Citation

Potter L, Stone DM. Am. J. Health Educ. 2003; 34(5): 35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth, and schools have an important role to play in preventing suicide. Schools are the center of many adolescents' lives and they can influence students' personal and social development. Therefore, it is appropriate that the first line of suicide prevention strategies should lie within the educational system. From the perspective of health promotion, schools are in a unique position to identify suicide vulnerable youth. It is important to remember that many high risk youth are not in school, and communities should work to find ways to deliver prevention and treatment services to them. In this article, the authors review the nature of the problem of youth suicide, discuss the logic of suicide prevention, and review a number of strategies for preventing youth suicide with a particular focus on the role of schools.