Suicide in Schools: Prevention and Intervention

In this course, Dr. Jonathan Singer, President of the American Association of Suicidology and Associate Professor at Loyola University Chicago, details numerous statistics to show that, not only are suicide rates rising among American youth, but also the rates in some demographics, such as among Native Americans and in some states, are particularly high. He notes the problem, however, that most prevention programs focus on the individual rather than the system. He proposes school-based suicide prevention, with a focus on using online tools and technologies to support both parents and students through interventions and also to monitor those at risk. Singer’s Suicide Risk Monitoring tool can be administered or used as a self-report measure, either online or in person, and can be completed in a few minutes.