The suicides in recent weeks have raised public awareness and media coverage relating to suicide and the role of schools in preventing youth suicide. We must all do our part.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for school-age youth nationally and the 2nd leading cause of death in 10-19 year-old youth in Florida (2017). According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/survey-data/florida-youth-survey/youth-risk-behavior-survey/index.html, 14% of Florida high school students self-reported having seriously considered attempting suicide and 11% reported having made a plan to attempt suicide in the previous 12 months.
The Student Support Services Project website lists a variety of suicide awareness and prevention resources, including FLDOE-approved youth suicide awareness training materials, at http://sss.usf.edu/resources/topic/suicide/index.html. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and resources at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org, Youth Suicide Warning Signs https://www.youthsuicidewarningsigns.org, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at http://www.sprc.org/13-reasons-why, and Society for Prevention of Teen Suicide https://www.sptsusa.org, all provide resources for parents and educators that you may want to share.
Preventing Youth Suicide – English