Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/Safety and Prevention/Many of Our Nation’s Teenagers are Hurting…

Many of Our Nation’s Teenagers are Hurting…

Many of Our Nation’s Teenagers are Hurting…
October 4, 2013
0 Comments
By: Kate Setter

… a lot more than most of us realize.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year, 4,600 young lives end too soon as a result of suicide. In a nationwide survey of youth in 9th to 12th grade, 16% of students surveyed said they seriously considered suicide; 13% said they created a plan; and 8% of those students attempted to take their own life.

It is numbers like these that inspired the Butler Foundation to provide funding more than a decade ago for the Division of Psychiatry at Cincinnati Children’s to develop and implement an in-school program to interrupt the chain of suicidal behavior and help suicidal children and adolescents in the Cincinnati area access the services they need when they need them.

Surviving The Teens – the mental health awareness and suicide prevention program that Cathy Strunk, a suicide prevention expert, developed in 2001 – helps adults and teens predict potential suicides and stop them before they happen.

The program has three components: student training, a parent program, and a gatekeeper program for school staff and community members. Each component helps teens, parents, and educators recognize the stressors, warning signs, symptoms and at-risk behaviors that signal depression or suicide risk in teens.

The program connects a licensed mental health specialist with students in their classrooms at school. It teaches them the importance of psychological health as well as coping mechanisms to address stress, depression, suicide, suicide prevention and more.

Through the program, the students become more aware of their own and their peers’ mental health and learn how to utilize tools and information so they can reach out for support if they need it.

To date, Surviving the Teens has reached more than 70,000 teenagers. Parents and staff in 45 Cincinnati-area schools have participated in the parent program and gatekeeper program.

There is constant demand from new schools seeking the support for their students.

And thanks to ongoing support from the James W. Miller Memorial Fund, the program has grown substantially and continues to grow.

Nancy Eigel Miller founded the James W. Miller Memorial Fund in memory of her husband Jim who took his own life in 2008. Each year, Nancy and her family organize the Warrior Run: The Race for Life – an annual 5K run, one-mile walk and family festival as a way to honor Jim’s memory but also as a catalyst for conversation about depression and suicide – a conversation that Nancy insists must happen in order for things to get better.

The 2013 Warrior Run will take place on Saturday, October 12 in Mariemont. All proceeds of the run benefit Cincinnati Children’s Surviving the Teens Program. Everyone is welcome to register and help more teenagers know the warning signs of suicide and know how to get help.

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

Book Roundup: Books Featuring Kids with Mental Health Challenges 
Book Roundup: Books Featuring Kids with Mental Health Challenges 
Why Play Is Important in Therapy
Why Play Is Important in Therapy
How to Support Your Child with Mental Health Struggles
How to Support Your Child with Mental Health Struggles
Seasonal Affective Disorder in Kids: Tips for Parents
Seasonal Affective Disorder in Kids: Tips for Parents
TAGS:
  • mental health
  • psychiatry
  • suicide
Avatar photo

About the author: Kate Setter

Kate manages social media at Cincinnati Children's, a role that she loves because it gives her opportunities to help families find stories and pediatric health information that they want and need. Kate is the mother of two elementary-age kiddos.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Comments Yet

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 2.2k views
  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  1.4k views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 0.9k views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 707 views
  • 4 Questions to Ask When Your Child Has Recurrent Croup 617 views
  • What’s the difference between a CAT-Scan and a CT-Scan? 546 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center