Watch the Trailer
The all new Friends for Life: Preventing Teen Suicide DVD features three compelling real life stories, professionally-acted vignettes and powerful new scripts to teach students about the signs and symptoms of depression and the help-seeking message of the ACT® technique (Acknowledge, Care, Tell).
- Acknowledge that you are seeing the signs of depression or suicide in a friend and that it is serious
- Care Let your friend know that you care about him or her and that you are concerned that he or she needs help you cannot provide
- Tell a trusted adult, either with your friend or on his or her behalf
The goal of the DVD is to create a supportive and responsive atmosphere for youth who may be at risk for depression or suicide by empowering them to recognize the warning signs and seek help. The DVD is accompanied by a new discussion guide that includes topics for classroom discussion to be led by a school health professional or counselor.
The new DVD and discussion guide serve as main teaching tool of the award-winning SOS Signs of Suicide High School Program, which is the only school-based suicide prevention program listed on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) that addresses suicide risk and depression, while reducing suicide attempts.
Since the program’s inception in 2000, more than 5,000 SOS High School kits have been distributed worldwide. The SOS program was developed by a team of experts at Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH) and involved an extensive advisory board comprised of representatives from organizations including the National Association of School Psychologists, American School Counselor Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the National Association of School Nurses. The goal of involving so many groups and organizations was to help ensure a program that would be used and accepted by school professionals, administrators, and parents.
“The SOS Signs of Suicide High School program was created to reduce suicide among adolescents. The program teaches our youth that suicide is a tragic, permanent solution to a temporary problem, and that problem is often depression,” says Dr. Douglas Jacobs, MD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and founder and CEO of Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
In 2003, after an extensive review of the program’s effectiveness and utility, the SOS Signs of Suicide High School program was recognized by SAMHSA as the first national program to show a statistically significant increase in help-seeking behaviors and decrease in self-reported suicide attempts among youth.
Moving Forward…
With the new Friends for Life: Preventing Teen Suicide DVD ready to ship for the 2011-2012 academic year, the Youth Programs team is eager to continue its work with high schools to roll out the SOS program.
Screening for Mental Health has more than 11 years of experience working with middle and high schools implementing suicide prevention programs and knows the value of the SOS program goes well beyond the classroom setting. For more information on the SOS Signs of Suicide Program and how we can assist you with your prevention efforts please email [email protected] or visit https://gold-barracuda-130963.hostingersite.com/youth/.