September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in North Dakota, and this year new resources are available to schools.
Melissa Markegard is Suicide Prevention Administrator with North Dakota Health and Human Services. She says suicide remains the second-leading cause of death among North Dakota youths aged 10-19. A recent survey from 2023 also reports that 10.8 percent of North Dakota middle school students and 7.4 percent of high school students had attempted suicide in the past year.
Markegard says a new Suicide Prevention Toolkit has been distributed to schools in the state, and provides workable, comprehensive resources that can be implemented.
"We really wanted to provide educators, staff, administrators - basically anybody working in the school with practical guidance, resources, strategies, for them to identify students in need, how to respond to those needs safely, and how to strengthen support for families. And then there's pieces of this toolkit; we wanted it to be, I don't want to say 'bite sized,' but it's easy to read, easy to understand."
The toolkit includes posters, handouts and conversation guides, as well as crisis response tools, awareness materials about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and training opportunities for staff.
It was created by Parents Lead, an evidence-based prevention program that promotes behavioral health.