Submitted to OnFocus – Office of Children’s Mental Health Director Linda Hall announced the publication of a new fact sheet about preventing youth suicides and what communities can do to make a difference.
Highlights include:
- Approximately one in 13 high school students attempts suicide more than once.
- 45% of adolescents who died by suicide used a parent’s gun.
- American Indian youth in Wisconsin commit suicide at a higher rate than White Wisconsin youth. The overall suicide rate for Wisconsin youth is higher than the national average.
- Parents can follow advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics that says the safest home for a child is one without guns.
- Schools can foster connectedness and protective environments by implementing peer support programs like Hope Squad and Sources of Strength.
- Policymakers can support a stronger infrastructure to prevent suicide and lost wages of $17 million (in 2010) from youth ages 0-26 who die by suicide.
- Everyone can raise awareness about suicide during September’s Suicide Prevention Month and share available resources and social media graphics.
See the complete fact sheet
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Author: News Desk
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