A national scope study was performed to test empirically the hypothesis that juveniles in adult jails have a suicide rate higher than that of juveniles in the general population. Random samples were drawn from all United States juvenile detention centers, all jails with an average daily population of at least 250 inmates, a 20 percent random…

This study attempted to provide some initial normative data to help professionals and researchers to distinguish between playful and stimulating suicidal fantasies as opposed to serious and compulsive thoughts and behaviours characterized by negative affects. It is argued that the former is a natural consequence of cognitive development, the entry…

The rapid rise in suicide among young blacks in America during the past decade is of increasing concern to mental health practitioners and suicidologists. While there are some similarities among suicide attempts by blacks and whites, the pattern is that black suicide attempters are distinctly more youthful. This exploratory study tests the…

The development, introduction, and evaluation of an instructional unit on suicide intervention by pharmacists are presented. Pre- and post-test results reveal significant increases in pharmacy students' knowledge and ability to recognize simulated suicidal behavior and appropriate intervention techniques. Descriptions of the videotaped simulations…

Deals with the impact of a young person's suicide on his surviving parents and family. Referring to cases followed-up from randomly selected coroner's files, the author concludes that a very painfully experienced adaption period ensues. Grief and guilt reactions, denial mechanisms, psychosomatic disorders, and family communication patterns are…

Describes a Pennsylvania school's successful group counseling program developed to help students cope with divorce in their families. (MD)

Project CARE was developed by the West Shores School District (Lemoyne, Pennsylvania) to provide supportive services for at-risk students. It provides programs to address issues of child abuse, family crises, suicide, and student abduction. MD)

Since no school district is immune to death, the concepts of death and dying, stress management, and suicide should be worked into the curriculum beginning in the fourth grade. Advice is given concerning planning for potential tragedy, responding to a student's or staff member's death, and establishing memorials. Two figures cite teenage suicide…

Mental health and mental illness among adolescents is reviewed. A study of students in their first year of college is compared with a study of high school students. Use of mental health facilities, rate of college dropout; and suicide by adolescents and young adults are discussed. (Author/MT)

Gives the founder's perspective on the history of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and an argument for its necessity, particularly in view of conflicting societal norms in certain countries and the pressure to involve religion exclusively. Emphasizes the need to resist the glorification of suicide, and to study and prevent…

Claims elderly suicides are more frequent, and more likely to be multifactorial, including loneliness, isolation, depression, somatic illnesses, having suffered numerous losses, and injuries to the self-esteem (concerns regarding emptiness, uselessness, and body image). Aggressive impulses previously neutralized by work and social life now break…

This paper cites studies on the interaction of depression and learning disability, examines the question of whether depression is a result or a cause of learning disability, emphasizes the importance of proper diagnosis of depression versus learning disability, and reviews the incidence of suicide-related events among the learning-disabled.…

The article examines strategies for preventing suicide in the secondary schools. Cognitive, social, and ethical barriers to prevention are described, and a model curriculum-based primary prevention program is presented. A discussion of secondary prevention focuses on students at risk and counseling approaches such as direct counseling or peer…

Based on a literature review and survey of existing programs, this preventive outreach program emphasizes staff training to prepare college staff to implement outreach efforts following the suicide attempt or death of a student on campus. Offers specific guidelines for management on the suicide crisis, with special attention focused on the friends…

To deal with rising teen suicide and attempted suicide, this Michigan school system developed a comprehensive crisis response plan encouraging greater communication with students, parents, and school staff members and involving immediate response by trained professionals and followup procedures to stabilize the school community. (WTH)