Stopping someone from doing something you don't want them to do is not easy. When you think about it, preventing someone from taking their own life might be close to impossible. That said, you have a much higher chance of success if you understand the causes of suicidal ideation and plan a systematic approach.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has put together a list of topics that form a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention:
- Identify and Assist
- Increase Help-Seeking
- Effective Care/Treatment
- Transitioning to Life After Treatment
- Respond to Crisis
- Postvention
- Reduce Access to Means
- Life Skills and Resilience
- Connectedness
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A
Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was
created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and
what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their
schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal
and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope
that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district
administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful
answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to
prevent suicide.
