Calling 988
Numerous national and local information campaigns have been launched to inform the public that individuals can access free and confidential support from The National Crisis Hotline simply by dialing or texting three numbers – 988. Anyone who lives with, teaches, or works with adolescents in any capacity would agree, however, that information received from peers is more likely to be accepted and acted upon by teens than information that is offered by even the most caring adults or clever public service announcements. In other words, a student’s peers are an important first line of defense in our efforts to prevent suicide deaths and support the mental health of our nation’s young people.
Evidence that underscores the importance of peer interventions in preventing violent deaths was reported by CNN in a January 2024 article that highlighted the results of a study published by University of Michigan researchers. These researchers studied the efficacy of a confidential, anonymous reporting system that was adopted in 23 states across the U.S. The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS), created by the violence prevention group Sandy Hook Promise, operates a 24/7 Crisis Center where trained counselors review tips that are submitted through the system by students who are concerned about a peer’s behavior. The study analyzed tips submitted from 2019 to 2023 in one southeastern state, and “researchers found that the anonymous reporting system enabled 1,039 confirmed mental health interventions; 109 ‘saves’ where clear evidence of imminent suicide crisis was present and averted; prevented 38 acts of school-violence including weapons recovered on school grounds; and averted 6 confirmed planned school attacks.” These results offer hope that providing students with information and tools for reporting their concerns about peers can both reduce violent deaths and help boost the mental health of a generation of young people.
Calling 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline and Mental Health First Aid
As reported by the CDC in June 2023, suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals in the 10-24 age range. There was little change in the suicide rate from 2001 to 2007, but rates increased by 62% from 2007 through 2021, from 6.8 to 11.0 deaths per 100,000. For children aged 10–14, the suicide rate tripled from 2007 through 2018 (from 0.9 to 2.9), while for teens aged 15–19 the suicide rate increased by 57% from 2009 through 2017 (from 7.5 to 11.8 deaths per 100,000).
The increasing suicide rate is certainly one indicator that the youth mental health crisis has worsened in recent years. At the same time, a growing shortage of trained mental health professionals has widened the gap between student need and available treatment. To address this gap, various mental health initiatives across the country have borrowed the concept of “first aid” from the medical model and have developed programs to train both school professionals and young people to provide “mental health first aid” for students in crisis. These programs extend the reach of mental health support while capitalizing on the research that has shown that often the most effective outreach to students is done by other students.
Mental health first aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person experiencing a developing mental health condition or to someone with a history of mental health symptoms who might be in crisis, e.g., experiencing suicidal ideation or violent impulses. Training does not teach people to treat or diagnose mental health conditions but rather how to be a first responder, how to offer initial support and access professional help. The curriculum includes information about the symptoms associated with various mental health conditions; about mood (e.g., anger outbursts or ongoing sadness), behavior (e.g., social withdrawal or dropping out of usual activities), and cognitive (e.g., intrusive thoughts or distractibility) changes that might signal a developing problem; and about how to access both local and emergency services. Among other things, participants are trained to listen non-judgmentally, to validate feelings and experiences, to provide reassurance, to speak plainly and directly (“are you thinking about hurting or killing yourself?”), and to help individuals access available help. They are also trained to directly call 988 or district-based reporting systems and notify trusted adults to mobilize an emergency response even if the student in crisis is reluctant or outright refuses help. And, students can call these numbers and activate an emergency response anonymously, without ever directly approaching the troubled individual.
How Districts Can Help – Adopting a “Population Health” Approach
Districts can use one or more of the resources mentioned below to research reporting systems and/or the various mental health first aid programs that are available. In addition to the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, some schools are using the StopIt anonymous reporting system or are having reporting apps developed that are unique to their districts.
Population health strategies are proactive and focus on prevention and early intervention, in the hope of averting crises rather than responding after the fact. Adopting one or both of these approaches will foster a “population health” mindset that engages the entire school community in preventing violent deaths and in promoting mental health awareness and wellbeing.
Resources:
Facts About Suicide | Suicide Prevention | CDC
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System — Sandy Hook Promise
Kids In Crisis: Student-led programs help teens prevent suicides (postcrescent.com)
Children, Teens, and Suicide Risk | Psychology Today
Anonymous tips work to prevent school shootings and suicides, new study finds | CNN
A surprising remedy for teens in mental health crises (hechingerreport.org)
