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 What Every Teacher Should Know about Preventing Youth Suicide
Helping Oregon's youth
En Español
Youth suicide in Oregon is reaching epidemic
proportions. Oregon's youth suicide rate has
increased 400 percent over the last four
decades. Today we have a suicide rate 30 to 40
percent higher than the U.S. national rate.
These alarming increases have made suicide
Oregon's second leading cause of death in
youth. Even children as young as seven years
old have killed themselves.
It is more important than ever that teachers
help prevent youth suicide. Adolescents who
die by suicide are most likely to be clinically
depressed when they complete suicide. By
knowing how to spot the early warning signs
and understanding what to do if you identify a
student at risk, you could literally save the life
of a child.
 Seeing the signs
Depression is a biochemical
imbalance in the brain that
affects how students think, how
their bodies function and how
they behave. That means that
sometimes behavior problems
aren't just problems - they are
surface signs of a deeper cause.
Depression in adolescents is
common: more than 1 in 5
youths will experience clinical depression by
adulthood.
As a teacher, you will see some of your students
with one or more of the following surface signs,
which may indicate depression:
- Low self-esteem
- Anger management problems or preoccupation with violence
- Irritating, fighting with or withdrawing from students, teachers and parents
- Refusing to go to school
- Behaving to get negative attention
- Doing poorly or dropping out of school
- Getting into trouble with the law
- Becoming pregnant early in life
- Increased physical health problems
- Becoming a smoker
- Abusing alcohol or drugs
- Threatening suicide or homicide
 Taking a closer look
Teachers working with young
people are usually the first to
notice when a student begins
show signs of depression. But
too often these changes aren't
recognized as warning signs
until it's too late.
Parents and teachers can sometimes
mistake a youth's change
in mood as a case of "the blues"
when in fact the youth has a
medical illness called depression. "The blues"
will only affect the student's mood briefly and
will improve after talking with a good listener.
Depression will only improve with psychiatric
treatment.
The most severe form of depression is a major
depressive episode. This is marked by a change
in your student lasting at least two weeks, during
which time your student has become either
depressed, irritable or uninterested in most
activities, most of the day - nearly every day.
Your student will also experience five or more of
the following symptoms nearly every day:
Depressed or irritable mood
- "I hate my life"
- Rebellious behavior
- Easily irritated
- Rarely looks happy
- Listens to depressive or violent music
- Starts hanging around other depressed or
irritable kids
- Wears somber or dark-colored clothing
- Frequent crying spells
Loss of interest in activities
- "I'm bored"
- Withdraws - spends majority of time alone
- Decline in hygiene
- Changes to a "more troubled" peer group
Significant change in appetite or weight
- Becomes a picky eater
- Snacks frequently and eats when stressed
- Quite thin or overweight compared to peers
Psychomotor agitation or slowing
- Agitated, always moving around
- Moping around
Feelings of worthlessness or excess guilt
- Describes self as "bad" or "stupid"
- Has no hope for the future
- Always trying to please others
- Blames self for causing a divorce or death,
when not to blame
Decreased concentration or indecisiveness
- Often responds "I don't know"
- Takes much longer to get work done
- Drop in grades or skips school
- Headaches, stomachaches
- Poor eye contact
Significant changes in sleeping habits
- Takes more than one hour to fall asleep
- Wakes up in early morning hours
- Sleeps too much
Fatigue or loss of energy
- Too tired to work or play
- Leaves school exhausted
- Too tired to cope with conflict
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
- "I'm going to kill myself"
- Gives away personal possessions
- Asks if something might cause a person to die
- Wants to join a person in heaven
- Actual suicide attempts
The next step: Talking to the family
After you have identified a student as being at
risk for depression or suicide, the next step is
to talk to the student's family.
If you've noticed warning signs of a major depressive
episode, the one thing you should never do is
ignore these and hope your student will "get over
it." Instead, here are some of the ways you can
step in and help prevent youth suicide:
- Be available. Connect with your student.
Set limits when needed.
- Always take suicidal and homicidal talk
seriously. Share these statements with
appropriate school officials.
In talking with the family:
- Share your care and concerns about their
child.
- Discuss specific suicidal or homicidal statements and indicate that these statements need to be taken seriously.
- Review similarities between their child's problems and what is discussed in this brochure. Provide a copy of this brochure to the family.
- Recommend their child have an immediate evaluation by a mental health professional trained in recognizing/treating depression in youth. The family's school counselor or primary care physician can be consulted to find an appropriate professional for their child. As part of this process, families should be made aware that depressed youth should not have access to firearms; two thirds of youth suicides in Oregon occur with guns.
- If parents are ambivalent, ask why. Review this brochure with the family again, making sure to point out the warning signs you've noticed.
Some parents may hesitate about
having their child referred for an
evaluation. Their reasons can include:
- A belief their child is experiencing "normal"
adolescence. Clinical depression is not
normal and causes ongoing problems until
their child receives sufficient treatment.
- A concern that their child might be viewed
as "crazy." It is important to help the family
recognize depression as a medical illness
with physical causes, similar to diabetes or
asthma.
- Hope that their child will "get over it."
Unfortunately, depression persists until
treated.
The earlier depression is evaluated and treated,
the easier it is to treat and the less likely it is
for further complications to develop (e.g., death
by suicide or homicide). Getting treatment for
the student is critical.
Treatment options that should be considered include:
- Taking immediate and sufficient steps to
ensure safety, including eliminating access
to firearms
- Individual/family/group therapy
- Good role models
- School and community support
- Developing interests in their child
- Good nutrition and exercise
- A complete physical exam by the child's
primary care physician
- Antidepressant medication
- Eliminating any abuse or domestic violence
- Taking steps to relieve or improve parental
ability to deal with stress
- Eliminating alcohol and drug use
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Where there's help,
there's hope.
Depression causes problems
for the student, the school,
the family and the community.
But with the right treatment,
you could see dramatic
improvements in a child's life
in just a very short time. As a
teacher, you play a crucial role
in the early recognition and
referral of students who may
be depressed. Knowing what
to look for and what to do
could mean the difference
between life and death for a
student close to you. For more
information, contact your
school's child development
specialist or school counselor.
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Information in this brochure is based on
"Recognizing Depression in Youth: A Key to Suicide
Prevention and Good Health in Oregon,"
by Kirk D. Wolfe, M.D.
Dr. Wolfe is a child and adolescent psychiatrist
practicing in Portland, Oregon. He has been an active
part of Oregon's youth suicide prevention efforts.
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May 2002 ©Copyright pending
Download brochure:
What Every Teacher Should Know about Preventing Youth Suicide (pdf)
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