NCJ Number
154407
Editor(s)
M J Rotheram-Borus,
J Bradley,
N Obolensky
Date Published
1990
Length
406 pages
Annotation
This book provides program planners, community leaders, educators, and counselors with practical information for use in the development of juvenile suicide prevention programs in their communities.
Abstract
Sixteen papers include contributions from clinicians and researchers in child psychiatry, psychology, and social work, as well as from administrators of programs that serve youth. Overall the papers focus on the needs of staff who work in various community settings, taking into account common constraints such as limited financial resources and diversity in the level of professional training among staff members. Recent research findings regarding adolescent suicide and related behaviors are presented in the first section, "Current Perspectives." Chapters in this section review what is known about adolescent suicide, discuss the relationship between adolescent suicide and substance abuse, present preliminary findings of a study of several school- based programs in New Jersey, and explore the legal obligations and constraints that must be considered in working with minors who may need emergency interventions. Section II, "Evaluation of Suicide," presents strategies for the development of programs to evaluate suicide risk. These include a suicide assessment procedure that has been field-tested in runaway programs, community health centers, and schools, as well as a discussion of the importance of staff training in community settings and the use of computer technology to engage staff and provide a means of monitoring training. Section III, "Networking," focuses on broad issues faced by community agencies that perform suicide prevention services. Section IV, "Prevention and Intervention Service Models," provides examples of individual and group intervention approaches for treating suicidal youth; guidelines are also provided for protecting the community in the aftermath of a suicide. The final section discusses issues relevant to serving special populations of youth, namely, lesbian and gay youth; juvenile inmates in local jails and police lockups; runaway and homeless youth; and American Indian, African- American, and Hispanic-American youth. Chapter references