Effectively preventing suicide requires an understanding of who is attempting and dying by suicide, where the problem is most severe, and under what circumstances attempts and suicide deaths occur. But how do you find the data you need to answer these questions and others? Locating and Understanding Data for Suicide Prevention presents a variety of data sources that are useful for finding information about suicide deaths, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation. This course also explains key concepts that will help you better understand the data you find.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Define and understand the difference between suicide deaths, suicide attempts, suicide ideation, and risk and protective factors for suicide.
• Explain key terms that are essential to accurately interpreting data and making meaningful comparisons; this includes counts, rates, and trends. 
• Identify some commonly used and readily accessible online national data sources, and the type of data that is available from each source.
• Identify some alternative data sources that may be available in states and communities, the type of data available from these sources, and considerations when approaching organizations and agencies for these data.
• Think critically about the strengths and limitations of a given data source. 

This course is open to anyone and can be completed in approximately two hours. You do not have to complete the course in one session. You can exit the course at any time and return later to the place where you left off. 

SPRC is not a crisis center. If you are thinking of hurting yourself, or if you are concerned that someone you know may be suicidal, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by phone 1-800-273-TALKCall: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Participants in this course will learn the youth suicide prevalence nationally and the implications to schools. They will also be able to familiarize themselves with multi-tiered systems of positive behavior and social emotional learning. In addition, how the multi-tiered systems support the prevention of suicide. Finally, the course will discuss ways to build capacity and sustainability of these services in K-12 schools.

This Suicide Prevention Series is a collaboration between the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center. Both centers are funded by SAMHSA.

Higher education settings are increasingly tasked with responding to the mental health needs of students and transition age youth on campuses. This course will focus on increasing faculty and staff understanding of suicidality and best practices for supporting students and transition age youth experiencing thoughts of suicide. Particular attention will be given to identifying warning signs for suicidality, best practices for screening and referring individuals to campus based care and best practices for suicide interventions for college and transition age youth.

This Suicide Prevention Series is a collaboration between the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center. Both centers are funded by SAMHSA.