Many youth suicides are preventable and the material contained here is explicitly dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the advancement of hope among youth, their families, and communities.
There is no single answer or simple solution to preventing youth suicide.
Strategies for preventing suicide should be informed by the available research evidence.
Some aspects of suicide and its prevention are not easily captured by traditional research methods and so our knowledge about “what works best” is always imperfect, evolving and subject to change.
Multiple forms of knowledge, including practical wisdom, clinical judgment, the “lived experience” of suicidal individuals and the unique knowledge that is available to survivors of a loved one’s suicide are important to consider alongside the knowledge generated by experts and researchers.
Problem-oriented approaches which focus exclusively on individual risk factors, disorders and deficits and which fail to capitalize on individual, family and community strengths and assets in the generation of solutions are likely to be limited in their effectiveness.
Young people have a valuable contribution to make and their voices should always be actively encouraged and supported.
Parents and family members are important allies in the prevention of youth suicide.
“Real world” planning settings are understood to be characterized by limited resources, competing demands, vested interests, conflicting priorities, and unequal power relationships among community planners, underscoring the importance of strong leadership, relationship-building and the cultivation of community partnerships.
Praxis – a form of ethically informed, wise action that integrates theory and practice – offers a helpful touchstone for guiding action at the community level. 17
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