Suicide Review and Prevention

To access our online Suicide Review training, click HERE

Too many young lives are lost to suicide. According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for young people (ages 15-19 and 15-24); only accidents and homicides occur more frequently.

Teen suicide remains a serious health problem. Although prevention efforts are underway, understanding suicidal behavior can be complex. However, if people can gain awareness about the youth suicide problem and learn to identify the risk factors, the youth suicide rate can be reduced.

According to a top mental health official, suicides outnumber homicides in the United States, and some 90 percent of people who kill themselves suffer from a diagnosable and preventable problem such as depression. Read the full story HERE.

Story: Massachusetts will lead the nation in funding for suicide prevention this fiscal year, targeting a problem that is often ignored but kills more residents than homicide and AIDS combined, according to a statewide advocacy group. Read the full story HERE.

Upcoming Training:

California Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) presents...
Youth Suicide and the School Community -- Prevention, Intervention and Postvention Issues

School-Based Suicide:

Researched-Based Guidelines and Practices for School-Based Suicide Prevention

Links To Web sites:

Suicide Hotlines.com
http://suicidehotlines.com/
National listing of suicide hotlines
1-800-SUICIDE (Toll-free Nationwide USA)

The Jason Foundation, Inc.
http://www.jasonfoundation.com/home.html
The Jason Foundation, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in youth suicide awareness, education and prevention. They provide information, education programs and resources to parents, educators, youth and others who want to help in the fight against the “silent epidemic” of youth suicide.

Columbia University TeenScreen Program
http://www.teenscreen.org/
This website is a resource for school and mental health professionals and community leaders who want to begin a mental health and suicide risk screening effort in their own community and for individuals that want to learn more about the Columbia University TeenScreen® Program, universal screening, and related policy issues. The Columbia University TeenScreen® Program works by creating partnerships with schools and communities and helping them to implement their own screening programs to identify at-risk teens and pre-teens. The program is now used in high schools and other settings in 26 states. It was developed under the leadership of David Shaffer, M.D., the Director of the Columbia University's Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Youth Suicide Prevention
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/mh/suicideprevres.asp
A listing of resources to assist school districts with the concerns about youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. To assist school districts with the concerns about youth suicide, the Calfiornia Department of Education makes resources available for dealing with suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention (sometimes referred to as "aftermath"). Some internet sites provide factual data and others contain model programs. For more Web information, contact the coordinator for pupil services in your school district or county office of education. Counseling and student support specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses) and local mental health specialists should be consulted for individual student referrals.

Youth Suicide-Prevention Guidelines for California Schools are available to assist schools to develop and implement plans for youth suicide prevention, intervention, and aftermath. The guidelines blend information from a variety of expert sources and are intended to help school communities in their school planning and prevention efforts. Counseling, student support specialists, and local mental health specialists should be consulted for planning and implementing school plans or for individual student referrals regarding youth suicide.

American Association of Suicidology
http://www.suicidology.org/
The goal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is to understand and prevent suicide. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, Ph.D., AAS promotes research, public awareness programs, public education, and training for professionals and volunteers. In addition, AAS serves as a national clearinghouse for information on suicide. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide and a variety of lay persons who have an interest in suicide prevention.

National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
http://www.mentalhealth.org/suicideprevention/
The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) represents the combined work of advocates, clinicians, researchers and survivors around the nation. It lays out a framework for action to prevent suicide and guides development of an array of services and programs that must be developed. It is designed to be a catalyst for social change with the power to transform attitudes, policies, and services. The NSSP Goals and Objectives for Action was published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in May of 2001, with leadership from the Surgeon General.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center
www.sprc.org
Suicide Prevention Resource Center helps states and communities increase their capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate suicide prevention programs. It provides technical assistance, information, resources and training. The Center is a cooperative effort between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Educational Development Center, Inc.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
http://www.afsp.org/
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to advancing knowledge of suicide and our ability to prevent it. The Foundation’s activities include: Supporting research projects that help further the understanding and treatment of depression and the prevention of suicide; Providing information and education about depression and suicide; Promoting professional education for the recognition and treatment of depressed and suicidal individuals; Publicizing the magnitude of the problems of depression and suicide and the need for research, prevention and treatment; and, Supporting programs for suicide survivor treatment, research and education.

SPAN - California
http://www.span-california.org/
Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network-California (SPAN-California) was founded in 1999 as a force for suicide prevention, an arena for collaboration among agencies, and a voice in our state capital. SPAN-California is a non-profit organization existing to reduce suicide by creating awareness, building links between agencies, and advocating legislative policy in support of suicide prevention. SPAN is coordinating the statewide effort to develop the California Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

The LivingWorks Program
http://www.livingworks.net/
The LivingWorks Program is a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated approach to preventing suicide, which involves the entire community.
Working with caregivers of all kinds, LivingWorks prepares helpers to competently intervene with a person at risk of suicide. All caregivers master “suicide first aid” for reasons similar to those for learning CPR “heartsaver” or basic physical first aid. Advanced and other skills are then “layered” on to this suicide first aid foundation.

Children and Antidepressant Medication
http://www.aacap.org/announcements/psychiatricmeds.htm

Facts for Families on Medications:
No. 21. Psychiatric Medication for Children and Adolescents Part 1: How Medications are Used. November 1999.
http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsFam/psychmed.htm

Youth Suicide Prevention Website - Canada
http://www.youthsuicide.ca/
It is important to have someone, or a number of people you trust that you feel comfortable to talk to. These are most likely to be people who listen without judgement, pay attention to your feelings, don't try to solve your problems, let you say whatever you need to say, and genuinely care about you.