Suicide Prevention & Intervention
Suicide prevention and intervention is highly possible. Even though those contemplating suicide may not seek help directly, they usually show warning signs of their suffering that parents, teachers, and peers can help to identify. These include:
Risk factors of suicide which can alert parents and school personnel to keep an extra watch on children, include:
There are also protective factors which include:
In a school setting, we can perform Suicide Risk Assessments (SRA's) whether the risk of suicide is low, moderate, or high. These SRA's can help determine whether or not the student is actually contemplating suicide, whether or not they have a plan and access to means, if and when they are planning to do it, whether or not they have thought of suicide before, and if they have a friend, parent, or loved one to talk to about how they are feeling. These can be difficult questions to ask, but are very important to assess risk and get the student immediate help. A sample SRA is included below in the resources.
If the risk of suicide is low, as school mental health providers we still want to:
If the risk of suicide is moderate or high, we want to complete the above steps, as well as:
- Threats of suicide, either directly or indirectly
- Notes and plans of suicide
- Death and suicidal themes which can be seen in artwork, journals, or writing samples
- Prior attempts of suicide
- Efforts to hurt him or herself; self-destructive behaviors or self-multilation
- Making final arrangements, such as giving away favorite items or writing a will
- Depression, either overt or masked (acts of aggression, substance abuse)
- Preoccupation with death and dying
- Sudden and dramatic changes in behavior, mood, personality, and/or friends
Risk factors of suicide which can alert parents and school personnel to keep an extra watch on children, include:
- Mental illness; especially depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, conduct disorders, and substance abuse
- Familial factors such as stress and dysfunction in the home (ie. substance abuse, marital problems, family violence, history of psychiatric illness, child abuse and maltreatment)
- Environmental and situational factors, including the presence of a firearm in the home, recent severe life stress
- Recent significant loss of a loved one
- Suicide contagion: A recent suicide in the family or in the peer group
- Sexual minority youth have a higher risk of attempted suicide due to social pressures, and stress due to their sexual orientation
There are also protective factors which include:
- Easy access to mental health providers and medical care resources
- Family and social support; the feeling of connectedness and cohesion with others
- School and community connectedness
- Seeking help for mental illness and other stressors is encouraged by family and loved ones and is not stigmatized
- An individual's adaptive coping skills and resiliency
- Life satisfaction, good self-esteem, and sense of purpose in life
- Religious and cultural beliefs that discourage suicide
In a school setting, we can perform Suicide Risk Assessments (SRA's) whether the risk of suicide is low, moderate, or high. These SRA's can help determine whether or not the student is actually contemplating suicide, whether or not they have a plan and access to means, if and when they are planning to do it, whether or not they have thought of suicide before, and if they have a friend, parent, or loved one to talk to about how they are feeling. These can be difficult questions to ask, but are very important to assess risk and get the student immediate help. A sample SRA is included below in the resources.
If the risk of suicide is low, as school mental health providers we still want to:
- Call parents/caregivers to inform them about the suicide risk of their child
- Talk to the child about coping and who they can talk to
- Have a check-in procedure with the child so they know they can come and talk to you if need be
- Document the risk assessment, and that parents were called
- Sign a "No Harm Contract" as applicable in your district, which holds the student accountable
If the risk of suicide is moderate or high, we want to complete the above steps, as well as:
- Create a safety plan for the home, ideally done with parents
- Supervise the child during school hours, and do not have them go anywhere in the school alone
- Have parents supervise the child at home and make sure they do not have access to means (i.e. firearms)
- Provide outside referrals for therapy
- If risk is high, call ambulance or have parents transport student to the hospital immediately so the student can obtain a psychological evaluation
- Follow-up and ideally have a re-entry meeting after student has returned from the hospital
Resources
Suicide Prevention and Intervention:
Preventing Suicide in Troubled Youth, Part I:
Preventing Suicide in Troubled Youth, Part II:
Parent Tips - Keeping your Child Safe:
Fact Sheet: Suicide in Colorado
Sample Suicide Risk Assessment Worksheet:
Colorado State and National Suicide Resources:
- The Colorado Trust: www.coloradotrust.org
- Second Wind Fund: www.thesecondwindfund.org
- The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org
- Yellow Ribbon: www.yellowribbon.org
- ASIST: www.livingworks.net
- National Association of School Psychologists: www.nasponline.org
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center: www.sprc.org
- American Association of Suicidology: www.suicidology.org
- Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network: www.spanusa.org
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: www.afsp.org
- Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov
- Surgeon General: www.surgeongeneral.gov
Feel free to download your own copies of these documents below:
suicide_intervention_in_secondary_schoools_nasp.pdf | |
File Size: | 461 kb |
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preventing_suicide_part_i.docx | |
File Size: | 155 kb |
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preventing_suicide_part_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 95 kb |
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parent_tips_-_keeping_your_child_safe.doc | |
File Size: | 39 kb |
File Type: | doc |
suicide_in_colorado.pdf | |
File Size: | 79 kb |
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sample_documentation_of_suicide_risk_intervention.pdf | |
File Size: | 100 kb |
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