Preventing suicide among students in rural schools (IN: Handbook of Rural School Mental Health, edited by K. D. Michael & J. P. Jameson)

As the second leading cause of death among 10- to 19-year-olds in the United States, suicide is a serious public health problem for young people, especially those residing in rural areas. Rural schools offer logical intervention points in order to stem these tragic events. In this chapter, we review risk factors for suicide, highlighting those that might be particularly relevant to students in rural schools. We then provide an overview of universal, selective, and indicated evidence-based suicide prevention programs that have been developed for use in schools and possess characteristics that lend themselves to adaptation for use in rural communities. We also summarize best practices for suicide postvention in schools. Finally, we outline challenges to implementing comprehensive school-based prevention programs in schools and offer strategies for overcoming these barriers.