Suicide prevention in the schools

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• Suicide prevention in the schools
• Why is it important?
• Impact on learning/cost to society
• Multi-cultural/gender/gay lesbian aspect
• Health and safety
• Largest social group
• Mandated reporting

2

• Data
• Every two hours and two and a half minutes, a
  young person under the age of 25 completes
  suicide.
• Each year, there are approximately 12 suicides
  for every 100,000 adolescents. Over 4000 children
  a year are dying.
• More teenagers and young adults die from suicide
  than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth
  defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and
  chronic lung disease combined.
• More than half a million adolescents attempt
  suicide each year, and less than 15 of our
  nations schools offer primary prevention
  programs.
• Sixty percent of high school students have some
  degree of suicide ideation, and 91 of students
  indicated they would tell a friend first.
• Approximately 50 of students with mental illness
  age 14 and older drop out of high school

3

• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death T/F
• Suicide is preventable T/F
• Youth suicide has increased by ______ since the
  1950s
• 25
• 100
• 300
• Survivor means someone who has attempted suicide
  T/F
• Each year _________ people become survivors
• 50,000
• 100,000
• 180,000
• In a typical high school classroom, _____ have
  made a suicide attempt in the past year
• 1
• 3
• 5

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(No Transcript)
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Suicide Prevention in the Classroom

• Be a friend for life
• sample classroom presentation

6

• Vignettes/role play

7
What can you do?

• Be informed/educated
• Encourage problem solving
• Be an advocate
• e.g. the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, Prop 63
• SPAN, AFSP
• Suggest teacher in-service training
• Be knowledgeable about the signs
• Know where and who to refer students

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Resources/References

• www.sprc.org
• www.span-california.org
• www.afsp.org
• www.suicidology.org
• www.nsspi.org
• www.cdc.gov
• www.yellowribbon.org
• www.advancingsp.com