Most people use social media to post cute pictures of their kids, or shots from their latest vacation, but a growing number of young people are now using online sites when they are feeling suicidal.
Mental health experts it's important to pay attention to what teenagers are saying online.
Cheryl Duncan says she didn't know her daughter Ashley needed help, or was even thinking about suicide, but Ashley had cried out of for help online.
At 17, high school senior Ashley Duncan stood 5-feet 11-inches tall. She did some modeling, was daddy's girl and was a big fan of volleyball.
Bubbly, beautiful and bright are just a few ways many would describe her, but Ashley's social media posts were just the opposite.
They were often ugly, dark and she clearly cried out for help, saying things like "God is torturing me keeping me here. I'm ready for life to be over. If you know what it feels like to want to die every minute, second, hour, day, week, month, year then you feel me".
Friends saw the posts. Ashley's parents, a veteran police officer and a long time registered nurse, did not -- until it was too late.
On the morning of January 30, the teenager posted a picture of a revolver and the words "I finally got a gun".
Before that, the teen's mom received the worst text message of her life. Cheryl Duncan still has the message on her phone.
"I took dad's gun. I'm tired. I'm sorry Mom. I can't do this anymore. I love you. Bye," Cheryl said the message read.
Ashley took her dad's police-issued service weapon, walked down to a nearby stream and took her own life.
What used to be a private note on the dresser is now ending up in very public messages on the internet.
Psychologist Dr. Daryl Knox says if you see someone crying out, immediately call for help.
"It's an emergency. It's abnormal to have suicidal thoughts, even if someone is trying to get attention and they're not really suicidal, just the act of saying it means that they really need to see someone and have an evaluation," said Knox.
No one following Ashley's posts that day came to her rescue, a fact that doesn't surprise Dr. Carmen Petzhold. She says it's now common for kids to post their suicidal thoughts online.
"Even more than online now through text messaging, it's just astounding, some kids text 3 or 400 times a day. They're really putting their whole life out there. What they used to be talking about on the phone or online now is via text. So it's essential that parents are part of that communication," said Petzhold.
Carol still struggles to make sense of losing Ashley. She said she finds some comfort in her daughter's last text.
"It gives me peace...I didn't get to talk to her but she said ‘I love you' and she said ‘I'm sorry,'" said Duncan.
Petzhold says parents should monitor their teens online lives and texts and be open about it. Telling them you have the right as the parent to drop and check whenever you want to find out what they're communicating.
Many teenagers do think about suicide, but if they start to talk - or text about it - take it seriously.
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