Association for Behavior Analysis International

According to national data from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), almost 32% of high school teens experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” and 17% reported having “serious suicidal thoughts” during the previous 12 months. Though only a small percentage of teens reported making a suicide attempt requiring medical intervention during the previous year (2.4%), undetected or untreated sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts can fester. Worse, when suicidal thoughts are experienced in a context where there is ready access to lethal means (e.g., dangerous medications, firearms), it can be a deadly combination. Thus, identifying and treating the more prevalent correlates of suicidality at an earlier stage is a sensible entry point for prevention efforts versus waiting until youth experience much more serious emotional and behavioral crises. The basic elements of Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) will be reviewed during the presentation, which is designed to inform clinicians on the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of using CALM with children and adolescents in K-12 schools.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) summarize the epidemiology of suicide, including recent changes in rates; (2) identify and access feasible resources and techniques related to suicide prevention grounded in science; (3) summarize the key features of the CALM and its practical implications for preventing suicide death among children and adolescents.