Developing Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Lloyd Potter, PhD, MPH Children’s Safety Network & Suicide Prevention Resource Center Education Development Center, Inc.

2 Topics Title V and Suicide Prevention Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention Collaboration and Integration of Suicide Prevention

3 Title V Block Grant National Performance Measures Reducing suicide rates among year olds

4 State Title V Performance Measures - Maine The percentage of high school students (grades 9- 12) who feel like they matter to people in their community. The percentage of elementary schools that have developed and implemented a comprehensive approach to the prevention of bullying in collaboration with the Maine Injury Prevention Program.

5 State Title V Performance Measures Minnesota -The degree to which Title V programs enhance statewide capacity for a public health approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention for children and adolescents. Rhode Island - Percentage of students who felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities during the past 12 months.

6 Society Community Family/Peers Spheres of Influence: Ecological perspective of development Ecological perspective of development Individual

7 The Mental Health Intervention Spectrum for mental disorders Source: Institute of Medicine. (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for preventive intervention research.

8 Evidence of effective suicide prevention interventions Universal Means control (promising) Laws and policies (promising) Public health messages (insufficient) School-based interventions – education (insufficient) School-based interventions – skills (promising) Gatekeeper training (insufficient) Screening (insufficient) Selective Life skills (promising) Small group skills (promising) Managing geriatric depression (promising) Indicated Behavioral/cognitive–behavioral strategies (effective) Brief psychological intervention (promising) Contact through letter or telephone (promising) Adapted from: Knox, K. (2006). Interventions to prevent suicidal behavior. In: Doll et al., Handbook of Injury Prevention.

9 SPRC Best Practices Registry

10 Delivering and adapting evidence- based programs in communities where the rubber meets the road

11 The Whole is Greater than the Sum of the Parts Necessary, not sufficient Highly targeted focus of specific prevention/promotion efforts often inadequate for achieving mental health promotion goals A more comprehensive and collaborative approach is needed Is evidence-based programming adequate?

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13 Community Problem Solving Capacity Collective Competence Shared Responsibility LowHigh Low High Anomic Communities LL Detached Communities LH Intentional Communities HL Empowered Communities HH Source: Bowen, G.L., Martin, J.A., & Mancini, J.A. (1999) Communities in Blue for the 21st Century: Fairfax, VA: Caliber Associates, (p. 8-9).

14 Coalition for Planning, Collaboration, and Integration Schools Faith community Community programs Acute/Primary care Mental health Advocacy groups Police and courts Foster care Child/Family protective services

15 Conclusion Defining suicide prevention relate performance measures can help advance efforts There is a growing body of information about evidence-based and best practices that states and communities can use Planning, collaboration, and integration at the state and community level should drive suicide prevention and mental health promotion

16 Resources