Suicide prevention,awareness, and on-going professional development in schools
Anytime we lose a young person to suicide is one time too many. Tragically, most of today’s school shootings end in both harm to innocents and in the suicide of the perpetrators. Efforts to reduce school and community violence and ensure student and staff safety in our schools must include an understanding of suicide prevention and what is involved in the identification and referral of students at risk of suicide.
According to the latest (2010) data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). According to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more than 1 in 7 high school students in the U.S. reported having seriously considered attempting suicide in the 12 months preceding the survey, and 7.8% of students (about 1 in 13) reported having attempted suicide in the preceding 12 months.
School personnel are in a prime position to recognize the signs of suicide and make immediate referrals for intervention. They need adequate training to acquire the necessary skills and confidence to intervene with youth at-risk. Required and readily available training is one way to ensure that all school personnel have a baseline understanding of suicide risk and the referral process.
In addition to educators and school leaders, school-based mental health professionals such as counselors, social workers, and psychologists are essential to implementing policies and practices to strengthen a safe and healthy school environment, identify students who may be at risk of suicide, and immediately intervene.
Effective suicide prevention is an essential component of any violence prevention effort. Schools will be more effective in suicide prevention with a comprehensive approach that involves better awareness, training, and a coordinated effort to link students and families in need of services with community resources.
NEA strongly encourages our members to include suicide prevention, alertness, and intervention and postvention programs in the ongoing professional development and educator preparation programs for teachers, education support professionals, and specialized instructional support personnel, including school mental health service providers.
What can you do?
- NEA members should familiarize themselves with the suicide prevention resources and information available to school personnel.
- Determine whether your state or school district provides training opportunities for school personnel to identify students in need and respond appropriately.
- Use the available resources to advocate for state, district and/or school board policies that support suicide prevention training programs for school personnel.
The NEA Health Information Network has compiled these educator-friendly resources here on our website to ensure all members have access to this information.
More information and numerous resources are available from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.