Keke Palmer Twitter Advice Addresses Teen Suicide Following Death Of 17-Year-Old Girl

While the entertainment world comes to grips with the apparent suicide of television pioneer Don Cornelius, the family and friends of 17-year-old Ashley Duncan, along with teen actress Keke Palmer, are reeling from her death, believed to be the result of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Duncan's death followed days of suicidal references made by the teen on her Twitter and Tumblr pages, including a photo of a gun with a caption that read "I finally got a gun," Houston's FOX 26 reports.

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Like Duncan's classmates, who told FOX 26 they believe her death is "a wake up call" to heed warnings of suicidal behavior, Palmer took to Twitter to urge other teens to steer clear of drugs, which can lead to depression, and to speak up about issues they're having that may lead to suicidal thoughts.

Palmer addressed comments on Duncan's Tumblr page that may indicate she was taking the drug ecstasy, saying "People don't realize that ecstasy causes depression," a connection that scientists have explored in various studies.

She went on to highlight her own issues with self-esteem in a tweet that said: "I think I'm BEAUTIFUL! I didn't start feeling that way completely until I liked the person on the INSIDE, and that's real."

Duncan's suicide follows that of 18-year-old student Ashley Billasano, from nearby Rosenberg, Texas, who sent 144 tweets expressing her pain and grief before killing herself in November.

"Parents should pay more attention to their kids, and kids should talk, not text," Duncan's mother told FOX 26.

On Twitter, Palmer made a plea to her followers -- "Please people speak up if you're struggling with anything!!" she said -- while suicide prevention advocate Bill Berger stressed the importance of doing so face-to-face, and not online.

"A lot of times, people do have that one final outburst of a call for help," he told the Daily Mail. "In the olden days, you had to talk face to face. Now we have this wall of protection called the Internet and I think it's easier for people to release their feelings," he said.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or visit stopbullying.gov. You can also visit The Trevor Project or call them at 866-488-7386.

Comments

[DominantDeFacto]

11:05 PM on 02/07/2012

This story saddens my heart! I read her twitter for days she posted things and its heart breaking! My heart goes to the family.

[Kim Moore2011]

03:50 AM on 02/04/2012

May God bless the family of this child in their time of grieve. Suicide is wrong no matter who's bullying you or what you're going through in your life, it's wrong to take your own life. I hope someone address this problem and soon. These kids who take their own lives always look so happy on their twitter or facebook pages, no one would ever guess that they feel so much pain inside under that mask. I hate reading these stories, but I have to wonder if facebook and twitter could be the cause in the rise of suicides. Maybe these kids think it's a cool thing to do because so many other kids are doing via facebook and twitter....Something to think about.

[Paulina Lewis]

09:52 AM on 02/04/2012

Facebook and twitter might allow another avenue of bullying or self-esteem issues, but that's not to say that they are the CAUSE of suicide. Teens that kill themselves because of severe and chronic depression don't do so because they want to fit in. They do it because they're in pain. The problem isn't the social media, the problem is the pain.

[Adam Hose]

09:14 AM on 02/03/2012

She brings up a good point. Something I've never really taken into consideration....despite being prone to depression myself. Maybe I'll cut back on drinking.

[CarolinaSistah]

10:51 PM on 02/07/2012

Alcohol is a drug and is a depressant. People who suffer with depression should not use alcohol as it makes the depression worse. In addition, treatment for depression (anti-depressant)medications, often are incompatible with alcohol consumption.

Please get help. Talk to someone. A trusted friend. Suicide is never the right answer even it seems so at the time. There is always hope.

[Adam Hose]

01:50 AM on 02/08/2012

Thanks for the response. You sound like a caring person. I'm not suicidal at all and not always depressed, but I do seem to struggle with it more then the average person. Thanks again and take care.

[shawshank]

10:21 AM on 02/02/2012

Shame in one of its numerous destructive forms, is at the root of most suicides - excepting those in unbearable physical pain.

"I have no shame around the fact that I can be shot into suicidal feelings by certain people's treatment of me. I am no different to any other person, I therefore act as I believe any other person should be free to." Sinead O'Connor

[Stacey Jones]

03:42 AM on 02/02/2012

Suicide isn't taken seriously in our society so people don't know how to respond when people threaten to kill themselves. I think teenagers are ignored because they take everything so seriously at that age and adults don't listen to children. RIP Ashley Duncan I'm sending my love & support to her family, friends, and loved ones at this time.

[RichelleRichie]

03:33 AM on 02/02/2012

So sad. Suicide is NEVER the answer.

[Greenblue]

02:25 PM on 02/04/2012

..says normal person. To suicidal people with mental or other issues, it is.

[Marv Evre]

10:47 PM on 02/01/2012

The truth about suicide is you always kill yourself too late, so don't bother.

[edtastic]

10:12 PM on 02/01/2012

Too much of good thing is not good but I would not say reasonable consumption ecstasy leads to depression. I would be more worried about prescription drugs which kill and harm far more people every year.

We should keep in mind males make up 80% of suicides. That statistics is does not get enough attention.

[Stacey Jones]

02:17 AM on 02/02/2012

Only because males tend to use more violent means like guns, nooses,etc.

[shawshank]

10:13 AM on 02/02/2012

"...I would not say reasonable consumptio­n ecstasy leads to depression­..."

I quit on ecstasy because the down for me was straight up melancholy for a whole day. Though it was a swell trip, I quickly sensed its depressive clutches.

[SkreetGil1]

10:05 PM on 02/01/2012

People who commit suicide are in tremendous amonts of pain.

People who say, gawd only gives you what you can handel are so wrong.

If that were true, then there would be no suicide.

I am so sorry for the Family & Friends. My deepest condolences.

[no exit]

08:49 PM on 02/01/2012

Thinking about suicide? Read this first.

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

[SkreetGil1]

10:07 PM on 02/01/2012

Thanks for posting that. That's good information.

[drhooper]

08:27 PM on 02/01/2012

Teens or anyone under the age of 28, if you need someone to talk to or if you know someone who is afraid to talk with a parent, teacher or anyone out of fear that someone will betray their confidence, please call or have them call the HOPE Line at 1-800-394-4673 (HOPE).

[Adonijah]

08:22 PM on 02/01/2012

Condolences to the young lady's family. Kudos to Miss KeKe for using her celeb status to address this seriously sad "epidemic."

[kwoodberryesq]

06:31 PM on 02/01/2012

Kudos Keke... you seem to have a comprehension of life that most teens never reach. Emotions are fleeting, if you hold on to them and let them guide your decision making and your thoughts of yourself you will consistently make bad decisions. Decisions and life conclusions should be made with your intellect not your emotions...

[zvibenyosef2030]

06:01 PM on 02/01/2012

Young people do not have reliable information about the dangers of drugs. The so called war on drugs should be focus on Education and Treatment rather than punishment and incarceration. If this young woman had been in possession of the facts about ecstasy, she may never have taken it in the first place.
The Government is actually making the problem worse. By classifying marijuana in the same category as Heroin, the Government loses all credibility. Based on this misleading information, young people tragically conclude that other really dangerous drugs like ecstasy and meth are as harmless as marijuana.
The US is spends over $15 Billion dollars a year on the war, and illegal drugs are more abundant, and available now then when the war was started by Richard Nixon in 1969.

[MJMartin45]

05:19 PM on 02/01/2012

You know it is really sad that kids now days are killing themselves. Not sure if it's stemming from bullying or other issues they feel they can't deal with. People say that it's a wake up call, but if nobody takes it seriously, decides not tell an adult if they see something suspicious, it will continue.