DEAR ABBY: One of my close friends, "Darci," is afraid that she might be pregnant. Darci is only 15. She has been going out with "Neil" for about seven months. She lost her virginity to him two months ago. Neil is a sweet and caring person, but in no position to be a father. I don't hang out with Darci outside of school, but she confides everything to me. She told me that last weekend she came close to committing suicide and Neil had to talk her out of it.
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Abby, a friend of mine took her own life last spring, and I'm really frightened. I'm tempted to buy a home pregnancy test for Darci, but she seems to be hoping her problem will just go away. Last Sunday she was getting high to forget about her problems. I am afraid for her life and her future.
Please give me some advice. I want to help her. Darci's parents, therapist and boyfriend know about her suicidal thoughts (and past tendencies), but as far as I know, only Neil and I know about the potential "bundle of joy." All I want is for her to be safe and happy. I'm lost about what to do. -- SCARED OF THE RESULTS IN ILLINOIS
DEAR SCARED: The first thing to do is to help the girl find out whether she's pregnant. If she is, then her parents and her therapist should be told what's going on to ensure that she doesn't harm herself. If, by some miracle, she's not pregnant, you should make sure she goes to Planned Parenthood and learns about responsible behavior and birth control so this doesn't happen again.
P.S. You mentioned that this troubled girl's parents and therapist know about her suicidal thoughts. They should be notified that her boyfriend had to talk her out of hurting herself only last weekend.