This digest considers how counselors and educators can cope with the emotional needs of suicide survivors and prevent future suicides among students. It discusses self-destructive tendencies in youth and behavioral manifestations of loss; offers suggestions to counselors for managing the first 48 hours following a suicide or loss and lists…

This booklet reviews the role of school personnel in detecting signs of depression and potential suicide, taking appropriate actions, and developing and implementing treatment programs. An introductory chapter notes factors related to depression and suicide that may be evident in exceptional children. The second chapter provides a research…

This digest describes post-traumatic loss debriefing, a structured group process approach to help survivors manage their physical, cognitive, and emotional responses to a traumatic loss. It discusses seven stages of debriefing: (1) Introductory Stage; (2) Fact Stage; (3) Life Review Stage; (4) Feeling Stage; (5) Reaction Stage; (6) Learning Stage;…

This digest provides a demographic profile of family caregivers and discusses the emotional and physical burdens on family caregivers. It examines how caregivers cope with these burdens and highlights research findings on the most effective coping strategies. The digest concludes by summarizing the challenges to the helping profession in…

This digest discusses the most frequently diagnosed mood disorders in children and adolescents, including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. The symptoms of these disorders are described, along with family and genetic causal factors, biological causal factors, and cognitive causal factors. The digest then…