September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month – Bellevue School District – Bellevue School District

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month —a time to raise awareness, shift public perception, spread hope, and share vital information for people affected by suicide. These facts provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness represent the importance of promoting Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

Individual Impact:

• 79% of all people who die by suicide are male.
• Although more women (Table 8.56A) than men attempt suicide, men are 4x more likely to die by suicide.
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10–14 and the 3rd leading cause of death among people aged 15-24 in the U.S.
• Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death overall in the U.S.

Community Impact:

• Annual prevalence of serious thoughts of suicide:
  • 11.3% (p. 35) of young adults aged 18-25.
  • 18.8% (p. 58) of high school students.
  • 45% (p. 4) of LGBTQ youth. Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are nearly 4x (p. 100) more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Data from CDC, NIMH and other select sources.

 

A National Resource Available to Anyone, Anytime

988, a new effective crisis response system was launched in the summer of 2022 and is now available nationwide. Dialing this number allows individuals to reach support for mental health, substance use and suicide crises.

 

BSD Supports Whole Child Wellness

Research shows that students receiving mental health services, and prevention and interventions through school-based services are more likely to achieve in school, reduce special education referrals and improve school climate, decrease grade retention, and reduce levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties. *

*(Greenberg et al., 2003), (Bruns et al., 2004), (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, 2005), (Hussey & Guo, 2003).

Along with the Signs of Suicide (SOS) curriculum, the Bellevue School District provides a social-emotional and behavioral screen to help identify students at risk of suicide and/or show mental health needs. The screen is called the Behavior Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System 2 (BIMAS2). The screen has three versions, a Teacher Report, a Parent Report, and a Self-Report. The BIMAS2 Self Report is provided to students in grades 7 through 11.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the BIMAS2 Screener and how the district Mental Health Assistance Team (MHAT) supports students, visit the BIMAS2 and MHAT FAQs.

For information about Signs of Suicide (SOS), please view the Parent Discussion Session Presentation.

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