Focuses on suicidal behaviors among 313 high school students. Provides a linchpin between studies of adolescent suicide attempt rates and studies reporting on percentages of adolescents who made suicide attempts. Suicide is a personal concern for most high school students, with 62.6% reporting some degree of suicidal ideation or action.…

Two studies of women who were sexually abused as children compared women who blame themselves to a high degree with women who blame themselves to a lesser degree. Findings show that high-self blamers were more depressed and suicidal than low self-blamers, making self-blame an important variable in understanding self-destructive behavior. (RJM)

Presents interview with Thomas Bratter, president of the John Dewey Academy, a residential, drug-free college preparatory therapeutic high school. Bratter describes the mission of the school as to provide intensive educational and therapeutic assistance to self-destructive adolescents who are psychologically intact and have superior potential.…

The study of staff acceptability of behavioral interventions for self injurious behavior (SIB) in persons with severe/profound mental retardation indicated that: accelerative interventions were more acceptable than reductive treatments; acceptability of treatments varied as a function of SIB severity; and client status and type of work setting did…

Examined extent and nature of suicide, attempted suicide, and intentional life-threatening behavior in long-term care facilities and differences in patterns of suicidal behavior by gender, age, and race. Results from 463 facilities revealed sex differences in terms of method chosen, and age differences on type of suicidal behavior and likelihood…

In a college student sample, significant correlations were found between students' alcohol abuse scores, blackout risk taking, and intrusiveness of stressful thoughts about the blackout incident. Men were significantly more likely than women to take risks during the blackout incident and to experience more stressful intrusive thoughts afterward.…

Therapeutic recreation is important in treating substance abuse problems. It addresses attitudes and behaviors leading to substance abuse (inability to experience pleasure or control). It encourages participation in activities that help abusers cope and obtain enjoyable states, reducing reliance on drugs. The article discusses the theory of flow…

Greek advisors feel some sororities abuse vulnerable young women who will do almost anything, including self-destructive behavior sometimes leading to death, to join. Although awareness of hazing is increasing on campus, many of the activities persist. Members feel membership advantages outweigh problems. (MSE)

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 adolescents who reported inhaling volatile solvents. All were aware of the short-term health risks involved in use, and most reported experiencing ill effects. Offers suggestions for intervention. (Author/GCP)

Describes study identifying themes that characterize experiences of young adults who made one suicide attempt between the ages of 20 and 24. Six major themes identified include: family experiences, adolescent interactions, emotional experiences, self-destructive behaviors, depression, and perception of control. Views suicide attempts as a…

Looks back on the history of suicidology to discuss important concepts that have become well established, such as clues to suicide, ambivalence, crisis services, suicide consultations, and psychological autopsies. Recommendations for the long-term treatment of patients are provided. Research on youth suicide is reported. Examines new developments…

Elaborates on some of the issues raised by Werth and Holdwick, and Westefeld et al. (2000, [this issue]). Comments on the implications for the training and clinical practice opportunities of counseling psychologists. Seeks to analyze certain aspects of the state of the art in these fields to stimulate and challenge thinking about working with…

This article presents results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Results, which may assist in developing appropriate intervention/prevention programs, indicate a critical age for involvement in risk behaviors, gradual increase in risk behaviors over time, and gender differences in risk behaviors. (BF)

The authors describe the development of the Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII), an instrument designed to assess the factors involved in nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-injury. Using 4 cohorts of participants, authors generated SASII items and evaluated them with factor and content analyses and internal consistency…

The 2 studies reported here use observational data from message boards to investigate how adolescents solicit and share information related to self-injurious behavior. Study 1 examines the prevalence and nature of these message boards, their users, and most commonly discussed topics. Study 2 was intended to explore the correlations between content…