Montgomery, Ala. - According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 10 teenagers take their own lives each day in the United States and in Alabama it is the 3rd leading cause of death for teens and young adults (ages 15-24).
The Alabama Department of Education and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) have joined to distribute two new films to all 513 public high schools in the state to help educate students about depression. Research has shown that more than 90 percent of teens who die by suicide have a mental disorder at the time of their death, most often depression.
“We hope that by providing these films to public schools across Alabama we will inform students about depression and the importance of seeking help, while also educating school personnel about suicide risk factors,” said Dr. Tommy Bice, Deputy State Superintendent of Education.
AFSP has developed a film, More Than Sad: Teen Depression, to educate high school students on how to recognize depression in themselves or their friends and to encourage them to seek help. The film includes a guidebook to ensure that teachers and other school personnel are able to show it effectively as part of a comprehensive classroom lesson on teen depression.
AFSP has also released a second educational program to help teachers and other school personnel learn more about teen suicide and how they can play a role in its prevention. This program includes the film on teen depression, a second film, More Than Sad: Preventing Teen Suicide and a program manual that integrates the two.
“About six percent of teenagers each year develop a depressive illness,” said Dr. Paula Clayton, medical director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). “Sadly, more than 80 percent of these kids will not have their illness properly diagnosed or treated which can often lead to absenteeism, failing grades, dropouts, drug and alcohol abuse, and possibly suicide.”
This comprehensive program complies with the requirements many states now have for teacher education in suicide prevention, and can be used for group trainings or individual study. To learn more about these films and program visit www.morethansad.org.
Distribution of the 2-disc DVD set is part of the State Department of Education’s revitalization for the Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance State Plan and the upcoming Comprehensive Student Support System Plan which will begin this spring and into the 2010-2011 school year.
Funding was made possible through the Alabama Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and their local Out of the Darkness Community Walks. Each film is roughly 25 minutes.
“The Alabama Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is thrilled to provide these films for use in our high schools. Our main goal is that these films will help save the lives of our youth,” said Alan Weeks, board member for the Alabama Chapter and who also serves on the national board for the Foundation. “Our chapter appreciates the support from the Governor's office and the Dept of Education on this critical issue.”
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy as well as to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those affected by suicide.
For more information please visit www.afsp.org or Wylie G. Tene, Public Relations Manager for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at 1-888-333-AFSP or at wtene@afsp.org