5. Hope and Healing
5
With treatment, 70-90% of people
with suicidal thoughts get better
Suicide is not the problem, only the
solution to a perceived insoluble
problem
When you connect and ask
questions, you plant the seeds of
hope
6. LGBTQ+ Risk Factors:
23% of LGBTQ+ students have attempted
suicide in the past 12 months compared to 5%
of their heterosexual peers
LGBTQ+ youth are 2x more likely to feel
suicidal and 4x more likely to attempt suicide
Supportive environments at
home and school help
LGBTQ+ youth thrive!
CDC's Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System 2019 (YRBSS)
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8. How to make homes safer
REMOVE ALCOHOL
When alcohol is consumed,
impulse control decreases
LOCK & LIMIT
Keep medications in a
secure, lock box
NO LOCKED DOORS IN
BATHROOMS/BEDROOMS
Keep doors open or
unlocked
FIREARM SAFETY
Utilize gun safe and/or
trigger locks.
Keep ammo locked in a
separate location OR
remove firearms from the
home
REMOVE HAZARDS
Identify and remove potential
hazards – rope, chemicals,
shower curtain (obtain
collapsible option) RESOURCES IN PLAIN SIGHT
Help is available – access the
24/7 suicide hotline
1.800.273.8255 or text 741-741
or call/text 988
IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP
Insufficient sleep is
associated with emotional
reactivity and emotional
disturbance
9. Gizmo 4 Mental Health – elementary safety plan
gizmo4mentalhealth.org
10. Children’s Mobile Crisis Team
Goal is to prevent out of
home placement
Crisis is defined by the
family requesting help
Service is free, regardless
of insurance
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13. School Blue Envelope Event Tracking Tool
Log onto
MiSafeStudent.org after each
School Blue Envelope Event
to track event data
Tracking tool enhances care
team collaboration
Your participation is essential
for program success
13
17. Please complete the Post-Test before leaving
Click to the end
until you see
“Thank you!”
Editor's Notes
Remind participants to complete the pre test. If they do not have their phone or device with them, have hard copies available
Encourage your team to share a story of how this program has helped their students, or have the champion share a story of why this program has been important in your school.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24 in the US.
One in five adolescents have thought about suicide each day.
One in five adolescents are diagnosed with a mental condition which can lead to suicide
At any given time, 25% of adolescents feel depressed
Statistics can be overwhelming at times, but we need to understand the importance of why we are talking about this in schools
According to the CDC Youth Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report:
–In 2021, 18% of high school students made a suicide plan during the past year
–In 2021, 10% of high school students attempted suicide one or more times during the past year
–In 2021 3% of high school students made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury, poisoning or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse during the past year
Talk about instilling hope when talking about suicide. We want staff to come away feeling knowledgeable, confident and empowered to help students
Feeling suicidal is not a place students or adults need to stay and with help, people get better. When you notice and engage a student, you plant the seeds of hope!
Remind staff that their role in this process is so important!
Per Harvard School of Public Health, 90% of people who attempt suicide and survive do not go on to die by suicide, and 70% of people who attempt have no further attempts
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/survival/#Owens
Bullying is a big risk factor for suicidal behavior
LGBTQ youth are much more likely to experience bullying and violence in school, resulting in higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior
Acceptance and support from adults is a KEY PREVENTATIVE FACTOR for our LGBTQ youth!
33% of LGBTQ+ students experience bullying compared to 17% of heterosexual students
40% of transgender youth felt depressed in the past month compared to 12% of cisgender youth
Takeaway – reiterating that having a supportive, accepting environment at school can improve overall mental health in students who identify as LGBTQ+
Play video for participants
This graphic shows ways that homes can be kept safer for people who are at elevated risk for suicide
This can be printed and given to parents and students with the safety plan
This mental health plan is based off the Stanley Brown Safety plan we just reviewed. It is more age appropriate for younger elementary students.
This website gizmo4mentalhealth.org is a great resource, and there are many free printables for coloring pages, SEL content as well as this free mental health plan
Each county in the state of Michigan is required to have a children’s mobile crisis unit
They will assess the situation over the phone or in person and help determine next steps
Access services by calling your county's Community Mental Health
Good option to send home with parent education after a crisis
Each county’s packet with have county specific resources enclosed
Note that there are specific crisis lines for Veterans and LGBTQ, as these are two higher risk populations
New as of July 2022, anyone can dial 988 can also be used as the national suicide prevention hotline
This is your memory jogger card. Keep in a place close by to review steps.
It is laminated so you can write in with a sharpie the key numbers you need to know
Remind participants that ongoing tracking of School Blue Envelope events is important, helpful and necessary.
Remind participants of the website to go to to track events: MiSafeStudent.org
Review safe steps one last time
End with instilling hope that your teacher’s role matters, and they get the opportunity to have preventative conversations with their students
Encourage staff to write down their key take away- new information they learned, a new skill they plan to use, etc, and write it on their blue envelope
Thank everyone for their participation in this important prevention work