Knowing
what to do to help a youth at risk for suicide can be difficult.
Each situation is different, but sometimes even what seems
to be a small gesture can make a difference.
Here
is how one teacher made a difference:
“He
was absent from school for a week and a half. So I talked
to attendance and called his home. I got the answering machine
but I left a message anyway. 'Hey, I hope you didn't run off
and get married,' I said just to kid him. The next day, this
student showed up at school. And he thanked me for caring
enough to call."
Be
observant
As a teacher, you are in a key role to observe students. You,
perhaps more than parents, can assess what is typical or "normal"
adolescent behavior and what is out of the norm, because you
interact with hundreds of students every day...
Electronic,
print, and multimedia resources are provided to help you to
find additional authoritative information on What to do to
help as a Teacher. These resources are available from such
national organizations as The National Institute of Mental
Health as well as professional organizations, not-for-profit
organizations, and educational institutions.
Internet
Duke
University Medical Center: Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences
Duke
University Medical Center, department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences is located at Duke University in Durham,
North Carolina and their missions include clinical care, teaching
and research.
The
following Web page is a PDF file detailing adolescent depression,
namely a student guide for “What to do if a friend is depressed”:
