(Supplement)/Focus on Pediatrics-Wellness and prevention paired to stem teen suicide
Efforts aimed at adults as well as teens
Since Acadia Hospital in Bangor, ME, launched an awareness campaign on teen suicide, the number of calls to a statewide crisis hotline has jumped 50%. While the Speak Out for Kids campaign can't take all the credit, the link cannot simply be a coincidence, says Alan Comeau, MA, manager of community relations for Acadia, a mental health and substance abuse treatment facility.
The main reason for the campaign's success is that it does not just focus on youth suicide prevention, but youth wellness, too. "In reality, a lot of kids who come to the conclusion that suicide is an option for them reach that decision because things have happened to them, or haven't happened to them, and youth wellness can address that," says Comeau.
The campaign addresses the issues that lead to teen suicide in a couple of ways. First, workshops for adults help to improve parenting skills, communication skills, and knowledge about mental illness. Workshops have covered such topics as how to talk to a teenage son or daughter, childhood development, children and depression, and children and divorce.
About three to five workshops are scheduled each year and broadcast via an interactive TV network to geographically isolated towns. Since the program began in 1996, Acadia has hosted 10 seminars on a variety of childhood/adolescent issues. Many of these workshops attract 80 or more participants.
A second project targets teens. Acadia funded the design and distribution of book covers and posters that address the range of emotions teens feel and ways to cope. "We wanted the posters and book covers to speak to the whole kid, whether they are feeling good or bad. There are also affirmations on them like, 'It is OK to ask for help' or 'Speak out, you could help a friend.' They are sayings they can hold onto and identify with," says Comeau.
The materials are designed like a collage with photos and artwork, and all have the toll-free crisis hotline number on them. Approximately 27,000 book covers and 2,200 posters have been distributed to over 50 middle schools and high schools in five counties over the past three years. Materials also are distributed to churches, librar ies, and youth organizations such as the YMCA. This year, the state government of Maine purchased 20,000 posters and distributed them to every high school in the state. (To learn how to obtain these suicide prevention and youth wellness materials, see editor's note at end of article.)
A third component of the campaign, a gun lock giveaway, falls into the suicide prevention and wellness campaign. Each fall, Acadia staffs a phone bank with volunteers and offers callers a free gun lock. In 1998, 2,100 gun locks were given away in one day, says Comeau. "We are going a long way to diminish potential suicide and also accidental gun injury," he says.
Brochures, newspaper ads target adults
To prevent suicide, Acadia published a bro chure on the facts about youth suicide that is written for adults. People can obtain the brochure by contacting Acadia, or they can access the information on the World Wide Web at www.emh.org. Television spots address the teen suicide problem and provide the toll-free crisis hotline number.
Acadia also does a series of newspaper ads, mainly aimed at adults, that discuss the myths of teen suicide. For example, one ad addresses the myth that when a depressed or suicidal teen suddenly becomes happy again, he or she is past the crisis. Actually, that is when teens are at highest risk for suicide, says Comeau. Eight newspaper ads rotate throughout the year and are placed in rural newspapers as well as papers in larger communities.
Four radio ads aimed at teens feature teens discussing substance abuse, depression, stress management, and mental illness. These ads include the toll-free crisis hotline number.
The Speak Out for Kids campaign was created in response to information gathered by a statewide task force on adolescent suicide and self-destructive behavior. However, before Acadia created a program to address the problem, a local task force was assembled, consisting of teachers, youth counselors, mental health care workers, law enforcement, and clergy. "We wanted to involve people who deal with youth in different scenarios because we knew they would all bring different issues to the table," says Comeau.
To determine if the campaign was working, Comeau tracked material use and participation in outreach efforts. For example, he tracked how many brochures have been distributed, how many times the media has reported on the campaign or suicide-related issues, how many book covers and posters are distributed, and how many times books on youth that have been donated to the public library by Acadia are checked out.
Each year, Comeau assembles youth focus groups as well and has them analyze the materials aimed at youth. It was through the focus groups that he discovered the radio ads were not working. The use of language was not right and kids weren't really listening. When the music stops, they tend to tune out the ads, according to the focus groups Comeau talked with.
"There is no way of knowing if your campaign is reaching its target audience unless you ask people and track information. I think it is a much better campaign because every year I get to tweak it," says Comeau.
[Editor's note: Anyone can purchase pieces or all of the Speak Out for Kids campaign materials. Cost is $12,500 to $16,500 for packages. Individual items range from $1,050 for 1,000 brochures to $5,000 for use of the television ad for one year. 100 posters cost $2,250 and 1,000 book covers cost $2,350. For more information or to order, contact Liz Santos, DW Communications Group, Blue Hill, ME at (207) 374-5400. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.]
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