SEATTLE—
Do you have trouble talking with your teenager? If so, you're not alone. But now, a new study by our state schools shows you've got some help on your side. It's all part of a school program to prevent a very serious problem: youth suicide.It's a more serious problem than you might think. Every two weeks in our state, two young people die from suicides, and 14 more youths attempt suicide and have to go to the hospital. But now, our state has started a set of classes for kids to prevent suicides. The new study shows those classes are working.
So what's it like to be a young person in high school, or middle school? Teacher Wendy Arness likens it to carrying cups, one for each new stress in life. She says, as she stacks cups in a student's arms, "You didn't make the basketball team, and now, maybe someone's trying to pressure you for drugs or alcohol." The student drops the cups. "So you've got all this stuff you're trying to hold, and you can't hold it all." Arness teaches students the HELP curriculum, Helping Every Living Person, to show students signs of depression, and what can lead to suicide.
Our state just reviewed the middle school version of this program, Look, Listen and Link, and found students who've been through this type of training are more knowledgeable about depression and where to turn for help. Arness says, "I know they're getting help they might not have gotten if we hadn't talked about this in this class."
Students like Miranda Solsberry, a junior at Mt. Tahoma High, say the threat of suicide for kids is very real. Solsberry says, "I've had friends who've been through that, and have wanted to do that, have tried to, so it's definitely happening." In a recent survey, one out of ten students in our state said they had attempted suicide in the past year. One out of five said they had seriously thought about it. Yet less than half of those surveyed said they'd be likely to seek help.
That's where the state is hoping to make an impact, with the HELP and Look, Listen, and Link curriculum. Suicide isn't something anyone likes to talk about. But when you can talk about suicide, recognize kids who might be in danger, and link them with the right resources, you can stop a tragic loss of life. As Solsberry puts it, "Keep your eyes open. It's pretty easy to see what kids are struggling, what kids aren't. So really just make sure you pay attention."
1-800-273-TALK is the national 24-hour suicide prevention hotline, if you need immediate help. Regarding this new suicide prevention curriculum, these classes aren't in all our state schools yet. If you'd like to learn more about this program, and how to bring it to your school, or find more information about youth suicide prevention, follow this link.
