Programs – SOS Signs of Suicide®
The SOS Signs of Suicide Program® is an evidence-based, cost-effective program of suicide prevention and mental health screening for secondary schools. This program is easily implemented by existing school personnel during one or two school periods.
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SOS empowers students by:
- Helping teens understand the important connection between undiagnosed, untreated mental illness and suicide
- Teaching teens the Signs of Suicide
- Outlining action steps for dealing with these signs as a mental health emergency
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The SOS Signs of Suicide® Program is the only school-based suicide prevention program to:
- Reduction (by 40%) in self-reported suicide attempts in a randomized controlled study
-BMC Public Health, July 2007 - Selected by SAMHSA for its National Registry of Effective Programs and Practices (NREPP) that addresses suicide risk and depression, while reducing suicide attempts
The SOS Program teaches teens that depression is a treatable illness and empowers them to respond to a potential suicide of a friend or family member by using the ACT technique:
- Acknowledge that you or a friend maybe depressed or suicidal
- Respond with Care
- Tell a trusted adult
School personnel use the materials provided by the SOS Program. The main components include:
- DVD and Discussion Guide
This is the primary teaching tool, which describes the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide. It illustrates the right and wrong way for students to respond. View the trailer from the new Friends for Life High School DVD - Depression Screening
The High School Program utilizes The Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression (BSAD), which helps students identify whether they may be suffering from depression and should seek help. The middle school program uses a similar, age appropriate screening tool, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC).
Contact Jodie Segal, Director of Education to get SOS into your school by clicking on the button below: - Opportunity for Consultation with School Professional
Students are encouraged to speak with a school professional if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. - Educational Materials for School Staff and Parents
The program also provides education materials for school personnel and parents. For more information on program visit www.MentalHealthScreening.org/Schools
