Being able to talk about suicide is a critical component of youth suicide prevention. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important for counselors to promote open discussions of the topic with both students and teachers. Knowing the signs of a student in crisis and providing them with the support they need can help prevent a tragedy. And if a student is known to be suicidal, communicating the risk to their teachers is imperative to their wellbeing.
Suicidal Ideation Is an Emergency Situation
The grim truth from the is that suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10鈥34. Every instance of suicide ideation must be treated like an emergency situation that requires immediate intervention. When a student at your school is displaying signs of crisis like making suicidal statements or imitating suicidal behavior, notify the principal and the student鈥檚 teachers.
You don鈥檛 need to provide faculty with great detail. You do want to ensure they take the student鈥檚 actions seriously and provide appropriate supervision though. This can include walking them to the principal鈥檚 office rather than letting them go alone.
Youth Suicide Risks
Students at every age level are at risk of suicide. In younger children, suicide ideation is often impulsive and influenced by negative feelings. This includes anger, sadness, and confusion, or behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity. Suicide attempts by teenagers are often driven by academic and societal stress, self-doubt, uncertainty of the future, and loss. It doesn鈥檛 help that the prefrontal cortex (responsible for planning and decision-making) of the teenage brain is not yet fully developed. This this makes teenagers even more .
The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded already concerning student mental health trends. have experienced new or worsening anxiety since the start of quarantine in March 2020. The risk of youth suicide is great – teachers must understand why all instances of suicidal ideation must be taken seriously.
Suicidal Statements
A student known to talk about suicide, however in jest it may seem, is a red flag that may signal a student in crisis. Even elementary school students, who may not fully understand what they鈥檙e saying, should be monitored if they make a suicidal statement, according to Dr. Scott Poland, an internationally recognized expert on school safety and youth suicide.
Dr. Poland partnered with 桃子视频 to help author our suicide awareness and prevention eLearning curriculum. This curriculum provides guidance for our suicide screening and case management platform. In one of a series of videos he made with 桃子视频, he that even though a child may use the phrase 鈥淚鈥檓 going to kill myself鈥 to get attention, what they鈥檙e really saying is, 鈥淚 need things to change in my life.鈥 Statements like this are a clear cry for help that all faculty members should be able to identify.
Imitating Suicidal Behavior
In another informative , Dr. Poland points out that adolescents are the one age group that is most likely to imitate suicidal behavior. He compares it to throwing a rock in a pond, creating a ripple effect throughout the school. When a student dies by suicide, that ripple effect can become dangerous indeed. Other students in crisis may identify with the academic, societal, or familial problems the victim was unable to overcome. This can confirm in their minds that suicide is a feasible solution and give them a roadmap toward that end.
Imitating suicidal behavior, particularly when a student has died by suicide, can lead to a suicide contagion or cluster. This is when a school experiences a high number of suicides among its students in a short amount of time. Though it sounds extreme, suicide clusters do happen. It’s crucial to inform your school鈥檚 teachers of the risk.
How to Respond to Suicide Ideation
When a student is suicidal, their school counselor becomes their case manager. They must communicate the risk to the student鈥檚 principal, teachers, and parents. The only exception to the latter is if you suspect the student is being abused at home. In this case, a call to Child Protective Services is the most appropriate response. If the student is hospitalized due to a suicide attempt, work with your school鈥檚 faculty to create a re-entry plan. A plan ensures the student will receive the support needed when returning to the classroom.
Failing to Take Emergency Action
The consequences of not treating suicide ideation as an emergency can be detrimental. Most schools do the right thing by following the advice of their counselors. There have been mistakes that led to schools failing at their responsibility to care for students in crisis though. In the 1995 case, the school board was found liable in student Shawn Wyke鈥檚 death by suicide due to its 鈥渇ailure to train or supervise its personnel with respect to suicide prevention/intervention.鈥 As your school鈥檚 counselor, you are the mental health expert of the facility. It can鈥檛 be overemphasized how important it is to talk about suicide with teachers when a student is suicidal.
What to Do When a Student Dies by Suicide
A student鈥檚 death by suicide is a challenging time for schools. To begin the healing process, counselors must help all involved, including the victim鈥檚 family, fellow students, teachers, and principal, work through their grief, shock, and confusion. Refer to Dr. Poland鈥檚 for advice on how to help your school move on from a death by suicide.
An Essential Resource for Youth Suicide Prevention
As a school counselor, you are at the forefront of youth suicide awareness and prevention education within your school, but know that you鈥檙e not alone in this vital endeavor. Download the , written by Dr. Poland and 桃子视频鈥檚 subject-matter expert Dr. Crystal Ladwig, for guidance that you can share with teachers and other members of the faculty.
If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 鈥痜or additional information. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with the .
