The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions—challenging for students and their parents. It can be hard to tell the difference between normal adolescent turmoil and what might be a mental health concern. Depression is becoming more common among young people and appears to be affecting students at an earlier age. Depression is treatable; but untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide.
To proactively address these issues, our school provides suicide prevention education for all seventh graders using the SOS, Signs of Suicide Program. SOS encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. SOS is an evidence-based program that has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge about suicide risk and depression, as well as a reduction in actual suicide attempts.
Our goals in participating in this program include teaching students:
· that depression is treatable so they are encouraged to seek help
· how to identify serious depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
· to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
· who they can turn to at school for help, if they or a friend needs it
Students watch an age-appropriate video then engage in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they need help or are concerned about a friend all facilitated by our school counselor. Following the discussion, students have an opportunity to ask questions, then we ask them to complete a short screening for depression and a response slip indicating whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns (for themselves or a friend). We contact the parents/guardians of any students we speak with because concerns were expressed.
We encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, to access useful resources, and to learn more about the key message all students will learn in class.
We have implemented the SOS Program at Chocksett for several years now. Each year we get very positive feedback from students and families. We also recognize it is a sensitive issue, so please reach out with any questions or concerns.