District-wide Suicide Prevention and Awareness Parent Meeting

Date:  March 7, 2006
Time:  7-8:30pm
Location:  Issaquah High School Commons
Can you make a difference? Come learn how to stay involved in your child's life and avoid the unthinkable. Featuring Director of Youth Suicide Prevention Programs: Sue Eastguard, district-wide drug and alcohol counselor Trevor Van Dan Acker, and mental health professional Devin Crose.

S.O.S. meets after school every Tuesday in October in Room 134.
 

Suicide Facts and Information

• Suicides among young people nationwide have increased dramatically in recent years. Each year in the U.S., thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5-to-14-year-olds.
• Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up.
• For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, or moving to a new community can be very unsettling and can intensify self-doubts. In some cases, suicide appears to be a "solution."
• Depression and suicidal feelings are treatable mental disorders. The child or adolescent needs to have his or her illness recognized and diagnosed, and appropriate treatment plans developed. When parents are in doubt whether their child has a serious problem, a psychiatric examination can be very helpful.