Grade Level: 8
Unit Area: Mental Health
Time: 40 minutes
There Once Was This guy…
Teen Suicide
National Health Education Standards
Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention
Ready:(Objective)
Recognize warning signs of depression/suicide in themselves and their peers
Access school and community resources for help with mental/emotional problems
Set: (Preparation)
Materials:
Short Story: “There Once Was This Guy”
“Suicide Myth Fact Sheet”
Video: Teen Suicide
Go: (Procedure)
1. Introduce topic of depression/suicide by reading short story “There Once Was This Guy.” Discuss.
2. Handout Suicide Myth-Fact Sheet. Read introductory material. Explain that teen suicide is a major concern, and though it is sometimes uncomfortable to talk about, research has shown that many suicide attempts can be prevented if family and friends know what some of the warning signs may be.
3. Show Video: “Teen Suicide”. Before viewing, ask students to look over the 12 statements on their sheet. At the end of the video, they will have a few minutes to complete the “Myth-Fact” sheet on suicide.
4. Discuss each of the 12 statements referring to scenes/information in the video.
Summary
Resources in school: Student Assistance Counselor______
Guidance Counselor______
School Psychologist______
Community Resources/Hotlines______
Answers to MYTH-FACT sheet.
1. MYTH. (Accidents #1, Homicides #2, Suicide #3)
2. MYTH. (often it is a cry for help)
3. FACT (boys succeed 4 x more often, usually because of more deadly means like guns. Girls attempt 4 x more often than boys)
4. MYTH (intervention can reduce likelihood of attempt)
5. MYTH (generally show warning signs)
6. MYTH (crosses all social and economic lines)
7. MYTH (on TV and movies, but not in real life)
8. FACT (#1 precursor to suicidal ideation)
9. MYTH (only temporary fix, alters thinking and may attempt while under the influence)
10. MYTH (this may mean that they have decided to take their life)
11. MYTH (peers are usually the ones who pick up on the warning signs)
12. FACT (these people are specially trained to deal with this situation. You should never keep this information a secret. )
Name______
Myth-Fact Sheet on Teen Suicide
Directions: Read each statement below and decide whether you believe is a Myth or a Fact. Write the word MYTH or FACT on the line next to the statement.
______1. Suicide is not a major cause of death for teens in the U.S.
______2. People who attempt suicide want to die.
______3. Boys commit suicide more often than girls.
______4. If someone has decided to commit suicide, there is nothing anyone can do to change the situation.
______5. There is no way to know if someone is considering suicide. Potential suicides usually keep their plans secret.
______6. Rich people are more likely to kill themselves than poor people.
______7. Most people who kill themselves leave notes.
______8. Experts believe that there is a strong connection between depression and suicide.
______9. Someone who is abusing drugs or alcohol has already found a way to deal with their problems and will be less likely to commit suicide.
______10. If someone who has been depressed for a while suddenly acts happy, this means that the danger of suicide has passed.
______11. A young person with suicidal thoughts is more likely to tell a teacher or parent than a friend.
______12. If a friend tells you that they are thinking of killing themselves, you should tell a Student Assistance Counselor, Guidance Counselor, or other adult that you trust.
Suicide is often preventable.
Know the warning signs.
Know how to get help.
“There Once Was This Guy”
Author Unknown
I had just gotten to homeroom and was joking around with some guys in the back of the room. I wasn’t even aware that something was wrong. My teacher moved to the front of the room and asked us to quiet down.
“Last night,” she said with a solemn face trying to find the right way to tells us, “...the police informed the school….”
I’m not quite sure exactly what she said next. I thought she was going to say that someone had broken in and vandalized some stuff…..that had happened before. I wished that was all it had been…….
“….that one of our eighth grade students had committed suicide.”
It turned out that this guy in my grade at my middle school committed suicide. This guy with the locker down the hall from mine. This guy with the good grades. This guy who seemed pretty popular. This guy that was on the basketball team. This guy that, according to all the girls, was very cute. This guy that sat across the room from me in social studies, next to my best friend.
The day went slowly, and very quietly. Many of us had to go and see the counselors who were in the library waiting to comfort us, to answer any of the questions that we might have. I guess that they were a comfort to a lot of students. I wouldn’t know, ‘cause I didn’t go. It would have felt wrong. I didn’t know him. I had barely ever said more that two words to him. My relationship with him didn’t seem to hold enough importance for me to shed a tear. To me he was just this guy. Just this guy, and the counselor wouldn’t be able to answer the only question I had. Why?
To me he was just this guy. But there were so many other people that were his friends. Friends that he would be able to talk to for hours about good times, embarrassing stories, and adventures. A family that knew and loved everything about him. It was those people who were hurt the most. I just don’t understand how he could hurt those people, how much they would hurt once he was gone.
Now only a few people will know that he was even on this earth and that he didn’t have his chance to show the world what he could do. I’m not sure if I have the right to tell this story. I was not one of his friends, but his death affected me. I was not close to him. In fact, I didn’t even know him. But I wish I did. I wish I could have gotten to know him better. I wish that I could have seen into his head and discovered why he was in so much pain that he would take his own life. I wish I could have said or done something to prevent it.
To me, he will always be this guy with the locker down the hall from mine. Just this guy with the good grades. The guy who was popular. The guy that was on the basketball team. The guy that according to all the girls was very cute. He was just this guy that sat across the room in my social studies class, next to my best friend. Except that now, that seat is empty.