Depression Awareness and Suicide Prevention
Dear Parent or Guardian,
The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster of emotions, which can be difficult for students and their parents alike. It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age. Depression—which is treatable—is a leading risk factor for suicide. In addition, self-injury has become a growing problem among youth.
To proactively address these issues, Concordia Jr. Sr. High School is offering depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program. The program encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. The SOS Program is the only youth suicide prevention program that has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression, as well as a reduction in actual suicide attempts. Listed on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, the SOS Program has shown a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40-64% in randomized control studies (Aseltine et al., 2007; Schilling et al., 2016).
Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:
- To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness
- To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression
- To provide students with training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
- To impress upon youth that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a trusted adult about their concerns
- To teach students who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it
In order to achieve these goals, we are implementing the Signs of Suicide® evidence-based program for all students in grades 7-12. Each student will learn how to identify risk factors in themselves and their friends and to use a simple method for addressing concerns. After viewing an instructional video and engaging in discussion questions with trained staff, the students will complete a survey that screens for various risk factors.
To learn more about the SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program, we encourage you to visit the official website by clicking here.
If you do not want your child to participate in the SOS Program at school, please contact Ms. Buzzanga prior to the scheduled lesson to opt your student out of this program. If the school does not receive notification, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the program.
If you are experiencing a mental health, suicide, or substance use crisis, or any other emotional distress, call or text 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org/chat.
