Professional Organizations Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Section on suicide and suicide prevention. Information for Physicians Information for Physicians from the Suicide and Mental Health Association International (SMHAI) What to Do When Someone is Suicidal (from the Mayo Clinic)
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) has created and will make available to school-based professionals a School-Based Prevention Accreditation Program. The program provides an extensive Resource Guide and Recommended Readings to help prepare school-based professionals working with students at risk and/or charged with implementing a school suicide prevention program to achieve and demonstrate knowledge competencies in 16 content domains of relevance to better serving these aims. Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Depressed Adolescents, by Guy Diamond, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Leading national professional medical association dedicated to treating and improving the quality of life for children, adolescents, and families affected by these disorders. Established in 1953 as a membership based organization, composed of over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other interested physicians. Members actively research, evaluate, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders and pride themselves on giving direction to and responding quickly to new developments in addressing the health care needs of children and their families.
American Association of Suicidology: Membership organization for all those involved in suicide prevention and intervention, or touched by suicide. AAS is a leader in the advancement of scientific and programmatic efforts in suicide prevention through research, education and training, the development of standards and resources, and survivor support services.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: At the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide; investing in groundbreaking research, new educational campaigns, innovative demonstration programs and critical policy work; expanding assistance to people whose lives have been affected by suicide, reaching out to offer support and offering opportunities to become involved in prevention.
American Psychiatric Association: Medical specialty society recognized world-wide; over 38,000 U.S. and international member physicians work together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for all persons with mental disorder, including mental retardation and substance-related disorders. Vision is a society that has available, accessible quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.
American Psychological Association: Largest association of pscyhologists worldwide with 148,000 members; scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States; mission to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.
Mental Health America: Country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives; more than 320 affiliates nationwide.
Search Institute: Provides leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. Drawing on extensive research, brings hopeful solutions to pressing challenges in the lives of young people and their communities. The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets® are common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC): Provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Ideation (from American Family Physician): "Suicidal ideation is more common than completed suicide. Most persons who commit suicide have a psychiatric disorder at the time of death. Because many patients with psychiatric disorders are seen by family physicians and other primary care practitioners rather than by psychiatrists, it is important that these practitioners recognize the signs and symptoms of the psychiatric disorders (particularly alcohol abuse and major depression) that are associated with suicide. Although most patients with suicidal ideation do not ultimately commit suicide, the extent of suicidal ideation must be determined, including the presence of a suicide plan and the patient's means to commit suicide."
Responding to Suicide Survivors (from Suicide Awareness Voices of Education—SAVE)
Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: Treatment Improvement Protocol #50 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration—SAMHSA)
Webinar, "Pharmacological Management of Adolescent Depression in Primary Care," by Dr. David Brent, child psychiatrist at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and available for one hour of Patient Safety CME.
Information for Schools
Resources for School Health and Mental Health Care Providers (from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center)
Suicide Prevention for Schools from the Suicide and Mental Health Association International (SMHAI)
Suicide Prevention Training
Online Training from the American Association of Suicidology: For mental health clinicians interested in clinical skills for suicide prevention; access to a unique competency-based continuing education training program.
Online Workshops from the National Center for Suicide Prevention Training (NCSPT): In 2001, the Harvard Injury Control Research Center (HICRC) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) launched the NCSPT with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. NCSPT provides educational resources to help public officials, service providers, and community-based coalitions develop effective suicide prevention programs and policies. Four self-paced online workshops are available, free of charge. Participants can receive continuing education credits awarded by several professional associations or certificates of completions. Registration information.
Comparison table of suicide prevention gatekeeper training programs
SPRC has released a revised and updated matrix of suicide prevention gatekeeper training programs. The matrix provides a comparison table of nine programs that are listed and described in the SPRC/AFSP Best Practices Registry. By reading the matrix online, viewers are able to click on the title of each program to read more information about it.
Pennsylvania Suicide Research Centers
STAR-Center, University of Pittsburgh: Comprehensive research, treatment, and training center. Funded by the State of Pennsylvania's General Assembly in 1986 to address adolescent suicide and depression, our program provides individual assessment and treatment to teens who are experiencing depression and suicidality. Provides community education services about depression and suicidality to schools, social service agencies, churches and other organizations that request them.
Center for the Treatment and Prevention of Suicide, University of Pennsylvania: Founded to develop empirically supported therapies for the prevention of suicide attempts in high risk populations. Current research focused on the effectiveness of cognitive therapy interventions administered in community settings.
Selected Handouts from 2008 Pennsylvania Suicide Prevention Conference
Screening for Suicide Risk in the Pediatric Primary Care Setting, by Matthew Wintersteen, Ph.D., Jefferson Medical College
Trauma-Informed Care and Youth Suicide Prevention, by Gordon R. Hodas, M.D.
Adolescent Suicide and Two Screening Instruments, by John Sushereba, M.A., Perseus House, Inc.
TeenScreen (used by permission of Columbia University)
Signs of Suicide (used by permission of Signs of Suicide—SOS)
Suicide Risk Assessment of Rural and Urban Adolescents, by Virginia Biddle, R.N., C.R.N.P., Ph.D., Jefferson Medical College
The Role of Communication in Suicide Prevention and School Crisis Communications, by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D.
The Pennsylvania Suicide Prevention Initiative is a Public/Private Ongoing Collaborative including: Survivors of Suicide, Statewide & Regional Representatives from Departments of Public Welfare, Health, Education, and Aging, Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, County MH/MR Administrators Association and several county programs, County CASSP Coordinators, American Trauma Society, The STAR Center, PA Child Death Review Team, PA Protection and Advocacy, PA Psychiatric Society, PA Association of School Social Workers, NAMI of PA, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Mental Health Association of PA, PIN of PA, PA Del Val NAPNAP, a County Medical Examiner, a City Health Bureau, a State University, a Behavioral Health MCO, Common Roads, Juvenile Detention Center Association of PA, Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, Pennsylvania Council on Children, Youth, and Family Services, Providers and Student Assistance Program Trainers, School Districts, Yellow Ribbon Chapters, Feeling Blue Suicide Prevention Council, multiple county task forces and other grassroots organizations.
