Depression and Suicidal Behavior

1
Depression and Suicidal Behavior

• How are depression and suicidal behavior
  identified and treated?

2
Depression

• Inability to experience pleasure in all or nearly
  all activities
• Depressed mood or general irritability
• Disturbance of appetite and significant weight
  gain or loss
• Disturbance of sleep
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation
• Loss of energy, feelings of fatigue
• Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or
  excessive or inappropriate guilt or hopelessness
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Ideas of suicide, suicide threats or attempts,
  recurrent thoughts of death

3
Causes of Depression

• Endogenous
• Reactive
• School failure and depression may be reciprocal
  causal factors

4
Interventions for Depression

• Assess problems in the following order
• Low activity level
• Social skills deficits
• Self-control deficits
• Depressive attributional style
• Low esteem and feelings of hopelessness
• Limited self-awareness and interpersonal awareness

5
Suicidal Behavior

• Completed Suicide
• Attempted Suicide
• Suicide among children and adolescents is a major
  public health problem.

6
Causes of Suicidal Behavior

• Biological factors
• Environmental factors
• History of difficulty or failure in school
• Stress related to family dysfunction
• Substance abuse
• Family members or acquaintances who committed
  suicide
• Depression and feelings of hopelessness
• Aggressive behavior

7
Prevention of Suicidal Behavior

• Programs
• Aimed at whole-school populations
• Guidelines for teaching
• In-services for teachers
• Instructional programs for students and parents

8
Prevention of Suicidal Behavior

• All suicide threats should be taken seriously.
• Seek to re-establish communication with students
  who feel alienated and help them to establish
  communication with significant others.