Suicide Risk In Students And Role Of School Nurse

Suicide Risk in Students and the Role of the School Nurse
Student’s Name
Institution
Suicide Risks in Students
Suicide, as identified by the Center for Disease Control, is the third major reason for death among the youth aged between 10 and 25 years. More than 4000 youths commit suicide yearly. It is very difficult to efficiently determine the fundamental warning signs of a suicidal teenager. However, a trained professional has a baseline upon which they can compare the behavior of a suicidal or self-destructive youth. Furthermore, students could open up about their emotional issues and describe their physical symptoms, particularly to their school health care professional. The school nurse could also identify any signs of physical or sexual abuse or self-mutilation(Goldston, 2010).
Scholars have established a variety of risk elements associated with suicide. One of the biggest issues amongst the young population is drug and alcohol abuse. Other issues include bullying, emotional turmoil and a lack of identity. Nonetheless, suicide is a dynamic situation, and all risk factors must be considered in unison. Moreover, the health care professional must continually assess and address these factors through treatment immediately from admission to discharge. At current, there is no precise instrument that can accurately predict the risk of suicide. The only sure way is to administer a comprehensive evaluation of the student (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2014). Some countries have, however, developed a Treatment Improvement Protocol for students who exhibit the highest risk factors associated with suicidal tendencies (Ross, Darke, Kelly, & Hetherington, 2010).
The Role of the School Nurse
There are limited occurrences of suicides recorded in school premises. But many adolescents at risk of committing suicide exhibit risk factors in a school setting. And early recognition and action against these warning signs could help reduce emotional torture. The most suitable person for this is the school nurse. As an individual who provides health and mental care to students, they are most suited to noting key observations of student behaviors and take action when they reckon that the student is at risk of self-destructive behaviors.
Additionally, the school nurse should ensure that they provide the necessary support, expertise and information to the rest of the school staff and parents whenever they notice suicidal tendencies. The school nurse should also ...