Starting a Suicide HelplineIn the last year and a half there have been two suicides at my high school, which is not a violent or low-income campus. How I can start a hotline for my fellow students? And what would help make such a service successful?First of all, let me commend you on your activist, caring stance! In the past 20 years, suicide rates among adolescents and young men (age 15-25) have soared, and the reasons are not entirely clear. Major risk factors for suicide among high school students include depression (see below), previous attempts, poor family interactions, low self-esteem, loneliness, recent rejection or humiliation, substance abuse and poor academic achievement. "Clustering" of suicides is also 2-4 times more common in adolescents and young adults than other groups, and accounts for 5% of all teenage suicides in the US. (For more details on cluster suicides, you may want to see the article by Wilkie et al in the October 1998 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry). The question you raise about starting a "hotline" needs a little background material. We still do not know the best ways to prevent suicide. Some school-based programs designed to prevent suicide have not been effective. If handled poorly - i.e., by "glamorizing" suicide - such programs may inadvertently make the problem worse. Although private groups, such as the Samaritans, have provided suicide hotlines for many years, the success rate of this type of intervention is not known, to the best of my knowledge (though I often refer suicidal individuals to the Samaritans). I don't want to sound discouraging, but starting a hotline without adequate training by mental health professionals is probably not a great idea. However, you can support the ongoing efforts of professional associations (such as the American Psychiatric Association) to promote "depression awareness." The APA, for example, sponsors a depression screening program for the general public each October. You can also contact or join the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, which is a family-based private group that assists individuals with mental illness (their national number is 800-950-6264). A good start could be an article in the school paper highlighting the basic features of depression - feelings of hopelessness, loss of pleasure in most activities, extreme self-loathing or guilt, problems with sleep and appetite, and thoughts of not going on with life. You could then point out that depression is not a personality flaw or weakness, but a treatable illness, and give out the names of places to contact for help (such as your local mental health center or the Samaritans), or advise students to consult their family doctor. You might even want to contact the Samaritans to see if they have any suggestions - some local Samaritan groups are looking for telephone volunteers. (Your local telephone operator should have their number). Finally, you might also want to discuss your idea about the hotline with your school psychologist or guidance counselor, to see if he or she could assist you. In any case, don't give up trying . . . it's people like you who can really make the difference!
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