Adolescent suicide has tripled in the past two decades and is considered to be a leading cause of death among America's youths. This increase has prompted much research on the assessment and prevention of adolescent suicide. Suicidologists have agreed there are no scientifically proven methods to assess which individual might attempt suicide.…

This digest summarizes information on incidence in and identification and intervention of potentially suicidal children and youth with disabilities. Estimates suggesting that some categories of exceptional youth have higher suicide rates than the general population are cited. Suicide risk factors and signs that a student is potentially suicidal…

This paper presents a secondary-level teaching technique that can be used in an integrated English and health education curriculum. The exercise provides students and teachers with a case study of a suicidal person for the purpose of teaching the warning signs of suicide, appropriate questioning, and referral skills. The case study uses Hamlet's…

This document provides guidelines for clinicians working with gifted, suicidal adolescents. It addresses: (1) the need to set limits in the early sessions of psychotherapy; (2) the necessity of maintaining a presence by making personal sacrifices through being accessible, talking on the phone, scheduling extra sessions and, in extreme cases,…

This book presents six qualitative research studies written by graduate students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs masters program at the University of Vermont. The papers provide case studies concerning suicide, acquaintance rape, alcohol-related student death, classism, adult children of alcoholics, and multiracial identity. Following…

This report presents the results of a survey of over 1,500 Nebraska students in grades 8 and 10 in 1988. Students in 37 schools were asked about their involvement in physical fights; about their access to weapons; about being victims of robbery, physical assault, threats and attempts at forced sex; about their attitudes toward violence and…

Although suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States, little is known about the prevalence or characteristics of suicide attempts among adolescents. Data from 1,710 adolescents attending 9 high schools in 5 communities were examined to determine the prevalence of suicide attempts and the lethality and intent…

This monograph provides principals and school officials with information about coping with adolescent suicide. Section 1, "Introduction," discusses the uncomfortable nature of the topic, cites statistics, and recommends that preventive programs be developed. Section 2, "Causes of Suicide," analyzes stress and depression among youth and suggests…

To evaluate the effectiveness of telephone crisis lines in reaching adolescents at risk for suicide, questionnaires were administered to 1,000 tenth grade students in a medium-sized southeastern city. A total of 837 questionnaires were completed. Questions concerned psychosocial background, symptoms of depression, suicide awareness, and attitudes…

Suicide is one of the least understood of human behaviors, especially the causes and factors associated with suicide in young children. To replicate and clarify an earlier study, which used a methodology for determining suicidal ideation in different groups of people by examining the thoughts and ideas they projected onto another, 2,386 subjects…

This paper provides information regarding a joint curriculum project between Stanford University and the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico. The project is an outgrowth of the Stanford/Zuni Committee, a unique collaborative effort that is guarded by sensitivity to previous Indian research experiences and a commitment to useful consultation with the…

This document introduces the issue of self-protection as the Minnesota 4-H Youth Development response to self-destructive behavior among adolescents. It presents findings from a statewide survey of over 36,000 secondary school students using the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey. Responses are given in the areas of health, school attitudes,…

This report was written to provide educators with information on their role in dealing with the problem of adolescent suicide. A review of current literature was conducted to give educators accurate teenage suicide information, and an annotated bibliography of relevant citations from that review is included. Thirty entries are organized in the…

To provide some directions for the design and implementation of innovative health programs, both on an individual and community level, this paper, using both empirical and anecdotal sources, explores some of the possible psychological mechanisms Indian people have used to endure overt and covert Federal policies and social attitudes of termination…

Numerous advocacy groups concerned with "death with dignity" have formed in response to medical advances which extend the process of dying. Natural death legislation and the Living Will are but two examples of suicide advocacy for the terminally ill. These groups are emerging world-wide and range from conservative insistence on passive…