SUICIDE PREVENTION Training

1. SUICIDE PREVENTION Training 2015-2016 Overpark Elementary

2. UNDERSTANDING SUICIDE • Suicide occurs every 18 minutes in the U.S. • Do you know anyone who has been affected by suicide? • Have you personally been affected by suicide? • No less than 6 other people are affected by suicide losses • About 30,000 people in the U.S. take their own lives each year *Please take time to share personal comments

3. UNDERSTANDING SUICIDE • Most people who are thinking about suicide exhibit certain signs, symptoms and behaviors • Suicide can strike almost anybody • Suicides occur in every ethnic group, gender, occupation, geographic area, and socioeconomic status • Children who have lost a parent or a brother or sister to suicide, for example, are more likely to die by suicide themselves

4. Why do elementary schools need to be trained on suicide prevention? • You may think that suicide does not occur in elementary schools, so why this training? • Just like you help recognize a need for academic skills – you must also be aware of the need for emotional/social support. • All staff should be aware of students’ behavior and know how to recognize signs of depression and suicide warning signs

5. Why do elementary schools need to be trained on suicide prevention? (cont.) ***Bullying, Bullying, & Bullying • A study published in Child Development magazine indicates that students who are bullied may be at a greater risk for developing antisocial behavior and depression • Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide

6. Bullying & Suicide Raise your hand if you know of a child who has been bullied for the following: • Odor, smelling, unclean • “Slow” or “Different” • Overweight or Physical Features that may be viewed “abnormal” • Personality or tendencies of homosexuality- “Gay” *Please take time to discuss in your group

7. Have you ever thought about… • How the child who has an odor must feel after been bullied about his/her smell all day at school? • How the gifted child must feel because he/she doesn’t fit in? • How the child with a learning disability or asperger tendencies feels when he/she can’t make friends? *Please take time to discuss in your group

8. Have you ever thought about… • How the over weight child feels when he/she goes home after being called “fat” each day? • How the child who is struggling with his/her identity is called “gay” each day? • How any child feels when he/she has been humiliated through cyber-bullying, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, or social neglect? *Please take time to discuss in your group

9. Here are a few children who felt the bullying and pain was too much to deal with… Warning: The stories may make you cry. Have tissue near by.

10. Laura Rhodes • A beautiful, caring, and very sensitive 13-year-old girl • Subjected to cruel comments about her weight • Constantly subjected to profane name calling and vicious, untrue, rumors • Students would intentionally trip her, throw things at her, knock her books out of her hands, kick her, hit her, laugh at her, and push her • Laura did not know how to deal with her pain, so every time that she was bullied at school, she would eat more food to try to cope. Her weight continued to increase, and she eventually wore a size 24 at the age of 13. • She committed suicide on September 6, 2004 by taking an overdose of medication

11. Daniel Scruggs • An intelligent, talented, and handsome boy • His home was filthy, cluttered, nasty & smelly • Incessantly bullied at school • Subjected to constant verbal and physical abuse • He had missed 45 days of school and was late 29 days during the school year when he died • At age 12 he hanged himself in a closet with a necktie

12. Joshua Melo • He was a sensitive, shy, polite, caring, talented, and intelligent 15-year-old • Relentlessly bullied because some students thought that he was gay • Subjected to constant homophobic slurs • Suffered from severe depression after enduring endless bullying • Joshua hanged himself on November 26, 2004 and his father found him. • “I had to cut my son down from the tree,” said the father.

13. Ryan Patrick Halligan • A handsome, hard working, friendly, sensitive, and caring young boy • Faced challenges at a young age, which included speech, language, and motor skill development issues • Students began to bully him because they thought he was “slow.” However, with his hard work he was dismissed from sped in the 5th grade • Ryan’s parents were concerned about the bullying and got Ryan into therapy, which was successful so the sessions were terminated • The bullying continued, but when he entered the 7th grade the bullying got worse • Because of the incessant bullying, Ryan and his dad decided it would be helpful for Ryan to develop some fighting skills incase he was physically attacked

14. Ryan Patrick Halligan (cont.)ryanpatrickhalligan.org • A bully did attack Ryan and a fight did occur • Later, Ryan became the target of online taunts and harassment via cyber bullying • A popular girl at school pretended that she liked Ryan in an instant message conversation, and she got him to say some personal things that she later copied and pasted and sent to other people; she thought it was a “joke” • Ryan was also communicating with a boy online who was providing Ryan with information about suicide and encouraging Ryan to kill himself. Ryan actually told this boy that he was going to kill himself, and the boy responded: “It’s about fu**ing time.” • Two weeks after that disturbing communication, on October 7, 2003, Ryan hanged himself

15. Words and Rumors You said they were making fun of you, Making up rumors and calling you names... Mean words can hurt, which they never knew. They never stopped. It just got worse. Then came the day You couldn't take any more. There's shedding of tears As you are missed so very much, By your family and peers. Those students at school,They were in the wrong. They pushed you to the edge. The words that cut you so deep... Your life has ended Because the rumors Couldn't be taken back.

16. Bullying • What was once considered a normal part of growing up- is now being recognized as traumatic stressor for many children   • Bullying defined- when one or more students intentionally inflict or repeatedly attempt to inflict injury or discomfort on another student

17. Bullying… • Is aggressive behavior that intends to cause harm or distress.HUMILIATION • Usually is repeated over time. • Occurs in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power or strength.

18. Direct Bullying • Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting… • Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, verbal harassment • Threatening, obscene gestures

19. Indirect Bullying • Getting another person to bully someone for you • Spreading rumors • Deliberately excluding someone from a group or activity • Cyber-bullying

20. Children who are bullied have: • Lower self esteem • Higher rates of depression • Higher absenteeism rates • More suicidal ideation

21. Health Consequences of Bullying Bullied Not bullied Headache 16% 6% Sleep problems 42% 23% Abdominal pain 17% 9% Feeling tense 20% 9% Anxiety 28% 10% Feeling unhappy 23% 5% Depression scale moderate indication 49% 16% strong indication 16% 2%

22. Bullying VS Normal Conflict • Did you know that bullying is different than normal conflict? • Try our bully meter to see what is really happening with your children.

24. If you answered yes to most of the questions: You have a suspected bully on your hands

25. How can I Prevent Bullying? • Learn to recognize the Bullies - 10% • Learn to recognize the Victims- 2% • Learn to recognize the By-Standers- 88% **Try to stop the bullies **Help and be a support for the victims **Help the silent majority become the caring majority

26. Learning to Recognize the Students

27. Why Do the By-Stander Need to Be Involved? • These by-standers are often the ones aware of the bullying, not the adults • Peers are a very important part of the dynamics of bullying • Peers often behave in ways that intensify the bullying behavior instead of helping to diminish it • Clearly, these by-standers are a major part of the environment in which bullying occurs

28. What can I do? • Don’t ignore children who are having a hard time fitting in or have any type of issue that might result in depression- These children need extra love and attention!! • Take time to show the videos related to bullying: • Push & Shove *(video on bullies and victims) • Stop Bullying Now: Take a Stand. Lend a Hand* *(see counselor for videos) (These could be shown during recess on rainy/cold days) • Research various classroom activities related to bully prevention • See the School Counselor or other Teachers • Internet Research (Utilize some activities during recess on rainy/cold days)

29. Suggested Classroom Activities • Making and Keeping Friends • How to Stand Up for Friends • How to Treat Others • Stop Bullying • Dealing with Relational Aggression • Stop and Think:Impulse Control *See the counselor for resources and assistance *Look on-line for classroom activities

30. Learn to Recognize the Warning Signs of Suicide

31. Suicide Warning Signs • Appearing depressed or sad most of the time. • Talking or writing about death or suicide. • Withdrawing from family and friends. • Feeling hopeless. • Feeling helpless. • Feeling strong anger or rage. • Feeling trapped -- like there is no way out of a situation.

32. Suicide Warning Signs (cont.) • Exhibiting a change in personality. • Acting impulsively. • Losing interest in most activities. • Experiencing a change in sleeping habits. • Experiencing a change in eating habits. • Experiencing dramatic mood changes. • Abusing drugs or alcohol.

33. Suicide Warning Signs (cont.) • Performing poorly at work or in school. • Giving away prized possessions. • Writing a will. • Feeling excessive guilt or shame. • Acting recklessly. (It should be noted that some people who die by suicide do not show any suicide warning signs.)

34. CLUES TO SUICIDETHREE TYPES • Obvious-clues are those that are clear to others • Hidden- clues are not so obvious to other people • Mixed- clues are those that can be seen either as obvious or as hidden clues

35. Strive to be Proactive Most suicides occur in middle or high school, not elementary; nevertheless, we must recognize our role as preventive advocates

36. How can I help with suicide prevention? • Know the warning signs • Recognize and Address Bullying • Talk openly with the person • Take the person seriously if they make comments about life not worth living, etc. • Show care and concern • Never underestimate the power of understanding and support

37. How can I help with suicide prevention? (cont.) • Share concerns with the school counselor and school administration • Take time to follow up with a student you are concerned about- you can email teachers or the school counselor at the middle school after a student leaves our school • If you know of someone being bullied at another school, please contact the school and let the administrators/counselors know what happened, and demand action

38. “CONNECTIONS” HOTLINE • MDE has established the "Connections" Hotline. This number is a toll free number, answered 24 hours a day, at the Department of Public Safety. • Purpose of the hotline is to furnish parents, students, staff, teachers, and administrators with a place they can report issues, situations, and information regarding school safety in an anonymous manner without fear of retribution. • The number is 1-888-827-4637.

39. State Laws • MISSISSIPPI2001 Miss. Laws, S.B. 2390Education Chapter 371154 • Safe and Orderly Schools - http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/lead/osos/SchoolSafety.html#Mississippi_Institute_for_School_Safety_ • School Safety Law and Policy Development Sec. 37-11-20 - Intimidation, threatening or coercion of students for purpose of interfering with attendance of classes.   • http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/lead/osos/SchoolSafetyManual.pdf

40. Remember The Starfish Story… • While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. • As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water. • He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" • The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." • The old man smiled, and said, "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

41. (cont.) The Starfish Story… • To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." • Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" • The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

42. Yes, like the starfish story implies, we need to strive to make a difference- but we MUST focus on saving them ALL when it comes to suicide prevention!!

43. Suicide is NEVER the answer,getting help is the answer.

44. Make sure that you sign the form indicating that you have been trained!!! This sign in sheet will be sent to county office on Friday, no exceptions. Thank you for participating and I hope that you enjoyed your training. Please send comments or questions to: Tiffany.hamilton@dcsms.org