Georgia School District Not Held Liable for Student’s Suicide

Meghan Covert Russell writes:

This week the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled in favor of the Murray County School District on their motion for summary judgment in the case of Long v. Murray County School District. The case has garnered national attention due to its focus on bullying. Seventeen-year-old Tyler Lee Long (“Long”), who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, was the victim of severe, nearly constant bullying at his Georgia high school and eventually committed suicide. Long’s parents sued the Murray County School District alleging that their failure to intervene, investigate, correct, or train employees to adequately protect Tyler from bullying constituted deliberate indifference and was the cause of his decision to take his own life.

Read more about the case on JD Supra.

40% of youth who attempt suicide make their first attempt before high school

Thoughts about killing oneself and engaging in suicidal behavior may begin much younger than previously thought. While about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, new findings reveal that a significant proportion make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school.

In a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, nearly 40 percent of young adults who said they had tried suicide said that they made their first attempt before entering high school.

The researchers also found that suicide attempts during childhood and adolescence were linked to higher scores of depression at the time of the attempts, validating for the first time that young adults can reliably recall when they first attempted suicide.

“Young adults who end up having chronic mental health problems show their struggles early,” said James Mazza, lead author and professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington. “This study suggests that implementation of mental health programs may need to start in elementary and middle schools, and that youth in these grades are fairly good reporters of their own mental health.”

Read more of this press release from  University of Washington  - Molly McElroy

Teen suicide: More schools bring issue out of shadows

A news report by John Keilman shows how some schools are trying to reduce teen suicide by increasing awareness about it and screening students:

The paper handed to each freshman at Oak Lawn Community High School recently was filled with blunt and uncomfortable questions. Had they lost interest in everything? Did they feel they weren’t as smart or good-looking as most other people? Were they thinking about killing themselves?

A squad of counselors stood by to interview those who, based on their answers, might have been struggling with depression or contemplating suicide. By the end of the day, more than 50 teenagers had come to see them.

Read the full article in the L.A. Times. As the article makes clear, it is not whether this type of initiative is really effective in reducing the suicide rate and there are significant privacy concerns to consider that require allowing students or their parents to elect not to participate.

That said, and as uncomfortable as it may be, I am generally in strong favor of teaching students about teen depressions, its signs, and what to do if they feel that they are depressed or that a friend is depressed.

If your teen’s school hasn’t provided information, feel free to download these 2001 handouts for teens from the National Institute of Mental Health: What To Do When a Friend is Depressed and Let’s Talk About Depression. The articles are in the public domain and you can reproduce them and share them with others or use them in class to start a discussion.

Study finds sharp monthly fluctuations in levels of adolescent male visits to emergency department for drug related suicide attempts

An important press release from SAMHSA:

A new study examining monthly and seasonal trends in the number of emergency department visits involving drug related suicide attempts reveals considerable fluctuations among adolescent males. The rate for the general population varies little.

The study conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed that only 2.5 percent of drug related suicide attempt emergency room visits by males aged 12-17 occur in February – as opposed to 18.9 percent reported in December.

December also marked the highest level of emergency department drug related suicide attempt visits by men aged 50 and older (12.9 percent). The lowest level of visits for males in this age group was in October (5.5 percent).

By comparison, the study showed that the rate of visits remained relatively constant for the rest of the population including males aged 18 to 49.

“Emergency departments present an opportunity to intervene in a way that can help prevent future attempts, said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. “While the study does not identify the factors that lead to fluctuations in drug related suicide attempts, it does point to the need for additional research in the factors that play a role in suicidality , particularly among both younger and older males.

The study found that from 2004 to 2008, on average, each year emergency departments dealt with 178,423 visits for drug-related suicide attempts by patients 12 or older. Overall the number of visits reported by emergency departments ranged from12,656 in February (7.1 percent) to 16, 812 visits in September (9.4 percent).

The study’s findings are being announced in conjunction with today’s meeting of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public/private partnership (including SAMHSA) to update and advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The Alliance’s goal is to enhance efforts to address what has become the foremost, preventable public-health tragedy in our nation: suicide. One of the meeting’s specific goals is to more effectively deliver suicide prevention services and messages to high-risk groups. The Action Alliance is engaging every sector of society, public, private and philanthropic to help reach people at risk and help them stay safe.

The study, Monthly and Seasonal Variation in Emergency Department Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts: 2004 to 2008 is an effort to inform policy makers and service providers on the nature and scope of behavioral health issues. The report is part of SAMHSA’s Strategic Initiative on Data, Outcomes, and Quality and is based on SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report. DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits reported throughout the nation. A copy of the study is available at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k11/DAWN019/SuicideBySeason.cfm

For more information related to suicide prevention, visit:

• http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• www.reachout.com

For additional information about SAMHSA programs, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov/

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Another study links poor grades to increased suicide risk

Dr. John Grohol writes:

Receiving poor grades in school is associated with an increased risk of suicide at a young age, according to a new study from the medical university Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

Researchers found that teens with the lowest final average grades after year nine at age 16 (in a Swedish school) were three times more likely to commit suicide than students who graduated with the best or, at least, very high grades.

The findings reveal that suicide risk descended as grades rose.

You can read more of his article on PsychCentral.

This is not the first study to demonstrate a relationship between academic failure and suicide. A similar study in Australia in 2005 found essentially the same thing.

While we often worry as parents about how our child is doing socially, and peer relationships are certainly crucially, we need to remain vigilant about ensuring that our children experience academic success. If your child is not making adequate progress, then reconvene their committee to discuss what else needs to be done or incorporated. And when the plan comes up for annual review, do not agree to do the same thing that didn’t work this year for next year. I am always somewhat amazed at how often a district offers the same ineffective program year after year while the student falls farther and farther behind instead of catching up.

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