know I’m not alone, God is literally my witness, and although He is invisible, He provides faithfully to His children and He answers our prayers. He gives us the power to have joy in the midst of our trials no matter what’s going on in the world. Also, even if you can’t get your son to turn to Jesus, if you yourself do so, God will bless you and your household. This doesn’t mean that he will automatically be saved (he still has to make that decision for himself), but it does means that he will be more receptive. I pray that this helps you in some way. I’m praying for you both!
I am a Christian who struggled with suicide for many years until Christ came into my life .
I just finished doing a narrated testimony of my story as a video on line .
Can I at the end of the video put your email link up as a resource for someone who may need help and council