September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month – and suicide rates have been increasing the last two years and the trend is predicted to continue. There are many contributing factors to the increases, there are also recommended steps that can be taken to counter the risks. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention along with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline lists five steps to help:
Ask – asking somebody if they are struggling and talking to them.
Help keep them safe – reducing access to things like weapons and drugs.
Be there – increasing connectedness and decreasing isolation
Help them connect – sharing and encouraging people to connect thru the 988 lifeline, etc.
Follow up – after getting someone in crisis connected with appropriate help, following up and checking in helps increase their connectedness (CDC, 2023, Aug 10 Media Statement).
As I look at these five items – four of them (all but #2) are ones that peers and teachers can be involved with at schools. How does that happen? How do we encourage students to reach out and talk with their peers and teachers and connect? How do we help educate students that they can “BeThe1to” to reach out and help somebody who might feel isolated and disconnected? How do we support teachers and counselors to connect with all students? How do we teach students to help prevent bullying and not be a bystander when they see a peer getting bullied? How do we help them learn skills of asking the tough questions when they think somebody might be in crisis? How do we help them learn where to seek help and who to go to - for themselves or others? These are all skills that students learn in various ways, hopefully in some ways from home, but many of these individuals struggling are not feeling connected at home either. These skills are taught through SEL curriculum – Social Emotional Learning. Contrary to what some current BoE members and candidates for BoE want you to believe SEL is not a “bad” thing – it is critically important to the safety and well being of our students. In cases where there is suicidal ideation, these skills may mean the difference between life and death for someone. Yes, some students learn some of these skills at home, many do not though, and even those who do can benefit from additional education and practice. These skills are not just important in the month of September when there is a focus on Suicide Prevention, and they are not just important during childhood and adolescence; they are life skills. Suicide rates go up in early adulthood – in many ways because people have graduated and left home and are feeling isolated and under many pressures. Learning social and emotional skills and how to connect when one is a child and adolescent will help an individual throughout their life. Learning these skills early can help with resilience going into adulthood.
Additionally, it is important that our school district funds, supports, and values critically important adults working in our schools – the counselors and psychologists, as well as the teachers. These are the individuals that are connecting to our students, our kids, and assisting them to get the appropriate help and support. We cannot expect them to do everything they need to do if we do not have open slots filled, if we do not show them they are valued and supported. Attacks on SEL curriculum, and not supporting teachers or paying them at comparable rates are attacks on teachers and counselors. When our district loses quality teachers and counselors – ultimately, we are putting our students and our community at greater risk.
Ann Ingala, PhD
Psychologist, parent, & Champion for Lansing Education