Child & adolescent
suicide review team
"This is the place where untimely death rejoices in helping the living."
A multi-disciplinary sub-group of the ICAN Child Death Review Team. The Team reviews child and adolescent suicides, analyzes trends and makes recommendations aimed at the recognition and prevention of suicide and suicidal behaviors.
ICAN Youth Suicide Coroner/Medical Examiner
Investigation Procedural Guide
Every child has a story to tell. In a groundbreaking undertaking to fulfill further our understanding of youth suicides, the CASRT received funding from Jeffrey Gutin foundation of Young Adults at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to enable us to improve the quantity and quality of information gathered by coroners and medical examiners when they investigate these cases in the field.
Too many young lives are lost to suicide. According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for young people (ages 15-19 and 15-24); only accidents and homicides occur more frequently. Teen suicide remains a serious health problem. Although prevention efforts are underway, understanding suicidal behavior can be complex. However, if people can gain awareness about the youth suicide problem and learn to identify the risk factors, the youth suicide rate can be reduced. According to a top mental health official, suicides outnumber homicides in the United States, and some 90 percent of people who kill themselves suffer from a diagnosable and preventable problem such as depression.
"After a Suicide: Coping with Grief, Trauma, and Distress" (bit.ly/afterasuicide) is a clearinghouse of key resources for people who need assistance in the aftermath of suicide -- as well as for those who care for them. The website is a new-and-improved version of one that was put together several years ago by an ad hoc committee that I chaired, which was working under the auspices of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Consumer-Survivor Subcommittee. This version of the site is more comprehensive and current than the previous one (and more so than any other resource I know of); and it is going to be further expanded and improved -- and kept up-to-date. The site is now fully functional, but only the first collection of topics is covered (see the menu on the homepage and in the navigation menu), and only the first level of information about the listings is publicly accessible (i.e., a hyperlink points directly to each resource). As the "After a Suicide" website evolves, additional topics will be added; each resource listing will include a brief description like this; and people will be able to comment on resources (each item's description will include a "comments" section). I am very interested in anyone's assessment or suggestions about the website.
Sincerely, -- Franklin Cook, MA, CPC Personal Grief Coaching Individualized care after a traumatic death