Is what we are doing making a difference? How do we know it's working?

Rates for youth suicide have gone down in Washington (see statistics). Because our work represents a long-term commitment to changing behaviors and attitudes in individuals, families and communities, we look for quantifiable indicators of improvement including mortality and morbidity rates.

With the WA State Suicide Prevention Plan as a guide, we continually evaluate activities to ensure they are effective. Using surveys taken before and after presentations, trainings, events and other activities, we measure participants’ knowledge of general suicide facts, warning signs and resources, suicide prevention and intervention and beliefs about suicide.

Skills
We measured the skills of students who had been exposed or involved with a student-run Campaign (2000 Evaluation Report).

Prevention skills include talking to youth who were depressed or showing signs of suicide, showing concern for their well-being, asking them if they were considering hurting themselves or attempting suicide, and talking with the person about where they could get help.

It’s clear that students with more exposure to prevention materials are more likely to use those skills with their peers.

Knowledge
Educational materials and presentations disseminated statewide have resulted in a 10% increase in the public’s awareness of youth suicide prevention messages.

2001-2002 Evaluation Results demonstrate the strong positive impact of workshops and training on knowledge of suicide issues, prevention, intervention and assessment. For example, over 35 percent of Gatekeeper Trainees reported continued contact with one or more suicidal youth, and are referring youth to a wide range of resources.

Attitudes
Myths and stigmas exist around suicidal behaviors and other mental health issues. YSPP activities are designed in part to create awareness that will influence those attitudes. Our 2001-2002 Report found a significant increase in those who agreed that “suicide among young people is a major issue in my community,” which suggests that training does raise awareness about the importance of addressing youth suicide.

If more young people and adults in every community learned to recognize the suicide warning signs, comfortably ask whether a youth is thinking about suicide, and call for help when needed, then prevention can work. Together, we can save our suicidal youth — one life at a time.

To find out more: Where Do We Go From Here?