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Josh Sorenson

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 1010, section 4

December 27, 2017

Suicide Prevention Programs: The Key To Saving Students With Suicidal Ideation

I remember seeing a change in my cousin Kasey the day his closest friend took his life.

His grief was impossible to comprehend and difficult to watch as he didn’t utter a word for two

weeks following the tragedy. Kasey’s father and my uncle, Jeffrey Clark, agreed to an interview

to discuss the far reaching effects suicide has on a family, and his opinion regarding the

effectiveness of programs and resources available in the victim’s school system. When

questioning Jeff, he emphasized the need for more education to those who care for students with

suicidal ideation, particularly counselors. They need to be better trained to help students deal

with their problems, and learn to refer them to doctors and psychiatrists that are specialists

treating teenage mental health issues. He makes the point that the medication being prescribed to

suicidal teens by inexperienced doctors, often do more harm than good. Having well trained

counselors that help students with emotional issues with a combination of trained therapists

within the educational system and proper medication prescribed by trained doctors, Jeff says,

would have made a difference (Clark).

Along with Kasey’s friend, many other teenagers take their own life in the United States

each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “suicide is the fourth

leading cause of death in 10- to 14-year-olds and the third leading cause of death in 15- to

24-year-olds” (qtd. in Schmidt et al. 18). These staggering facts call for an intervention to be
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made. The United States Congress noticed the need for attention to the subject of suicide when

passing the first suicide prevention bill, calling suicide a “public health tragedy” and stating that

“youth suicide early intervention and prevention activities are national priorities” (qtd. in Miller

et al. 169). Realizing that this issue extends beyond local parameters to a more complicated

national issue, the need for effective prevention programs implemented in schools across the

country becomes increasingly imperative. Programs established early in the child’s school

career, education for school faculty on how to assist children with suicidal behavior, and the

inclusion of peer leadership within the program, will help combat this national epidemic.

Part of understanding the solution to suicide among teenagers, understanding the reasons

for their suicidal thoughts will help reveal the underlying problems. Robert C. Schmidt et al.

introduce a case study done in a rural Maryland school, which integrated the Yellow Ribbon

Suicide Prevention program in the hopes of decreasing suicidal ideation.

Fig. 1. Schmidt, Robert C., et al. "Integrating a Suicide Prevention Program into a School

Mental Health System: A Case Example from a Rural School District." ​Children & Schools, vol​.

37, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 18-26. EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.
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Part of the study was to conduct a survey to determine the reasons for suicidal ideation. “Family

Problems” were the biggest reason for suicidal thoughts from the students with the second traced

to “feeling bullied” (see fig. 1). These statistics show that problems conducive to suicidal

thoughts vary widely (Schmidt et al. 21-24).

There are many suicide prevention programs throughout America’s education system.

While the number of programs aiming to reduce suicidal ideation and attempts have grown over

the past few years, not all of the schools enforce these programs equally. Bradley D. Stein,

Health Service Researcher at the RAND Corporation, along with a research team of various

professors, interviewed counselors, administrators, and psychiatrists about their school’s

proficiency in suicide prevention efforts. Interviews were taken throughout the Los Angeles

Unified School District. Despite the same training by the district on utilizing the Youth Suicide

Prevention Program in their school, not all of the schools valued suicide prevention. Stein et al.

found a large contrast between the schools who had higher rates of integrating prevention

programs and the schools who focused less on the issue. Staff throughout the higher

implemented schools felt more qualified to help the students, whereas the “low implementation”

schools felt inadequate due to the low priority (Stein et al. 338 -344). Counselors in other schools

have reported similar feelings of inadequacy. Janice Ward and Melissa Odegard, both with the

Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at Southeast Missouri State University,

interviewed counselors following a suicide in a Missouri rural high school. One of the counselors

felt “overwhelmed.” Another counselor pushed the “need for continued professional

development” (147). These findings suggest the need for continued training for counselors to feel

confident when they are called to help the kids.

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Another issue regarding suicide prevention programs in schools, is the lack of evidence

and resources available to best construct an effective program. Vasumathi Balaguru, a member

of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services,​ along with other psychiatry experts,

provided a realist look at suicide prevention programs. Balaguru et al. assert that due to the

“complex intervention” nature of the issue, “defining, developing, documenting, and reproducing

complex interventions make it impractical to conduct and compare interventions in the real

world” (131). The amount of variables regarding suicide and mental health, make it difficult to

classify, leading many schools to be unsure of which programs are best for their students.

There are however, studies that have been done and methods used that have been proven

to reduce suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. ​The “Good Behavior Game” found on the

Suicide Prevention Resource Center website, is a tool for teachers to implement into their

classrooms. First, the students are separated into teams which balance their diverse personalities

and characteristics. The students are then rewarded for their good behavior within their teams.

Studies have shown that the “Good Behavior Game” proved to reduce suicidal thoughts in the

recipients by eliminating common traits in suicidal behavior such as aggressiveness. Playing the

game in their younger years helped the kids when they grew up, suggesting that the key to

preventing suicidal thoughts and actions is to put these programs into practice early on (“Good

Behavior Game”). The “Good Behavior Game” is recommended by the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration along with several provinces in Canada due to its

effectiveness (Katz et al. 1036). Another effective suicide prevention program implemented was

the “Sources of Strength” program. This program focused on giving a select number of peer

leaders training on how to help their friends turn to sources such as parents, teachers, and
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counselors. By doing this they reduce the stigma and encourage “positive coping norms” to be

spread to those who need help. In one study involving a group that had peer leaders with SOS

training, the peer leaders were “four times more likely to engage an adult in cases of suicidal

friends.” This was a result of their increased adult support and knowledge of how to help their

friends (para. In Katz et al. 1034). By educating the students and allowing them to be peer

leaders, the goal to get students who struggle with suicidal ideation to seek help from trusted

school counselors, seems more feasible.

Another effective characteristic of suicide prevention programs comes from “Gatekeeper

Trainings.” Gatekeeper techniques seek to educate school staff and students regarding the signs

of someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, provide ways for the students to receive organized,

professional help, and give counselors proper training on how to effectively assess “at- risk”

students (Katz et al. 1033). Recognizing the signs of someone contemplating suicide allows for

early intervention before it is too late (Schmidt et al. 19). Giving gatekeeper training to parents,

along with students and school administration, will expound the resources available for a victim

of suicidal ideation to receive help.

The academic setting is the preferred place to receive help concerning suicidal

thoughts, because the students spend a majority of their day there. ​Bradley D. Stein, Health

Service Researcher at the RAND Corporation, along with other scholars, say the following

concerning the benefits of offering help to struggling students, in schools:

Schools can play a vital role in the lives of young people, in providing them

not only with academic skills and resources but also with the social and

emotional tools necessary to achieve their potential. Effective suicide

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prevention programs that are coordinated at the district and school levels can

greatly contribute to ensuring that at-risk students receive the mental health

interventions that they need. (347)

In conclusion, battling the suicide epidemic is no small task, but an excellent start lies

in implementing effective suicidal prevention programs within schools. Starting the program

when the child first enters school, and educating the children from a young age on the signs

of suicidal thinking, and where to turn to help can help reduce the stigma from the otherwise

uncomfortable subject. A combination of successful programs, such as the method of

rewarding students for good behavior like the “Good Behavior Game,” and giving the

student body power in influencing their peers to seek help from trusted teachers and

counselors as seen in the “Sources of Strength” program, is the best way to empower young

individuals with knowledge and prevent suicide(Katz et al. 1033-1037). Focusing on the

child’s mental health while they are young, and ensuring the child is allowed professional

mental help as they grow older, will reduce the amount of children that are suffering alone.
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Works Cited

Balaguru, Vasumathi, et al. "Understanding the Effectiveness of School-Based

Interventions to Prevent Suicide: A Realist Review." ​Child & Adolescent Mental Health​,

vol. 18, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 131-139. EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Clark, Jeffrey. Personal interview. 11 Dec. 2017.

“Good Behavior Game (GBG).” ​Suicide Prevention Resource Center. ​National Suicide

Prevention Lifeline, 2017. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Katz, Cara, et al. "A Systematic Review of School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs.”

Depression & Anxiety​ (1091-4269), vol. 30, no. 10, Oct. 2013, pp. 1030-1045.

EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Miller, David N., et al. "Suicide Prevention Programs in the Schools: A Review and Public

Health Perspective." ​School Psychology Review​, vol. 38, no. 2, June 2009, p. 168.

EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Schmidt, Robert C., et al. "Integrating a Suicide Prevention Program into a School Mental Health

System: A Case Example from a Rural School District." ​Children & Schools, vol​. 37, no.

1, Jan. 2015, pp. 18-26. EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Stein, Bradley D., et al. "School Personnel Perspectives on Their School’s Implementation of a

School-Based Suicide Prevention Program." ​Journal of Behavioral Health Services &

Research​, vol. 37, no. 3, July 2010, pp. 338-349. EBSCO​host​. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.

Ward, Janice E. and Melissa A. Odegard. "A Proposal for Increasing Student Safety through

Suicide Prevention in Schools." Clearing House, vol. 84, no. 4, July 2011, pp. 144-149.

EBSCOhost. Web. 11 Dec. 2017.