Suicide Prevention Legislation: What School Psychologists Need to Know and Do

Author(s)

Richard Lieberman
Scott Poland, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2017

Publication Title

NASP Communiqué

Volume

46

Issue/Number

3

Abstract/Excerpt

Suicide is a leading, preventable cause of death in our nation for youth ages 10­–24, and we are saddened to report that rates have increased slowly, but steadily since 2007. The rate of increase recorded between 2014 and 2015 for the 15–19 year olds was the largest jump in the past decade (from 11.6 to 12.5 per 100,000) and the rate for 10–14 year olds doubled during that 10-year span. While these data highlight a serious public health problem, we know that suicide is preventable. Since 2007, over 30 states have enacted legislation that either recommends or mandates that school districts train all personnel and have comprehensive suicide prevention policies and procedures. In a recent national webinar, the authors conducted a brief poll of thousands of participants and less than half were aware of any current legislation in their state.

NSUWorks Citation

Lieberman, R., Poland, S. (2017). Suicide Prevention Legislation: What School Psychologists Need to Know and Do. NASP Communiqué, 46(3).
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/1710