The school system is consumed with expanding students' awareness on a variety of topics. From traditional subjects such as history, math and literature to emerging issues including self-esteem, nutrition and disease prevention, student instruction runs the gamut, 180 days a year.
Yet suicide -- which takes the lives of almost 30,000 people each year in the United States -- is ignored. Suicide, with its unanswered questions and shocking finality, does not appear in the curriculum to an adequate extent.
Florida high schools require a health class be taken for graduation. Students are inundated with information about nutrition, stress, self-esteem, human reproduction, STDs and CPR, but are mostly left in the dark about suicide.
Granted, suicide is a distressing subject, but warning signs, prevention, intervention and coping skills are all significant suicide issues that should not be disregarded. This teenage concern should not be passed over because it is a sensitive topic.
The Florida Youth Suicide Prevention Study of 1999 outlined recommendations for a comprehensive suicide prevention plan. Basically, suicide was found to have an immense number of personal, familial and societal causes. Thus, the study suggested an increase in the services in each of these areas.
It recommended all teachers be trained to recognize and deal with risk factors for suicide. It also said students must receive comparable training and education. Teenagers respond and open up more readily to peers than teachers, who may seem distant in times of stress. Also, those who contemplate suicide would see that they are not alone. Feelings of isolation too often lead to suicide; changing these perspectives on life will no doubt save life.
Suicide prevention should no longer be a tiny part of education. If students are required to learn about the other ways lives are lost, equal time and funding must be spent on suicide.