Category: Children - Suicide Prevention Coalition of Garfield County

Here's How Schools can Support Students' Mental Health

9/27/2016

About one in five children in the United States shows signs of a mental health disorder — anything from ADHD to eating disorders to suicide.

And yet, as we've been reporting this month, many schools aren't prepared to work with these students. Often, there's been too little training in recognizing the problems, the staff who are trained are overworked, and there just isn't enough money.
When there are enough people to handle the job, how should all the different roles fit together?

Many experts point to one model. It's got a bureaucratic name — the "multi-tiered system of supports" — but when you picture it, just imagine an upside-down pyramid, or maybe a funnel. It starts with support for everyone and moves on to more and more specialized help.

Read Full Article

By Meg Anderson, NPREd

Bullying, Excessive Internet Use Put Teens at Increased Suicide Risk, Study Finds

6/29/2016

Being bullied or spending an excessive amount of time on the internet could increase the risk of teen suicides, according to a new study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Though the overall suicide rate among teens has decreased since 1990, it was still worryingly high in 2013 -- 1,748 per 100,000 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 -- meaning suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens, according to the study.

In addition, boys were more likely to die by suicide but girls were nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide, the study found.

And while suicide affects all racial groups, American Indian/Alaska Native males had the highest suicide rate and black females have the lowest rate of suicide, according to the study.

Read Full Article
By Gillian Mohney, ABC News

How Do You Help Someone Who Is At Risk Of Suicide?

5/2/2016

How do you help someone who is at risk of suicide?

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that suicide has been steadily increasing in the U.S. since 1999. Although men tend to kill themselves at higher rates than women, the biggest rate increase during that time has been among girls 10-14 years old, and the second biggest increase has been among women 45-64 years old.

But for every person who dies by suicide, there are many, many more who struggle with suicidal thoughts. "Lots of people think about it," says Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "Suicide attempts are less frequent. Fortunately, dying by suicide is even less frequent."

NPR talked with Harkavy-Friedman and Dr. Jitender Sareen of the University of Manitoba, both psychiatrists, about what is known about youth suicide and best practices for preventing suicide. Harkavy-Friedman studies teen suicide prevention, and Sareen studies suicide trends among Native people in the Arctic. The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Read the Full Article with Dr. Sareen as he answers questions on how to help someone you are concerned about.

By Rebecca Hersher, NPR

U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High

4/22/2016

WASHINGTON — Suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. The rise was particularly steep for women. It was also substantial among middle-aged Americans, sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s.

The suicide rate for middle-aged women, ages 45 to 64, jumped by 63 percent over the period of the study, while it rose by 43 percent for men in that age range, the sharpest increase for males of any age. The overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which released the study on Friday.

The increases were so widespread that they lifted the nation’s suicide rate to 13 per 100,000 people, the highest since 1986. The rate rose by 2 percent a year starting in 2006, double the annual rise in the earlier period of the study. In all, 42,773 people died from suicide in 2014, compared with 29,199 in 1999.

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By Sabrina Tavernise, The New York Times

How Data From a Crisis Text Line is Saving Lives

4/18/2016

When a young woman texted DoSomething.org with a heartbreaking cry for help, the organization responded by opening a nationwide Crisis Text Line for people in pain. Nearly 10 million text messages later, the organization is using the privacy and power of text messaging to help people handle addiction, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, sexual abuse and more. But there's an even bigger win: The anonymous data collected by text is teaching us when crises are most likely to happen — and helping schools and law enforcement to prepare for them.

By Nancy Lublin, Crisis Text Line
Visit Crisis Text Line

What Drives Larimer County Youths to Suicide?

2/29/2016

Gavin Holden's classmates at Webber Middle School told him to "just go kill yourself."

Again. And again. And again.

"When you hear that every day from multiple people, you start to believe it," he said.

Last year, 33 youths ages 17 and younger were admitted to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins and Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland following suicide attempts, a 6.5 percent increase from 2014. Banner Health, which also has a facility in Fort Collins, did not have similar data available.

By Sarah Jane Kyle, Coloradoan - Read Full Article

Bullying Prevention Training Course

2/19/2016

StopBullying.gov launched a new Bullying Prevention Online Course. The training provides guidance on how to take a public health approach to bullying prevention through the use of long-term, community-wide prevention strategies.

This is a self-study course and earning continuing education credit is available.

Read more and take the course

Take Action to Prevent Bullying & Suicide

10/8/2015

October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Bullying involvement - including bullying others and getting bullied - can have increased risk for suicide-related behaviors.

Learn more about the relationship between bullying and suicide
Visit VetoViolence for more information

How to Talk to a Child about a Suicide Attempt in Your Family

9/3/2015

If there has been a recent suicide attempt in your family, this may be one of the toughest experiences you and your children may ever face. It is important to take care of yourself, so that you are better able to care for your child.

This guide is intended to provide you with some of that support, and also share other resources that may be helpful for you now and as your family recovers. The guide is not intended to replace professional mental health advice. In fact, it may be best to use this along with professional support if you or your child is struggling with how to talk about this difficult subject.

Learn more about how to talk to a child about suicide attempt in your family
By Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention

Signs Matter: Early Detection

5/29/2015

Earlier this week, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention launched a new online Suicide Prevention Training for K-12 Educator. Signs Matter: Early Detection will show educators how and when to express concern and refer students to counseling staff or administration.

What the training includes:

A close look at the most common mental health problems and how they typically present in a school setting
Real-world scenarios in an elementary, middle and high school setting to help you better identify students in need of help
An online evidence-based assessment tool to ensure that all participants have gained an understanding of the material covered
Resources for understanding a school’s role in suicide prevention
Review of legal requirements for schools to keep in mind

For more information about the program and pricing, please visit Signs Matter: Early Detection