CFK Reports From: Oversight Hearing on Suicide Prevention Programs and their Application in Indian Country
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Where/When: 485 Russell Senate Office Building; May 17, 2006

The statistics are grim: American Indian youth have the highest suicide rate among all ethnic groups, a rate that is almost twice the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To address this issue, youth suicide prevention programs have been created to better serve the community. Two panels presented written testimony about their experiences, findings, and goals on suicide prevention programs to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Gail Griffith tells an unsparing tale of her son Will's attempt to kill himself, and the complicated road to recovery.

State and national surveys indicate that gay and lesbian teens are at a significantly higher risk of attempting suicide than their heterosexual peers. But there is help available, geared especially towards the needs of this group: The Trevor Project. Letitia L. Star reports.

Data indicate the incidence of depressive symptoms in youth increases during adolescence and peaks during young adulthood. Depression affects physiological and social functioning, interpersonal relationships, employment, substance abuse, and indicates a "more dissatisfied life." Young people ages 18-24 living below the poverty line were more likely (8 percent) to report suffering from two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days than their peers living at or above poverty (5 percent).

The Columbia University TeenScreen Program is a voluntary adolescent mental health and suicide prevention screening initiative, which exists in 44 states, Guam, South Korea, and Panama. The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health recognized the TeenScreen Program as a model program in its July 2003 final report. In addition, the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) listed the TeenScreen Program as a Promising Program on its list of Evidence-Based Practices in Suicide Prevention Programs. TeenScreen offers consultation, the screening instruments, and training, free of charge to qualifying communities.

Whether a trauma happens in a family, a community or a country, children respond differently and need different supports to heal and adapt. Fortunately, the Web offers a wide world of resources, and Connect for Kids has collected some of the best.

In mid-2005, several states moved to prohibit mental health screening in schools and limit the ability of school personnel to make recommendations or discuss behavioral health issues with parents. Alaska, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont have all seen legislation introduced. The National Mental Health Association says these are dangerous moves.

Asking high school students if they have ever tried or through about suicide does not appear to put them at risk of doing so, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Child and teen suicide rates are down about 25 percent in the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gun suicides, in particular, fell sharply.

Growing concerns that some antidepressants may be linked to an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thinking in children and adolescents has raised the stakes for families struggling to help a depressed child. Connect for Kids interviewed two experts?Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Lawrence H. Diller?and found powerful similarities in the message each one has for parents.