The Power to Prevent Suicide: A Guide for Teens Helping Teens
Grade 6 Up-An excellent, practical manual that is easy to read and understand. The authors' premise is that, as trusted and caring friends, YAs have a special role in the prevention of suicide among their peers, and discuss what to do if they observe the danger signals. Suggestions for assessing the degrees of concern and tips on "active listening" merit the attention of everyone working with teens. Basic information about suicide is presented: the magnitude and urgency of the crisis, contributing factors, categories of teens who are especially at-risk, the mind-set of would-be victims, and warning signs. They cite interviews with YAs who survived suicide attempts to indicate that many, apparently, change their minds after initiating the act. It follows that alertness and intervention can save lives. There is also a discussion of techniques for problem solving and stress reduction. For more in-depth treatments of the broader social issues that have produced the teen suicide crisis, see Michael Biskup and Carol Wekesser's Suicide (Greenhaven, 1992) and Cynthia Lewis's Teen Suicide (Enslow, 1994).Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NYCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.