Suicide Prevention Education and Knowledge

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 — 24. It is a very real mental health problem and the fastest-​growing group completing suicide is children between the ages of 10 — 14! More sad facts: 90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of death and 60% of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression-​the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses. Suicide many times is absolutely preventable with young people-​it just requires resources.
.
Most schools have a written protocol for dealing with students who shows signs of suicidal behavior. Some schools have automatic expulsion policies for students who engage in illegal or violent behavior, yet it is important to remember that teens who are violent or abuse drugs may be at increased risk for suicide. Like many of the other social ills that schools are forced to deal with, suicide is something that require schools to be proactive about. The SPEAK program is just that.
SPEAK stands for Suicide Prevention Education and Knowledge. New programs aimed at «strengthening student mental health and preventing teen suicide are now underway in 15 district schools, and more schools and training are on the way.» The program is called SPEAK, Suicide Prevention Education Awareness and Knowledge. The School District’s Mental Health Resource Center was «recently awarded a contract through San Diego County Mental Health to implement a district-​wide suicide prevention and education program in collaboration with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program,» according to the SDUSD website.
I know that is a lot of bureaucratic mumbo-​jumbo, but what I think it means is that there now exists a new kid-​friendly program that will help combat suicide among students. My son has a friend who suffers from depression and has seemed very withdrawn lately and we put her in touch with this new resource.
15 San Diego schools have launched the program starting this fall-​Crawford Educational Complex, Hoover, Garfield and Mission Bay high schools; Clark, Correia, De Portola, Lewis, Montgomery, Wangenheim and Wilson middle schools; and TRACE. Since this friend attends Correia, it was a perfect set-​up to get her some help.
The launch of the program has already resulted in the formation of suicide prevention specialty teams at each school. All 7^th, 9^th and 11^th grade students and school staffs (including parents and guardians) will receive training in suicide prevention education over the next five semesters. During spring semester more training and additional schools will be added to the program.
Although when one thinks of suicide, the thought of a distressed teen in sunny San Diego doesn’t immediately come to mind, it is a very real issue.
With the contraction of the economy and the dire circumstances many families find themselves in these days, teens are bound to be emotionally affected. This is a great program that takes the shame out of dark thoughts and gets emotional upheavals out in the open-​where they can be discussed and dealt with. Suicide is preventable and-​with the right resources, many kids can be saved. Encourage your own teens in school to learn about what they can do to help their friends in need.