The Suicide Research and Education Division of Screening for Mental Health, Inc., is dedicated to furthering scientific research and knowledge about suicide. It also focuses on education for health care professionals concerning the recognition, understanding, and management of suicidal individuals. From time to time, the Division will make available books, papers, or other professional relevant materials related to the assessment, intervention, and treatment of suicidal individuals.

From their web site, you can order the "The Harvard Medical School Guide to Suicide Assessment and Intervention," Douglas G. Jacobs, MD Editor.  The site also features the "High School SOS Suicide Prevention Program,"

Teaching Teens to ACT

The SOS High School Suicide Prevention Program educates teens to the signs of suicide and outlines action steps for dealing with this mental health emergency. The program is designed to make theaction step - ACT - instinctual a response as the Heimlich Maneuver, and as familiar as the acronym CPR. ACT stands for Acknowledge, Care, and Tell. First, ACKNOWLEDGE the signs of suicide in a friend and take it seriously. Next, let the friend know you CARE about him or her, and then, TELL a responsible adult. This simple combination of education and a three-step action response can save a teen's life. The objective of this educational program is to reduce suicide deaths among teens - by teaching them to ACT - in the same manner that CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver have reduced deaths from heart attacks and choking.

The Goals of the Program Are to:

• Help teens understand that depression is a treatable illness, and to help them assess whether or not they may suffer from depression.
• Explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression.
• Provide students training in how to identify serious depression or potential suicidality in a friend, and
• Impress upon students that they are in the best position to prevent a friend's suicide by taking the simple step of telling a responsible adult about their concern.
• Teach students that threats of violence can be related to the hopelessness of depression, and how important it is that they tell a responsible adult to avert a potential tragedy.

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The Main Teaching Tool: An Educational Video

• The video portrays scenarios with specific words and actions that are key indicators of serious depression and possible suicidality
• It provides specific and simple action steps to take to get help for the friend or classmate at risk.
• A discussion guide to assist those implementing the program in bringing out more in-depth classroom discussion and assure understanding of the issues addressed on the video.
• The video illustrates threats of violence by depressed and hopeless teens, and stresses the importance of classmates sharing this information with a responsible adult in their school or community.