Foreword -- I'm not a stranger to suicide -- Teen suicide: dead serious -- Here's the thing -- A parable: As told to me by Scott LoMurray, sources of strength -- Why a second edition of Dead Serious? -- Middle school kids -- Three big takeaways -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1: When it's someone you know -- Kevin's story -- Reactions to suicide -- Denial -- Blame -- Guild -- Anger -- Grief -- Search for answers -- Healing never goes in a straight line -- Strategies: resources -- Chapter 2: Behind the statistics -- Youth risk behavior survey -- Teenage brain -- Sleep -- Don't you know? It's all academic -- Homework: The 10-minute rule -- Social media: 9 hours a day -- Loss: Death -- Loss: Divorce -- Loss: Support -- Moves are tough -- Economic stress -- When things do wrong in childhood - Sexual/physical/verbal abuse -- Facts -- Chris's story -- Strategies: Where to find help -- Chapter 3: Anxiety and depression -- Anxiety disorder -- Strategies: What can you do to be less anxious? -- Strategies: Some cool apps -- Depression -- Sign of depression -- Some major risks factors for depression -- What causes depression? -- Professionals treating depression -- Advances in treating depression -- Depression on the rise for teenage girls -- Strategies: What can you do to feel less depressed? -- Self-harm: Cutting -- Strategies: If you're a teen cutter -- Chapter 4: Exploding the myths/ recognizing the warning signals -- A quiz -- Exploding the sucicide myths -- Joe and Jeff's story -- Ron's story -- Tim's story -- Jeffery's story -- Steve's story -- SOS: Sucide warning signs -- Six general general warning signs -- Acting out -- Alcohol and drug abuse -- Opioid epidemic -- Teens mix prescriptions with other substances -- Passive behavior -- Changes in eating habits -- Changes in sleeping habits -- Fear of separation -- Stragegies: Where to get help - an introductory list -- Specific warning signs -- Abrupt changes in personality -- Sudden mood swings -- Risky behavior -- Decreased interest in school and poor grades -- Inability to concentrate -- Loss or lack of friends -- Final distress signals -- Loss of an important person or thing -- Hopelessness -- Obsession with death -- Making a will/giving away possessons -- Strategies: What can you do? -- Chapter 5: Suicide survivors -- Every suicide leaves an estimated six or more "suicide survivors" - people who've lost someone they care about deeply and are left grieving a struggling to understand -- My mother's story -- Bev and Ron's story -- My sibling story -- Stategies: Join a suicide survivor's group -- Strategies: Read a book -- Chapter 6: Over the edge : Interviews with suicide attempters -- Kate's story -- Kurt's story -- Natalie's story -- Chapter 7: Bullying : A power play that hurts -- What is bullying, anyway? -- Myths and facts about bullying -- Climbing the social ladder -- What we know about bullying and suicide -- David's story -- 13 reasons why -- Witnessing bullying -- Bethanne's story -- Callan's story -- Cyber bullying: Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide -- What's the solution? -- Strategies: ways to stop/react to bullying -- Chapter 8: LGBTQ: overcoming the stigma with resiliency and pride -- An abridged glossary of terms -- Doing just fine, thank you -- Milanka's story -- "Gender-expansive" children and young adults -- Not a level playing field -- Being outed -- Rejection by family and friends -- Physical safety at school and beyond -- August's story -- Homelessness -- Ali's story -- Substance abuse -- Suicide -- Sky's story -- On being transgender: It's not a disorder -- Hope -- Strategies: valuable resources -- Chapter 9: Connections -- Josh's story -- Dylan's story, take 2 -- Strategies: Listening -- Your friends are the first to know -- Strategies: Mirroring ("Mirrow on the wall . . .") -- Strategies: When a friend won't talk -- Strategies: Paying attention to nonverbal clues -- Strategies: How to ask good questions -- Sucide prevention programs that make the grade -- Strategies: Suicide hotlines -- Fire within -- Trevor Project: "Saving young lives: in the LGBTQ community -- Strategies: Where to get help -- Sources of strength: Peers rule -- SOS Spinoffs: We have your back -- What now? -- "You've got a friend".