Developing a comprehensive school suicide prevention program.
Since the 1950s, the suicide rate for adolescents more than tripled, and suicide currently ranks as the third-leading cause of death among 15-to-24 year-olds. Comprehensive school suicide prevention programs should include primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention components. This paper discusses these components as they relate to suicide prevention, and it provides practical steps for incorporating each component within a school system. All steps are based on a review of the professional literature. Three questions are explored: What can school professionals do to help in preventing adolescent suicide? What should school professionals do when a student threatens suicide? What should school professionals do after a student commits suicide?
King
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Health Promotion and Education Program, University of Cincinnati, ML 0002, 526 TC, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0002, USA. keith.king@uc.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D000092864:Suicide Prevention