The relationship between medical illness and suicide seems to be multi-faceted. While medical illness is not the sole determinant of suicide, certain illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS and brain cancers, do appear to elevate the risk of suicide. Possible effective prevention efforts include education of primary care providers, and improved medication…

Examined Modified Scale for Suicide Ideation (MSSI) scores for 198 suicidal men during suicidal crisis, prior to entry into treatment study, and again at 1-month and 12-month follow ups. Found evidence for decreased suicidality, but this was interpreted as the gradual action of interpersonal support, rather than as emotional catharsis. (BF)

Many schools have been dealing with youth suicide and other death-related issues. From the experiences of the schools and other community organizations have emerged workable practices and procedures which can be implemented for general use. Schools can now develop and implement comprehensive plans to deal with death issues using a variety of…

Suicide is a personal act with a high degree of interpersonal effects and outcomes. The student contemplating or attempting suicide has reached a turning point in his life and is searching for a way out. Suicide rates among college-age students have tripled over the past 25 years. While national attention has been drawn to the problem of teenage…

Describes a Pennsylvania school's successful group counseling program developed to help students cope with divorce in their families. (MD)

Project CARE was developed by the West Shores School District (Lemoyne, Pennsylvania) to provide supportive services for at-risk students. It provides programs to address issues of child abuse, family crises, suicide, and student abduction. MD)

Based on a literature review and survey of existing programs, this preventive outreach program emphasizes staff training to prepare college staff to implement outreach efforts following the suicide attempt or death of a student on campus. Offers specific guidelines for management on the suicide crisis, with special attention focused on the friends…

To deal with rising teen suicide and attempted suicide, this Michigan school system developed a comprehensive crisis response plan encouraging greater communication with students, parents, and school staff members and involving immediate response by trained professionals and followup procedures to stabilize the school community. (WTH)

This guide lists information and resources concerning school interventions to prevent youth suicide. Part 1 includes articles related to youth suicide, depression, and violence, along with a listing of basic facts, statistics, and myths about suicide. A general model of youth suicide is included followed by information on prevention. Part 2…

Describes an ecomap and time-event flowchart for monitoring postvention following a death on a college campus. Argues that poor coordination of postvention efforts can result in delays, duplication of efforts, errors, risk of liability, and public relations problems. Provides diagrams of an ecomap and of a time-event schedule. (RJM)

Presented 33 case histories of suicidal patients to crisis workers (N=19) for ratings of short- and long-term suicide risk. Ratings revealed considerable variability raising question about reliability of such global assessments. The variability, as measured by the standard deviation, was comparable between short-term and long-term ratings.…

Identifies diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and describes PTSD symptoms as possible student reactions to sudden, unexpected death by suicide or sudden loss from accidental or deliberate death. Reviews literature on PTSD. identifies phases of recovery, and describes brief strategic intervention for school counselors to…

The purpose of this paper is twofold: it reviews current national research on adolescent suicide and successful intervention/prevention programs and it surveys the 17 Nevada school districts to determine the presence of successful suicide intervention/prevention programs in the state. Findings include the following: (1) the popular…

Intended for use as part of an inservice program, this guide was designed to provide insight into adolescent suicide and to serve as a reference tool. It begins with an overview of suicide, citing society's desensitization to death, rapid changes in society, success codes, and the disappearance of the extended family as factors in the increase of…

This document presents guidelines for school staff to use in responding to an adolescent suicide. It gives statistics on teenage suicides and suicide attempts and examines characteristics of high-risk adolescents. Behavior patterns associated with adolescent suicide are described, paying close attention to the patterns of depression, substance…