How Schools Can Recognise and Respond to Student Suicidal Ideation

Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians aged between 15-24. In 2022, suicide represented 31.8% of all deaths in young people aged 15–17, almost double the rate from 2001. 

Unfortunately, many schools have been faced with the heartbreaking reality of losing a student to suicide, with the loss of that student affecting not only their family, friends and loved ones, but the wider school community as a whole. 

This blog serves as a basic guide on recognising the early warning signs of suicidal intent in students, in addition to what to do if a child at your school commits or attempts to commit suicide either at school or outside of school. 

Note: the information provided in this post serves as a guide only. Please contact a mental health professional or other relevant expert if you have any concerns about a student at your school. 

Who is at risk of suicide? 

Unfortunately, any child can be at risk of committing suicide; however, some groups have a greater risk than others.

Children who have been exposed to suicide before, have engaged in non-suicidal self-injury, LGBT and gender diverse children, Indigenous children and those who are in the care system or have a mental illness exhibit a greater risk of suicidal ideation. 

Given that anyone can be at risk of committing suicide, it is important to understand some of the early warning signs so that early intervention can hopefully prevent a tragedy.  

Why Would a Student Attempt or Commit Suicide? 

There are many factors that could contribute to a student harbouring suicidal ideation, with some examples being: 

• Being bullied
• Conflict with family or friends 
• Difficulties at school 
  
• Family breakdown
  
• Physical or sexual abuse 
  
  

What are the Warning Signs? 

Students who are harbouring suicidal thoughts may exhibit some of the following behaviours: 

• Reckless behaviours, including doing risky or life-threatening things
• Giving away personal possessions 

• Talking about wanting to die or feeling like a burden 

• Talking about feeling immense guilt and shame 

• Expressing that no one would miss them or notice if they disappeared 

• Talking about feeling trapped or that there is no way out 

• Self-harming, including wearing long sleeves to hide self-harm attempts 
• Withdrawing from family and friends 
  
• Drastic change in mood
  
• Using drugs and/ or alcohol 
  

If you suspect a student is suicidal, it is essential to act right away. 

Even if your suspicions end up being incorrect, it’s better to act rather than to ignore the issue, potentially losing a student in the process.  

What Do I Do... 

If a student has made a suicide attempt at school: 

Staff have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to protect children from harm. Most schools should have some kind of emergency response procedure in place for staff to follow if a situation such as a student suicide or suicide attempt occurs on school grounds. 

These plans will be specific to each school, but follow the general structure below:

• Make sure the child is safe, administer first aid and call 000 immediately. 
• Remove any harmful items, and if there are other students present, clear them out of the space but do not leave them unsupervised. 
• A designated person at your school should notify the student’s parents or carers, asking for consent to involve mental health services to give the student the most appropriate mental health assistance for their circumstances. 
• Create a return-to-school plan to support the student when they are well enough to return to school, including a support network and regular check-in sessions. 

Witnessing a suicide attempt and/ or the aftermath of the attempt can be traumatic for staff and students, and steps should be taken to provide them with support, usually in the form of access to a school counsellor.  

If a student has attempted suicide at home: 

If you hear that a student has attempted suicide outside the school environment, it’s important to get the facts of the situation so a proper support plan can be created. 

Contacting the police and the student’s parents or carers will ensure you have all the relevant facts and information to properly support the student when they return to school.

There will likely be rumours going around the school or a particular year level about the incident. While there will no doubt be inaccuracies, it is still important to take note of what is being discussed as it may help full in some blanks. 

How to Support Other Students and Yourself 

Losing a classmate to suicide or witnessing a suicide attempt can be traumatic for students of any age, as well as staff. 

Students and staff should be provided with counselling and be clear on how and where to access these services. 

Everyone deals with trauma differently. Take the time to process your own feelings and encourage staff to keep a close eye on students after the event. 

Suicide and suicidal intent are a growing problem among our youth. 

By recognising the signs, understanding what might lead to this kind of thinking and intervening early, we stand a better chance at preventing a tragedy before it occurs.

Footnotes:

Resources: 

Victoria: Guidelines to assist in responding to attempted suicide or suicide by a student 

South Australia: Supporting children and students with self-harm or suicidal thoughts 

Western Australia: School response and planning guidelines for students with suicidal behaviour and non‑suicidal self‑injury 

New South Wales: Management of suicidality and nonsuicidal self-injury. Guidelines for school counselling staff working in Catholic Schools in NSW 

Mental Health First Aid Guidelines https://www.mhfa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MHFA_Suicidal-Thoughts-and-Behaviours-Guidelines.pdf