The American Psychological Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state teen suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 in the United States.
The CDC also found that one in five teenagers seriously considers suicide annually. The prevalence is shocking, and while the risks may be difficult to identify for any particular teen, it is important to
understand that teen suicide is often preventable.
Schools and communities need to take a serious role to prevent these tragedies. Great strides have been made to raise awareness and to counter bullying and other harassment in schools. Yet, too
often, youth who report being bullied in school become further discouraged when their requests for help are met with inaction. This can lead to the student taking matters into their own hands by
retaliating against their tormentors or other inappropriate behavior to gain attention for their situation. Sometimes the victim of the bullying or harassment ends up receiving punitive action from the school,
such as suspension or involuntary transfer. Recently, a California mother spoke to her local school board on the second anniversary of her teenage daughter’s suicide about this exact scenario leading to
her child’s death.
A newly enacted law, AB 2246, requires all California county offices of education, school districts, state special schools and charter schools serving pupils in grades 7-12 to adopt pupil suicide prevention
policies. Keenan conducted a webinar presented by Dr. Scott Poland, Co-Director, Suicide and Violence Prevention Office, Nova University, to provide information on implementing this new law and practical
information to help develop a policy to prevent youth suicides. If you weren’t able to join the live webinar, or would like to view it again, the recording is available here on the Keenan web site.