Suicidal behavior (fatal and nonfatal) is one of the most traumatic occurrences with which school personnel may be faced. Advance planning to prevent youth suicide and to intervene quickly and effectively with the least disruption to school routine is paramount.
To assess your present level of readiness to help people at risk for suicide, use the accompany survey. While not an exhaustive list, these questions will help guide you to develop necessary school protocols to address suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. If you answer “no” to any of these questions, consider changing your school’s procedures to increase your school’s readiness.
Download the survey as a pdf below.
- Project Life’s Readiness Survey (73.31 KB)
Is your School Ready?
School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs
Schools can help prevent suicide by providing teachers and students with the mechanisms necessary to identify and respond to students who are at risk of suicide as well as other risk and self-destructive behaviors. The following are some important steps that schools can take to reduce the risk of suicide among their students:
- Implement a school-based prevention program. These programs can be especially effective when implemented in the context of a comprehensive risk prevention or health promotion program. Such programs can reduce levels of self-harm and other risk behaviors as well as improve levels of wellness and the academic performance of the school.
- Implement a gatekeeping program. Suicide prevention gatekeeping programs train those who have regular contact with young people, such as teachers, to do the following:
- Recognize behavioral patterns and other warning signs that indicate that a young person may be at risk of suicide
- Actively intervene, usually by talking to the young person in ways that explore the level of risk without increasing it
- Ensure that young people at risk receive the necessary services
- Create a comprehensive school crisis plan. A crisis plan helps a school respond to any emergency, from a natural disaster to violence in the school community. Such a plan should include procedures for addressing students who try to harm themselves as well as those who are only contemplating it. It should also provide some guidance for the role of individual teachers in identifying and responding to potential suicidal or violent behavior in students, and how to respond when actual violence takes place.
- Be prepared to engage in postvention. “Postvention” is a term used to describe prevention measures implemented after a crisis or traumatic event to reduce the risk to those who have witnessed or been affected by the tragedy. The suicide, or violent or unexpected death, of a student, teacher, or even a celebrity can result in an increased risk of suicide for other vulnerable young people. Although rare, a suicide in the community (or even a remote suicide that receives substantial press coverage) can contribute to an increased risk of suicide. Appropriately responding to a tragedy that may put students at risk is an essential part of any crisis or suicide prevention plan.
Reference: www.sprc.org