Youth suicide prevention programs studied by Thunder Bay professor

Superior Morning8:13Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Programs

A new study looks at how to reduce suicide rates among young people. We talk to the Lakehead University professor who co-authored it.A Lakehead University professor, in Thunder Bay, has co-authored a new paper on how to prevent youth suicide.

Dr. Christopher Mushquash and his colleagues reviewed 21 studies of suicide prevention initiatives and summarized their findings in the form of six, broad-based recommendations.

The team found that several school-based programs appeared to help reduce suicidal feelings and suicide attempts.  

These included programs, such as "The Good Behavior Game", which teach students how to manage their emotions, and suicide screening curricula such as "Signs of Suicide," which teach people to recognize the warning signs of suicidal behavior.  

The study also names a program called "Sources of Strength", said Mushquash. 

"The goal of Sources of Strength is to increase help-seeking behavior. If people are having difficulty to seek help from others versus isolating, so promoting connections between peers and caring adults," explained Mushquash, who is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction.

Many community-based programs for aboriginal youth

In addition, the paper recommends several methods of preventing repeat suicide attempts in young people who have already sought medical care for their mental health. These include the creation of emergency department transition programs to help youth who have been discharged from hospital find resources to support their recovery.

The researchers found no data on prevention programs specifically targeting aboriginal youth, Mushquash said, a fact he attributed to the scientific criteria the team used to select studies for its review. 

"We are aware of a number of different on-going community and culture-based interventions across Canada and internationally that build on knowledge about why some aboriginal communities have elevated [suicide] rates," he said.  

The researchers recommended that care providers, governments and other decision-makers take culture into account when considering how to serve different communities.  

Mushquash's study grew from the Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention Act, passed in 2012, which requires the federal government to develop a national suicide prevention framework.