SOS Middle School Program
The SOS Signs of Suicide® Middle School Program was created to assist in prevention efforts and to address the problems of youth depression, suicide, and self-injury simultaneously and age appropriately. The program uses a universal approach to assist in identification of at-risk youth.
Similar to the high school program, the SOS Middle School program teaches students that depression is a treatable illness. Through the use of an educational DVD and discussion guide, students are taught that suicide is not a normal response to stress, but rather a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression. Students are given specific action steps, encouraged to engage in a discussion about these issues with their parents as well as utilize the peer-to-peer help-seeking model known as ACT® (Acknowledge-Care-Tell).
For counselors, educators, administrators and concerned parents, the goals of the program are to decrease suicide, suicide attempts, and self-injury through awareness and knowledge of the signs of depression, self-injury and suicidality in youth, and to provide information about available referral resources. By treating mental illness like any other physical illness, the program helps fight stigma surrounding depression and suicide. The SOS program is designed to incorporate discussion of mental health issues into existing health and wellness curriculum. The program also increases self-efficacy and access to mental health services for at-risk youth and their families by getting schools to partner with community-based organizations that share mission to reduce youth suicide.