Geneva High School Offers Depression Screens Today for Teens

It's a half day of school today (Thursday), so if you're a parent working at home this afternoon, don't be alarmed if your son or daughter starts talking about depression or depression screening.

Parents received a letter via 304 Connects from the Geneva High School Counseling and Advising Department that on April 21, the high school is offering depression screening and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program.

"The teen years are marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions—difficult for teens, their parents and educators," it said. "It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age, and the past decade has seen teen suicide rates double."

The program will be completely student led via the GTV program. The student body will hear a brief introduction to the SOS program, followed by a 28-minute video and a student-led panel discussion.

All students will complete a brief depression screening that will not be turned in as well as a student response card that will be returned to the Counseling and Advising Department.

Here is more from the letter:

The SOS program has been used by thousands of schools in order to address issues related to teen suicide. It has proven successful by encouraging students concerned about themselves or a friend to seek help. The SOS program is the only school-based suicide prevention selected by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) for its National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices that addresses suicide risk and depression, while reducing suicide attempts.

In a randomized control study, the SOS program showed a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40 percent (BMC Public Health, July 2007).

Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:

• To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness, and help them assess whether or not they may have symptoms consistent with depression.
• To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression.
• To provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicidality in themselves or a friend.
• To impress upon teens that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns.

The depression screening tool that we are using considers thoughts and feelings which parents may be unaware their child is having. The tool cannot provide a diagnosis of depression, but does give an indication of whether a young person should be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional.

Attached is a Parent Version of the depression screening form. Please take a few minutes to complete the form. We include the questionnaire to make you aware of the types of questions that your child will be answering and to help you assess your teen’s risk for depression. If you are concerned, we encourage you to speak with your son or daughter and follow up with a mental health professional for a complete evaluation.

If you have any questions or concerns about this program or the enclosed screening form, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s counselor (630-463-3830).

Sincerely,
Geneva High School Counseling and Advising Department