Struggling or concerned about a friend? Don't suffer in silence. Reach out to a trusted adult for help. Or, check out the following resources for support.
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Resources
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Resources
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - The lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress.
1-800-273-8255
- The Jason Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to the prevention of the “Silent Epidemic” of youth suicide through educational and awareness programs that equip young people, educators/youth workers and parents with the tools and resources to help identify and assist at-risk youth. http://jasonfoundation.com/
- Dealing with Teen Depression
Signs, Symptoms and tools for helping yourself or a friend
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
SAMHSA’s free mobile apps offer easy access to treatment and prevention tools for opioid use disorder, suicide, bullying, disaster response, and underage drinking. Learn how you can help spread the word about SAMHSA’s mobile apps.
- Teen's Guide to Mental Health
- National Association of School Psychologist
School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs and Materials
• Columbia University TeenScreen Program www.teenscreen.org/ TeenScreen helps schools and communities implement screening programs to identify at-risk teens and pre-teens. It uses simple screening tools that can detect depression, the risk of suicide, and other mental disorders in teens to help schools identify and arrange treatment for youth who are suffering from depression and other undiagnosed mental illness and those who are at risk of suicide.
• Guidelines for School-based Suicide Prevention www.sprc.org/library/aasguide_school.pdf
This 14-page report, written by the Prevention Division of the American Association of Suicidology in 1999, examines the bases of and requirements for school-based prevention programs in general, as well as for three variations of school-based suicide prevention programs: those for all students, those for groups of at-risk students as identified by research (i.e., incoming high school freshmen), and those for individual students identified through screening. It explores the essential components of and a sample curriculum for a comprehensive school-based suicide prevention program. The report also provides recommendations to ensure the longevity of programs once they are implemented.
• Jason Foundation, Inc. www.jasonfounda The Jason Foundation, Inc., educates young people, parents, teachers, and others who work with young people about youth suicide. The foundation offers programs, seminars, and support materials on suicide awareness and prevention.
• SOS Signs of Suicide Program www.mentalhealthscreening.org/highschool The SOS Signs of Suicide program provides school health professionals with the educational materials necessary to replicate this program, which teaches high school students to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and depression in themselves and others and to follow specific action steps to respond to those signs. The program can be incorporated into an existing health curriculum or can be used as a stand-alone program. The program includes educational materials, a training video, and an implementation manual, and can be completed in one or two class periods.
• Yellow Ribbon International Suicide Prevention Program www.yellowribbon.org/ This organization provides training and resources for school- and community-based suicide prevention programs (including gate keeping). Chapters in a number of states can provide suicide prevention speakers, materials, and training to schools and other organizations.
• Youth Suicide Prevention. Intervention, and Postvention Guidelines: A Resource For School Personnel
These guidelines were developed by the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program and designed for schools to use within existing protocols to assist at-risk students and to intervene appropriately in a suicide-related crisis.
• Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide http://theguide.fmhi.usf.edu/
This online resource was developed by the Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. It provides a framework for schools to assess their existing or proposed suicide prevention efforts (through a series of checklists) and provides resources and information that school administrators can use to enhance or add to their existing program. Information is offered in a series of issue briefs corresponding to a specific checklist. Each brief offers a rationale for the importance of the specific topic together with a brief overview of the key points. The briefs also offer specific strategies that have proven to work in reducing the incidence of suicide, with references that schools can use to explore these issues in greater detail.
- General Suicide Prevention Resources https://onlinemftprograms.com/suicide-prevention/ If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming yourself, help is out there. Below are resources for suicide prevention that you can access.
- The Ups and Downs of Social Media: Evaluating Mental Health Effects on Teens | On Our Minds Podcast https://wqed.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ups-and-downs-social-media-video/evaluating-mental-health-effects-students-on-our-minds-podcast/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023-05-18&utm_campaign=mentalhealth_2023 A youth-led podcast exploring issues pertaining to mental health among teenagers. This episode focuses on the positives and negatives of social media on youths’ mental health.
- Screen Time: How much is too much? https://wqed.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/screen-time-above-the-noise/screen-time-above-the-noise/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023-05-18&utm_campaign=mentalhealth_2023 Even by conservative estimates, the average American spends over 6 hours per day staring at a screen. That’s a lot of time. What does the scientific research say about it? Is it good or bad for us? Co-produced with Common Sense Education.