Nex's story resonates with me because I too experienced very real and very scary thoughts of suicide growing up due to bullying for being gay as well as traumatic experiences that occurred during my childhood. These thoughts began in Jr. high school and continued through college. I was lucky enough to have a supportive network of people to turn to both within the LGBTQ community here in Rhode Island as well as teachers and friends I could confide in. Some students however, don't have this luxury, so it's important to focus on interventions and education about tolerance for all students. This padlet will explore suicide prevention and interventions that can be put in place to help counter the rising rates of negative thoughts among this vulnerable population of students.

Whisenhunt et al. conducted a study in which they explored the causes of suicide among school-age students as well as preventative measures that educators can take in order to ensure their students are safe and have structures in place in case they are experiencing suicidal thoughts (2022). Although this article is for physical educators, the ideas around adolescent suicide and prevention are relevant to educators of other disciplines as well as other members of the school staff such as nurses and administration. With suicide rates dramatically increasing over 30% from 1999-2016, it's imperative that we take the steps necessary to ensure that students are safe and the adults are aware of the warning signs. Recognizing suicide warning signs is crucial for effective intervention. Educators are urged to be vigilant for behavioral and emotional changes in students, which may indicate heightened distress. Immediate intervention is necessary when signs such as seeking access to means, talking about death or suicide, or exhibiting extreme mood swings are observed. Promoting protective factors against suicide is equally important. Building strong relationships with students, fostering a supportive school environment, and encouraging healthy coping mechanisms through physical activity are all strategies that educators can employ to mitigate suicide risk. The article also underscores the importance of suicide prevention programming in schools, advocating for comprehensive training that empowers educators to identify at-risk students and effectively intervene. Gatekeeper training, in particular, equips educators with the skills to recognize warning signs, engage in empathetic conversations with students, and facilitate referrals to mental health professionals.

Jadva et al. discuss in this article the contributing factors that may lead to mental health problems as well as suicide in adolescents who are part of the LGBTQ community. Some of these factors include bullying, SES (socio-economic status) and gender/orientation expression (2023). In this study, 3713 LGBTQ students responded to a survey and 65.3% claimed to have reported in self harm. 73.8% of those students had suicidal ideations and 25.7% reported to have attempted suicide. These numbers are horrifying. Students are dying because they feel like they have no other choice. They are constantly being bombarded with negative information about themselves because of who they are at the core. LGBTQ students experience bullying at a higher rate than students who do not identify as such and these numbers are absolutely asinine. As educators, we must be vigilant and make sure to support our LGBTQ students, but also be on the look out for when these students may be being bullied. Students can be stealthy in their bullying tactics, so knowing what to look out for and how to prevent it with open conversations can be a game changer. With an overgrowing accessibility to social media platforms and online communication, students are experiencing bullying due to their identity not only in the classroom, but when they go home and surf the web. In addition to school faculty, workshops and discussions among parents and other students can be helpful in litigating these dangerous statistics.

Marzetti et al. explores the idea of homophobia and other phobias of people who identify as LGBTQ and how this affects the youth who identify as such (2022). Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among adolescents and part of this percentage comes from individuals who identify as LGBTQ. This study is qualitative in nature and interviews 24 students who are part of the LGBTQ community. Some of the records include individuals who experienced classmates being "queerphobic" which can also encompass transphobia as well as others. The interviewees explained how this constant bullying at all stages of their education knocked them further down each time it happened. Many students described that there is an expectation in society to follow the norms and when people go against the grain, they are exposed to much more hatred and bias. Because there is not much discussion on supporting individuals of the LGBTQ community, there lacks support and spaces where they feel safe. Since there are heteronormative expectations, students who are different discuss having an almost tunnel-like vision to suicide as they see if as a way out. The statistics are scary and much needs to be done to ensure our youth is protected.

AFFIRM is an evidence-based intervention for LGBTQ individuals both adults and adolescents. AFFIRM can be utilized in a variety of settings such as a school, medical faculty, community centers and at home. Specifically for the youth portion of AFFIRM, trained individuals in this intervention work on assisting the youth in all settings in feeling safe and understood. Some of the benefits of learning with AFFIRM include validating student's experiences and identifications related to the LGBTQ experience, ways to help mitigate harmful thoughts as they arise and ways to cope and navigate discrimination. There are free resources on their website including forums and information on how to become AFFIRM trained and what you can do if you are not trained and still be a positive influence in a student's life.

The Trevor Project is a non-profit organization that strives to educate and facilitate change within society to create a more accepting society. Since their start, they have helped hundreds of individuals both youth and adults navigate a world which can be unforgiving and stigmatized. This project provides interventions such as a 24/7 call line where people can call in and talk to a trained person in crisis intervention. Their suicide prevention includes workshops, resources, videos, outreach and education to make more people aware and tolerating of different genders and identities. People can get trained in becoming a youth ally which is geared towards adults who want to become allies to LGBTQ youth. It focuses on creating supportive environments, understanding LGBTQ identities, and learning how to intervene effectively in crisis situations. In addition, they also provide a lifeguard workshop for people who want to become an advocate and bring these ideas of tolerance to their schools or other community settings.