Youth Suicide Prevention

This book is based upon experiences from the 'Stop Youth Suicide Campaign' (SYS), a community-based youth suicide prevention program, led by the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital, Lexington. This program raises awareness and educates government agencies, teachers, parents, and students about the high risk behaviors that can lead to youth suicide. It provides education for medical care agencies to recognize and screen for adolescent depression and suicide, connects youth, parents, citizens, caregivers, and professionals with appropriate support services. The 'Stop Youth Suicide Campaign' is a holistic suicide awareness campaign. In other words, the program seeks to provide appropriate information and assist all stakeholders, e.g. individuals, communities and governments/policy makers to make informed decisions. In Kentucky, the campaign has been successful in changing some laws, introducing suicide education and training at schools, and provides interventional services as well as prevention strategies throughout Kentucky. A measure of success is a sustained drop in suicide rates over time, correlated to when the 'Stop Youth Suicide Campaign' started. In this book, you will find an overview of youth suicide, and several chapters looking at suicide from different points of view to create a holistic approach to this public health issue.