Suicide Intervention

Effects of Suicide Intervention in Youth Approximately 24% of 12-17 year olds have considered suicide, and up to 10% have attempted suicide (Shannonhouse et al. 3). Informing students about the resources schools have on suicide prevention should happen at a young age. In addition, parents need to be informed on how to handle a situation dealing with suicide and educated in suicide intervention training. Meanwhile, college students also have a lot of stress upon them, and they do not always know the resources on suicide. According to the article “Suicide Exposures, Awareness, and Attitudes in College Students,” from a study of more than 1,800 students, almost 24% of college students had seriously considered suicide (Cerel, Bolin, and Moore

One question involved students’ knowledge of the availability of campus and community resources, and 53% of the students responded that they were aware of the resources on campus and about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Cerel, Bolin, and Moore 49). Another question asked students to analyze attitudes toward suicide prevention; with two categories being measured: (1) suicide is preventable and (2) preventing suicide is something everyone should play a role in. Out of all the participants, 85% agreed that suicide is preventable, and 93.3% agreed that preventing suicide is something everyone should play a role in (Cerel, Bolin, and Moore 50). Overall, the study revealed that college students are likely to be exposed to suicide or suicide attempts. If these college students would have received any suicide intervention in their youth from their K-12 teachers or community, would it have made a difference in their education about suicide, and more importantly, would it have prevented

Every school should provide a suicide prevention program; although the teachers must go through additional training, it can save a life. Nancy D. Brener and Valarie Martindale, health scientists, and Mark Weist, a professor at the Center for School Health, states, “By 2000, 77% of U.S. schools had a suicide prevention program,” (qtd. in Shannonhouse et al. 4). This article analyzes the method and the results of a new law “enacted in a rural New England state that required suicide awareness training of all K-12 personnel and intervention training for at least two staff members per school administrative unit” (Shannonhouse et al. 5). The article explains the effectiveness of educating teachers, counselors, and the community on