Books, Pencils, Prevention: A Back-to-School Review of Suicide Prevention Resources
Suicide Prevention Week 2014 is September 8-12/World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th
As we mourn another suicide in recent headlines, we consider the tragic loss of life, and the pain and sadness left in the wake of suicide. Beloved actor and comedian, Robin Williams was a 63 year old man battling depression and addiction for years. His suicide remains heartbreakingly sad, and perhaps ultimately understood, eventually even forgiven by those closest to him. However, the tragedy of suicide in a young person — too early in his or her life to fully grasp the permanency of their actions, not able to believe or really understand that it will, in fact, get better — is something that we should go to extreme efforts to prevent. The teachers, parents, loved ones, and friends left behind struggle to understand and often wonder if there was something they could have done.
School leaders need to be reminded that they CAN do something.
NEA HIN urges all members of the school community to be acutely aware of the potential for one of your friends, classmates, or students to consider suicide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24 (CDC, 2012). Juxtapose this statistic with the growing research on adolescent brain development. We now understand that the decision-making part of our brains, the pre-frontal cortex, is not even fully developed until about age of 25. We know that, even in an optimal developmental scenario, adolescence is fraught with social, emotional, even academic challenges and stressors. Adults must remind young people that we understand they will face these challenges, but they never need to face them alone.
Four Ways Educators Can Be Proactive in Preventing Youth Suicide:
- Remind students to seek out a friend or trusted adult to talk through their problems and concerns and to come forward if they are worried about a friend.
- Schools must ensure that an adequate staff of caring and appropriately-trained professionals (school counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses) is keeping a close watch and communicating with students.
- There must be a concerted effort to promote awareness, prevention, and communication.
- NEA HIN strongly encourages schools to provide training for staff and students to recognize the warning signs of suicide – and then act.
The NEA Health Information Network has compiled these educator-friendly resources to ensure all NEA members have access to this information and can be proactive in promoting suicide awareness and prevention programs and policies in their schools and communities.
Posted by Libby Kuffner Nealis
on August 27, 2014