Developing an Educational Workshop on Teen Depression and Suicide: a Proactive Community Intervention

An educational workshop on teen depression & suicide was developed to address the difficulty some communities have in identifying & accessing mental health crisis services for youths. This article reports on local, national, & international trends in teen suicide, development process of the workshop, the pilot process, & outcomes. This preventative educational approach includes both primary & secondary prevention modalities, made directly available to teens, parents, & youth professionals. The program developed new partnerships between mental health agencies & schools through workshops & workshop presenter training. (28 refs)