The Pros And Cons Of School Suicide Prevention

Yesterday, 16-year-old Rachel decided to commit suicide-- an all too common increased trend in America as suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds (“Teen Suicide Is Preventable”). Rachel felt like she could not handle her life anymore. Her parents were in the process of getting a divorce, she was being bullied at school, was having trouble succeeding in academics and co-curricular activities, and was recently been diagnosed with depression. So, in a desperate attempt to make all her problems go away, she took several pills and ended her life. Now, what caused Rachel specifically to take this drastic step and end her life? Was it her home life? Her school

Schools are a cost-effective way to reach youth, yet there is no conclusive evidence regarding the most effective prevention strategy. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on school-based suicide prevention programs. Signs of Suicide and the Good Behavior Game were the only programs found to reduce suicide attempts. There are few evidence-based, school-based suicide prevention programs, a combination of which may be effective. It would be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of general mental health promotion programs on the outcome of suicide (Katz et al.,

Andy’s story is just one of many examples as to how the issue of ignoring mental illnesses can negatively affect individuals, especially the youth. One of the biggest issues related to these unchecked mental illnesses is suicide. Between the ages of 15 to 24, suicide is the second leading cause of death. The Center for Disease Control estimates that: “17% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months, 13.6% of students made a plan about how they would attempt suicide in the

1 out of 8 people in school attempt or commit suicide due to the bullying incidents in school. More kids are getting bullied per day from other students as the fact states 1 out of 8 people in school attempt or commit suicide due to the bullying incidents in school. Kids in school are still getting bullied as school goes on throughout the year, as the fact states 1 out of 8 people in school attempt or commit suicide due to the bullying incidents in school.

In 2004 Congress enacted the Campus Suicide Prevention initiative which provides funds through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services, to college campuses nationwide (Smulson, 2016). The Campus Suicide Prevention initiative supports program activities, mental health screening services, and prevention strategies to form a foundation for mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention (Smulson, 2016). While research shows that mental and behavioral health supports can improve student life and functioning, the program falls short in some areas.

Discovering one’s identity, struggling to understand one’s conventionally appropriate gender role, accepting one’s body image, gaining independence from parents, maintaining responsible sexual relationships along with enduring vehement hormones, establishing values relating to marriage and parenthood, and simultaneously managing academic goals, extracurricular activities, and occupational preparations are all psychological and social demands placed on the adolescent. These demands, along with additional factors, such as bullying, drug use/domestic substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce of parents, rape/sexual assault, loss of a loved one, heartbreak, low socioeconomic status, health problems, race, ethnicity, struggles with self-identification, and other traumatic experiences can all increase one’s likelihood to commit suicide.

I truly believe that if there were more advocates for middle schoolers, teen suicides would decrease, graduation rates would increase, and students would grow up to be more well rounded and accepting of others. The middle school years serve to segregate the overachievers from the underdogs. To not give kids a chance to reach their full potential is unethical, especially if they are suffering, whether they are struggling at home or at school, socially or emotionally. Everyone becomes so caught up in the bigger picture like school ratings and publicity that kids slip through the cracks. In this day and age, undiagnosed mental disorders are all too common but by spending five minutes with a student, it is fairly simple to tell if they need help and to begin pinpointing what the problem is. If administration simply took the time to talk to students and find out about their lives then I think that there is something that can be done to help. Maybe we need more guidance counselors. Maybe it's something else, but something must change. I personally nearly slipped through the cracks myself and I've seen it happen to other people, including close friends of mine and I will no longer sit here silently and watch more kids suffer.

Have you ever thought about killing yourself because of depression or because of the responsibilities you have? Suicide is when someone ends their own life. Usually people who commit suicide is because they can not take the pain of something, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Suicides can happen all ages, but according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, people around the ages of forty five to sixty four had the highest suicides in the year of 2015. Suicide is a problem because many people thinks that it would make other people’s life easier and that it is a way to run away from their own problems and pain. However, suicides can make other people around them think that suicide is the best way to solve problems and it can encourage them to commit suicide. The idea that suicide can end pain and that it is the easiest way to run away from hardships is a problem because it leads to more suicides. To prevent people from thinking that suicide is a good solution to any problem, they should quit social media, they should not overwhelm themselves with stress, and they have knowledge about suicide.

Suicidal thoughts can be produced by an endless amount of things. A couple common reasons are, sexual/verbal/physical abuse, loss of a loved one. a serious illness, or alcohol and drug abuse. For example a major reasoning people commit suicide is because of bullying. A student named Audrie Pott from Sarasota, California was sexually harassed by two guys at her school. The students had to go to different schools and give a presentation on slut shaming and cyberbullying. The boys’ purposes were to pass around the awareness of bullying, and also the awareness of suicide. These boys owed the family of Audrie Pott 950,00 dollars (Teicher- Khadaroo). Many teenagers who are suicidal will attempt to hide it from everyone else, so the importance of the mental health screenings in schools is huge. Students will not begin to talk about their suicidal thoughts to someone they do not trust. The screenings will help point out the signs of depression. The school will offer help to these students who need it. The issues of suicide has been around for many years, but noone can seem to figure out how to stop it. The idea of requiring mental health screenings to teens will surely decrease the rate of suicide and increase the rate of help for the suicidal

Suicide is not a one victim act. When the victim takes his or her life they are leaving behind people who love and care about them. When a student takes his or her life and their seat is empty in the classroom every student will be affected. It will be nearly impossible to keep the class focused on any lesson when they are missing a part of their

What happened? The parents of an 18-year-old student are suing Loudoun County Public School counselor and the school district in Virginia, for damages for the deprivation of their son amounting to Five million dollars for damages for mental torture, the loss of future security and upkeep of their son and funeral expenses. The counselor violated LCPS’ standards, after learning the teen was at risk of taking his life, giving no notice to the student’s parents or principal and not setting up a suicide prevention plan with the teen (Balingit, 2016). Another complaint was also cited in the article of a pupil in 2015 from the same high school under the direction of the same counselor took her life. The advocate also informed by a friend that she

Having awareness and/or prevention programs can get people to realize that they need help and get themselves treated. The government should “work for these community partners [to] promote a greater understanding of suicide and help counter the prejudice, silence, and denial that can prevent individuals from seeking help. It also will support the delivery of suicide prevention activities that are culturally competent, safe, and available to individuals who may lack access to health care”(“National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, 2012.”). Having the government fund this national strategy can aid people who are in denial in getting help. It can help people who are silent and humble to recognize that they are safe and can get out of their misery. In 2012, the national strategy for suicide prevention “[stresses] the importance of wellness, resiliency, and protective factors; effective suicide response and intervention programs address risk factors, mental health and substance abuse services, and crisis response of those who are struggling with suicidal behaviors; and effective support programs are required for those who have been touched by suicide or suicidal behavior” (“National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, 2012.”). If the government funds effective programs that help people who are facing suicidal tendencies, they can actively get more people treated. Not only should there be prevention programs to help people to realize they need guidance, the government should plan prevention programs starting in schools so the amount of young adults and children wanting to commit suicide will decrease. As Sean Joe and Heather Bryant said, “a place where adolescents spend a considerable amount of their waking hours, school is an important venue for screening adolescents for suicidal behaviors and

Before the age of eighteen nearly a fourth of all young persons will deal with mental illness (Shirk and Jungbluth 217). Only around a third of these children will receive professional treatment (United States Public Health Service qtd. in Shirk and Jungbluth 222). Because of the risk of suicide in mentally ill young people, it is crucial that mental health services are readily available to our youth in school settings. Therefore, schools should administer mandatory mental health screenings because mental illness often affects academic performance, and the majority of young persons that commit suicide have a treatable illness.

Three people in my life have completed suicide; my uncle, my mom’s late fiance, and my step brother on my dad’s side, within four years of each other. I’ve witnessed each parental figure in my life become compromised by grief and the inevitable pain accompanying it, and I’ve seen the way depression can plague someone so deeply, even without the ending of suicide. The prevalence and growing numbers of deaths by suicide calls for a revised manner of education on all mental illnesses and the preventative measures one can take to reduce risk. Initially, when I heard of the Suicide Prevention Week Keynote event with Jamie Tworkowski (founder of ‘To Write Love On Her Arms’) I was thrilled. Hosting such an event on a college campus, presenting to a population greatly affected by mental illness, is demonstrative of the steps that should be taken toward raising awareness. Any opportunity for a comprehensive view on mental health and its significance is one to be taken advantage of. However, as the night proceeded, I did take note of several things that would improve the layout of any future events, as well as further deepen an individual’s comprehension of mental illness.

I would like everyone to take a moment and imagine going home today and receiving news that your child, brother, sister, cousin, niece or nephew committed suicide. Not only that but it was as a result of them being bullied in school. No one in your family had a clue that he or she was struggling with this, so who comes to mind when you think of getting some answers?