Suicide remains a leading cause of death among adolescents and exists in detectable rates for younger children as well. Underserved ethnic and racial groups face barriers to effective mental health care, making it critical that school psychologists be prepared to incorporate cultural considerations for suicide prevention and intervention. School…

Considerable research documents that LGBTQ youth are more likely to experience mental health challenges than their heterosexual peers, including higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This first Science-to-Practice Brief summarizes a study on protective factors related to depression and suicidality among U.S. sexual and…

Among individuals ages 15 to 19, suicide is now the second leading cause of death (Heron, 2016). Social media use is ubiquitous among this age group, with 95% of youth engaging in daily use (Burns et al., 2013). As vulnerable youth find each other through social media (Joiner, 2010), this trend can conceivably impact a large number of adolescents.…

As 69% of 12-15 year olds have social media profiles (Ofcom, 2019), the widespread impact, ease of accessibility, and frequent access makes online social networks a promising avenue to address adolescent suicide. The lines between technology and education have been increasingly blurred (Brodwin, 2019) and seemingly have now merged with mental…

There is probably no more difficult aspect of school-based mental health practice than navigating assessment, prevention, and postvention related to youth suicide. Although many schools follow best practices and respond appropriately, there are important lessons to be learned from cases that resulted in litigation. This article reviews key cases…

This article is the second in a series addressing comprehensive suicide prevention programming in the school context. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of the student voice and the value of data collection in the development of this type of crisis prevention, intervention, and postvention. In the articles that follow this one,…

The research is clear on youth suicide: Mental illness plays a significant role. Suicide is most often the result of untreated or undertreated mental illness, and when certain disorders coexist in youth, particularly depression and impulse disorders (such as alcohol and substance abuse, nonsuicidal self-injury, or conduct disorder), the risk for…

This article serves as the first in a series addressing comprehensive suicide prevention programming in the school context. Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States. As schools are a place where the majority of youth spend a significant amount of time, it follows that they are a natural…

The suicide of a student has a rippling effect in the school environment as well as in the greater community, as a single adolescent death by suicide increases the risk of additional suicides. The process by which a completed suicide (or at times, suicidal behavior) increases the suicidal behavior of others is called contagion. When multiple…

Suicide is a leading, preventable cause of death in our nation for youth ages 10-24, and rates have increased slowly, but steadily since 2007. The rate of increase recorded between 2014 and 2015 for the youth 15-19 years old was the largest jump in the past decade (from 11.6 to 12.5 per 100,000) and the rate for youth 10-14 years old doubled…

Not all students are dealt the same cards in life and some seem to have the deck stacked against them. Those who are dealt a particularly difficult hand to play include homeless, foster care, and juvenile justice students. As professionals who often know the most about mental health, service delivery, interdisciplinary collaboration, and crisis…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to deliberately harming one's body without the intention of dying. Common methods include skin cutting, scratching, burning, and self-battery. NSSI is currently not listed as a diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), but it is considered a condition for further…

The suicide of a young person not only creates crisis response challenges for school personnel but also sparks a multitude of reactions and questions from parents who may be anxious about contagion and the increased risk of another suicide occurring. Providing leadership in the aftermath of a student death by suicide is an essential role of the…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report entitled "A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013" (Blair and Schweit 2014). The goal of the study is to provide law enforcement with data so there is a better understanding how to prevent, prepare for, and recover from active shooter…

Psychotropic medications are increasingly used to treat children and adolescents with mental health conditions. Between the years 1994 and 2001, there was a 191.7% increase in number of office visits resulting in a psychotropic medication prescription among children and adolescents. Many drugs are prescribed to children "off-label", whereby they…