Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch Reveals the Warning Signs of Suicidal Ideation in Teenage Girls

Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch, based in Argyle, TX, has recently published a blog post to reveal the warning signs or behaviors that would indicate that a teenage girl is struggling with suicidal thoughts. The problem with suicidal ideation is that it is not readily apparent to a caregiver or parent that their child or loved one is having suicidal thoughts. With teenagers, the problem gets more complex because parents tend to consider them to be adults although they may not have the self-awareness, skill set, or willingness to clearly express their mental health needs. These thoughts often just get stored away in the teenager’s brain unless they decide to express their thoughts. But frequently, teenage behaviors can provide clues to parents and caregivers as to the kind of thoughts they may be having.

It is important to note that in a May 2020 report on suicide and suicide prevention in Texas, from 2000 to 2017, teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 to 24 had a 41.1 percent rise in suicide. The rates increased from 10.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 to 15.1 deaths per 100,000 in 2017.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are warning signs that a person may be having suicidal thoughts. These include: talks about suicide, dying, or death; obtaining ways to take one’s own life, such as purchasing any weapon, toxic chemicals, etc., wanting to be alone or withdrawing from social contact, having mood swings; feeling trapped or hopeless, increased use of drugs or alcohol, risky behavior or self-destructive behavior, saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seeing them again, and developing personality changes.

Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch offers suicide prevention services. Specifically, they help teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 17 to overcome mental health and/or substance use issues. At their beautiful, multi-acre facility in Argyle, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, they seek to empower young women by teaching them valuable life skills and offering emotional support. They apply a harm reduction philosophy to encourage improvement instead of perfection as the young teen goes through the journey of recovery from addiction and mental health issues. They apply evidence-based therapy approaches, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

Ripple Ranch seeks to instill 11 core values in the teen girls that receive care. These are: commitment, integrity, transparency, safety, trust, service, vulnerability, spiritual growth, having purpose, a growth mindset, and learning the beauty in simplicity. They teach the value of simplicity by applying the healing power of animal therapy. As part of the teenage girls’ stay at Roots, they will help care for the many animals living on the ranch, which include dogs, chickens, and alpacas. They will also participate in many other healing outdoor activities on the ranch, such as fishing, archery, ropes courses, hiking/walking, camping, gardening, and more.

Founded in 2021, Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch is a residential and dual diagnosis treatment center in Argyle, Texas with a focus on females ages 13 to 17 years old. Their mission is to use a comprehensive whole-child (bio-psycho-social-spiritual) approach that is applied in a safe, undistracted and nurturing environment. Here, the patients will go through a journey of their life story, develop hope in a purposeful and healthy life, establish a loving sense of self, reconnect with family and the community, and establish a convicted belief that they are enough. They strongly believe that their immersive family systems element, relationship-centered approach, extensive aftercare program, and future-focused education program are essential in preparing their clients for renewal and lifelong recovery. Their facility is located on a six-acre ranch and is made up of a 6,000 square foot home and a 1,200 square foot barn.

Those who are interested in learning more about preventing suicidal thoughts and the services offered by Roots Renewal Ranch can check out their website, or contact them on the phone or through email. They can be contacted 24 hours a day at any day of the week.