New program educates instructors on suicide
The program aims to take a preventive approach to suicide.
Published Feb. 26, 2010
Suicide is the 11th highest cause of death in the U.S., and 16.9 percent of high school students were reported to have seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But reports on the number of suicide deaths each year do not accurately portray the breadth of this issue, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. For each death by suicide, there are also 12 to 25 non-fatal incidents in people 15 to 24 years old.
"When you consider the fact that each of these statistics are an actual life, each number is one too many," said Scott Perkins, Missouri Institute of Mental Health project director.
James Koller, co-director of the Center for the Advancement of Mental Health Practices in the Schools, said suicide is hard to define and prevent.
"Suicide is a pervasive, all-encompassing problem that is hard to deal with," Koller said.
MU is one of many institutions creating a program to educate the public on this problem, upon receiving a three-year grant from the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The statewide program, Train the Trainer, was created to properly instruct educators how to recognize the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide. These risks include a history of depression or mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, divorce or negative family environment and traumatic events such as breakups.
The program is targeted at educators and other school faculty because they have a high level of interaction with students and therefore would be capable of noticing a negative change in personality or conduct, according to an MU news release.
"When you have people who can spot warning signs, that gives (at-risk students) the freedom and permission to open up," Perkins said.
Early recognition of a student at risk for suicide is a key component in prevention of death or self-injury.
"Many school district policies are reactive and do little to prevent suicide," Koller said. "Our whole focus is to be preventative, rather than waiting for the problem."
The three-credit hour program is available online through the MU Center for Distance and Independent Study.
"Dr. Koller approaches the subject matter with sensitivity so that students come away with practical skills to handle a variety of difficult situations," CDIS Associate Director Gera Burton said.
Train the Trainer is not the only action being taken to diminish suicide-caused death in Missouri. College campuses across the state, including MU, launched the Ask, Listen, Refer program last year, targeted specifically to train college students on ways to recognize those at risk and prevent suicide.
The Wellness Resource Center also provides an informational Web site that caters specifically to suicide and its prevention, as well as upcoming training opportunities and links to more helpful information.
