Youth suicide is a national and global public health crisis. Pediatricians can use primary and secondary prevention strategies to intervene with youth before or after the onset of suicidal behaviors. Universal suicide risk screening programs can be used to identify youth in medical settings who may otherwise pass through the health care setting with undetected suicide risk. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to help foster resilience in their young patients and equip families of at-risk youth with safety plans and lethal means safety counseling. Pediatricians on the frontlines of this critical public health crisis require education and training in detecting suicide risk, managing those who screen positive, and connecting their patients to much needed mental health interventions and treatments. Evidence-based suicide risk screening and assessment tools, paired with interventions, are feasible and potentially life-saving in the medical setting.
A center supported by: Children’s Hospital Colorado
and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado
PCMH and ECHO Colorado Training
Visit ECHO Colorado for our most recent training opportunity on youth experiencing suicidality.
Get help now: Call 1-844-493-8255 to be connected to a trained crisis counselor or text “TALK” to 38255.
