Suicide Prevention Proposal Essay

Access to illegal drugs on school property

It has been described as a gateway drug and often leads to the use of more addictive drugs that are shown to have a stronger association with suicidality (Nikansa-Amankra and Minelli, 2016). According to a report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, marijuana is a commonly used illicit drug among adolescents in the United States. In 2012, 37 percent, 69 percent, and 82 percent of 8th graders, 10th graders, and 12th graders respectively reported that marijuana was very easy to access. 60 percent and 32 percent of high school and middle school students respectively stated that students use and sell drugs on the schools’ grounds. 44 percent of students that

For example Choi et al. found that a culturally specific internet-based suicide prevention program would be a very relevant and efficient strategy for promoting early detection of suicidal behavior and for promoting intervention among Asian American students. Although Asian Americans have exhibited higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts than white students, Asian-American students are less likely to seek mental healthcare than non-Hispanic white students (Choi). Finding ways to address cultural differences in attitudes toward suicidal behavior will be effective in developing prevention strategies.

These findings underscore that prevention and intervention strategies should reflect the different underlying cultural challenges and ethnic disparities involving suicidal behavior to assist in identifying adolescents at who are at risk.

The objective of my work will be to determine whether there is an association between adolescent suicide and ethnicity in 9th-12 graders in New York, a culturally diverse city composed of various ethnicities. In such a culturally diverse setting, it will be important to determine whether there are at-risk ethnic groups. Identification of at-risks groups can facilitate the development of prevention and intervention programs tailored to those specific cultural groups and communities as described by (Matthay, Galin, &Ahern,