Youth Suicide

In response to Sonia Nazario’s comprehensive series on youth suicide (March 9, 10), I would like to add two points. First, the major target of school-based prevention programs should be peers in whom troubled youth often confide. The focus is more on help-seeking than on suicide per se.

Second, after an extensive review of these programs in 1992, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded, “There is no evidence for increased suicidal ideation or behavior following these programs” (“Youth Suicide Prevention Programs: A Resource Guide,” CDC, 1992).

JOHN KALAFAT PhD

Director, Prevention Division

American Assn. of Suicidology

Piscataway, N.J.