While most who die by suicide are of working age, workplaces are often unprepared to assist employees who are struggling with thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts or the suicide or a loved one. This short video is designed to help employers prepare a workplace that offers acceptance and encourages help-seeking.
Resource Types: Video/Audio Recording
More Than Sad: Teen Depression
Developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), More Than Sad: Teen Depression is an original 26-minute film developed for high school-aged audiences. The film features vignettes of four teen characters whose depression manifests in different ways. Each of the characters is referred to treatment in a different manner—by a parent, by self-referral, by a school counselor, and by a physician. Scenes portraying interactions with mental health professionals are included to demystify treatment. Key messages of the film include:
- Depression is a common problem that can interfere with teens’ ability to function well in school, enjoy hobbies or activities, or interact effectively with friends or family members.
- Depression is an illness, not a character weakness or something that people bring on themselves.
- Depression may develop after a particularly upsetting event or situation, but also develops in young people who may not seem to have any reason to be depressed.
- Depression usually doesn’t go away on its own and if left untreated may lead to serious consequences, including suicide.
- Effective treatments for depression are available.
The facilitator materials are downloadable from the AFSP website and include a detailed Facilitator’s Guide that outlines recommendations for showing the film in classrooms or other small group settings, frequently asked questions, and a suggested lesson plan with discussion questions. Other materials include a depression resource list for teens, facts about depression in teens, a short quiz (for evaluating students’ knowledge before and after the presentation), a model school policy, and a postvention toolkit.
Program Objectives
After viewing the film, teens should:
- Be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression in themselves or their friends.
- Understand that depression is a medical illness for which effective treatment exists.
- Be more willing to seek help if depressed and encourage depressed friends to seek help.
Implementation Essentials
- Teachers and others who show More Than Sad: Teen Depression should first carefully prepare by reviewing the Facilitator’s Guide and other materials and should follow the outlined recommendations for delivering the program.
- In particular, teachers should become familiar with their school’s crisis management plan and procedures for referring students for mental health evaluation.
2012 NSSP Objectives Addressed:
Objective 7.1: Provide training on suicide prevention to community groups that have a role in the prevention of suicide and related behaviors.
Not My Kid: What Every Parent Should Know
Created by The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Not My Kid: What Parents Should Know About Teen Suicide is a 17-minute web-based video that features eight parents from culturally diverse backgrounds asking two mental health professionals a variety of common questions about youth suicide. It was designed to:
- Increase parental awareness about the extent of youth suicide.
- Answer commonly asked parental questions about youth suicide.
- Clarify misinformation about youth suicide.
- Demonstrate to parents how to talk to mental health professionals about youth suicide.
Video content is based on the questions asked most frequently at parental workshops conducted by The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide between 2006 and 2008, as well as content developed by the Washington State Youth Suicide Project, the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Project and the Youth Suicide Prevention School-based Guide of the University of South Florida. Three themes emerged from these sources: (1) lack of awareness about the extent of teen suicide; (2) the misconception that asking about suicide could plant the idea in the mind of a vulnerable teen; and, (3) parental lack of knowledge about questions they should ask mental health providers about the issue of suicide risk.
Program Objectives
After viewing the video, parents will have:
1. Increased awareness and knowledge about youth suicide.
2. Increased knowledge of warning signs of suicide risk for youth.
Implementation Essential: When promoted by schools and other institutions, promotional materials should include information about local mental health and related resources.
2012 NSSP Objectives Addressed:
Objective 2.1: Develop, implement, and evaluate communication efforts designed to reach defined segments of the population.
Podcasts at CDC: Suicide
This collection includes the following podcasts: “Toxicology testing and results for suicide victims” (in English and Spanish); “Preventing suicide in young people” (in English and Spanish); “Coping with depression and thoughts of suicide after a disaster”; “Alcohol and risk of suicide”; “Keeping schools safe from violence”; and “Traumatic events and suicide”. To see the collection, select “Violence Prevention”.
Breaking the Silence
This 17-minute video and accompanying discussion guide are used at community forums as a means to begin a discussion within the community to raise awareness and combat stigma. In addition to specific questions for discussion, the discussion guide includes supporting material and suggestions on how to openly discuss mental health and suicide.