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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has underwritten the cost of
the evidence-based SOS high school suicide prevention program for Massachusetts
high schools not currently using the program. As part of the agreement, DPH is
requiring that participating schools send staff to training sessions run by
Screening for Mental Health™ Inc. so they can learn how to implement the program
and share ideas with one another.
“In Massachusetts, suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people
age 10 to 19. According to the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered by
the Massachusetts Department of Education, 28% of the students surveyed reported
feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing some usual activities,” explains
Alan Holmlund, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Massachusetts. “The SOS program
has been shown to reduce suicide attempts and to help students understand the
connection between mental illness and suicide. We feel this is an important component
of our overall suicide prevention effort in the state.”
The SOS Signs of Suicide® Program is a nationally recognized, cost-effective program
of mental health screening and suicide prevention, which can be easily implemented by
existing school personnel during one or two school periods. A widely studied,
evidence-based program, SOS is the first suicide prevention program to be selected
by SAMHSA for its Registry of Effective Programs. It is the only school-based suicide
prevention program that has been shown to reduce suicidality in a randomized,
controlled study (American Journal of Public Health, March 2004).
For more information about the SOS program or the outreach described here, call
(800) 253-7658, ext. 108 or
Email:
Champions @
mentalhealthscreening.org
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Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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