Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

depression in students’ writing and artwork and to alert key personnel such as counselors and administrators when such themes are noted. Precipitating Event This has been referred to as the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” meaning that the student was previously suicidal and one more thing he or she could not cope with has caused him or her to act on previous suicidal plans. School personnel should be alert for the following stressful events that might trigger a suicide attempt: romantic breakup, severe argument with family or friends, recent loss of loved one (including a pet), being a victim of bullying or severe humiliation, school failure, loss of a dream such as not making a school team or rejection from college of choice, severe school discipline, or arrest/incarceration. It is important that school personnel be alert for all of these precipitating events but especially for students in serious disciplinary trouble, as some parents whose children died by suicide and had been punished by school administration for serious infractions, have claimed that the punishment contributed to their child’s suicide. If a student is being expelled from school, the school should offer counseling immediately, before the student leaves the campus. One such case from 1995, Szostek vs. Fowler and Cypress-Fairbanks School District, was decided in favor of the Texas school district, but lessons from this case include that we should realize that a severe discipline sequence could precipitate a suicidal student’s actions. Administrators must be careful to offer support such as counseling, communicate with the student and parents that they still care about the student, and ask parents to increase the supervision of their child. An administrator in Virginia commented to Scott Poland that she will always be haunted by the thought of the student she expelled. The student went home after the expulsion hearing and died by suicide. This administrator said she now always has a counselor standing by when conducting an expulsion hearing. Adverse Childhood Experiences Approximately one-third of adults who were physically abused in childhood have seriously considered taking their own life—a rate that is five times higher than adults who were not physically abused in childhood. The research suggests suicide may have developmental origins relating to abuse—that physical or sexual abuse may lead to changes in the stress response in the brain which increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Other key factors for adverse childhood experiences for youth are living in poverty; neglect; parental rejection; living in foster care; emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; loss of a parent; and living with mentally ill or substance-abusing family members. Students who have adverse childhood experiences are in need of a great deal of support and continuing mental health care. Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide The media unfortunately coined the term “bullycide” to strongly imply that the bullying that the victim received caused his or her suicide. Students involved in bullying, as a victim or bully, are at a significantly higher risk for depression and suicide. Furthermore, the more frequently an adolescent was involved in bullying, the more likely that he or she was depressed, had feelings of hopelessness, had serious suicidal ideation, or had attempted suicide. Internalizing problems (which includes withdrawal, anxiety, and depression), low self-esteem, low assertiveness, aggressiveness early in childhood, and possible rejection by peers and social isolation are personal characteristics that increase a youth’s likelihood of being bullied as well as risk factors for suicidality. Further, LGBTQ students are often stigmatized and bullied in school and are more likely to attempt suicide as well. Knowing the frequency of bullying that occurs in schools and these statistics that illustrate the connection between bullying and suicide, it only makes sense for schools to thoroughly screen for suicidal thoughts and behaviors when addressing bullying (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Brief on Suicide and Bullying, 2011). 59