Train in suicide prevention among LGBT youth

FALLBROOK – There is a growing epidemic within the LGBT community, especially in the youth, and that epidemic is suicide. LGBT students are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than their heterosexual peers. The youth are particularly vulnerable to depression and suicidal ideation and awareness needs to be raised within the community.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey covers a broad range of questions concerning behavioral actions and thoughts from our youth. In the latest release, for the first time in its history, the survey asked about the student’s transgender identity.

An astonishing 35% of those youth said that they had attempted suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months. That’s more than four times the national average of 7.4%. In California, 9.4% of all high school students answered they have attempted suicide in the past 12 months.

The Jason Foundation offers a one-hour training module titled, “Supporting LGBT Students in Schools: Suicide Prevention Among LGBT Youth.” The training module examines how suicide affects the LGBT community.

The school environment can have an enormous impact on a young person’s life. It is vitally important to ensure that school make all students feel welcome and safe. The training module and research is presented by noted experts in the suicide prevention field.

The Jason Foundation is a nationally recognized leader in youth suicide prevention and awareness. All programs and materials are available to the public at no cost. For more information, visit: https://learn.jasonfoundation.com/courses/suicide-prevention-lgbt-youth/.

For questions, call Evelyn Hill at (615) 264-2323.

Submitted by The Jason Foundation.