Prevention Begins with Connection
September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about suicide and remind people that support is available. When we talk about suicide prevention, the conversation often centers on teenagers and adults. But children can struggle with their mental health, too.
Children can experience anxiety, depression, family difficulties, trauma, and overwhelming emotional pain at very young ages. They may not always have the words to explain what they are feeling, and the adults around them may not always recognize what is happening beneath the surface.
What the Data Tell Us
Research shows that suicidal thoughts are not exclusively an adolescent issue. A 2021 study using data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study examined nearly 12,000 U.S. children ages 9 and 10 and found that 14.3% had reported suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
More recent research also highlights the need for early prevention. A 2025 study published in Pediatrics examined more than 1.5 million medication, dietary supplement and psychoactive substance exposures among children ages 6 to 12 reported to U.S. poison centers from 2000 through 2023. The rate of exposures associated with suspected self-harm or suicidal intent increased 311.2% during that period, with researchers identifying children ages 11 and 12 as an important population for targeted prevention.
Local data provide another reason to pay attention to mental health before children reach their teenage years. According to the 2024 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, 18.7% of Escambia County youth ages 10 to 14 reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide during the previous year, compared with 14.7% statewide. In Escambia County, 11.4% reported making a suicide plan and 11% reported attempting suicide. Additionally, 43.6% reported feeling depressed or sad most days during the previous year.
While these statistics should not be interpreted as applying to all elementary-aged children, they do reinforce the importance of addressing mental and emotional health early.
Creating Awareness Early
For Healthy Schools Escambia, prevention is about creating awareness and environments where children feel safe, supported, and connected enough to ask for help.
At West Pensacola Elementary, HSE Program Coordinator Carol Dorrough has seen firsthand why starting these conversations early matters.
“Suicide awareness in elementary schools is vital because children can experience struggles far beyond what we may see on the surface,” Dorrough said. “As one of the Healthy Schools Escambia Program Coordinators, I have become aware of three students who were facing circumstances at home so intense that they entertained thoughts of suicide. Hearing that reminded me that we cannot assume children are too young to experience overwhelming emotional pain.”
Making Mental Health Part of the School Day
HSE schools are sharing age-appropriate mental health and suicide prevention information with students and families this month while reinforcing the people, programs and resources available to help. The HSE schools are:
West Pensacola Elementary School
Students are participating in activities designed to promote mental and emotional well-being, including yoga poses, and breathing exercises using bubbles. Positive affirmation posters and reminders about the things that make them happy are shared and posted around all the HSE schools, as well as information about United Way of West Florida's 211 and 988 helplines.
“We want them to be able to remember 211 and 988 as much as they remember 911,” Dorrough said.
211 Northwest Florida and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline give families different ways to get help when they need it. 211 connects people to local resources for needs such as food, housing, utilities and health care. Often these challenges add stress and affect mental health. 988 provides free, confidential support for people experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis, including thoughts of suicide. Together, these services help families find support for both the challenges they are facing and their mental well-being.
The idea is simple: children should know that there are people and resources they can turn to when they need help.
HSE takes a whole-child approach, guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework. A child's emotional well-being is connected to relationships, behavior, attendance, engagement, and the ability to learn.
Through partnerships with organizations such as the YMCA of Northwest Florida, Lakeview Center and Community Health Northwest Florida, students and families can connect with programs and services that support healthy habits, physical activity, mental health and access to care. Together, these partners help create a network of support around students as part of their everyday health and well-being.
Creating Places Where Children Feel Seen
For young children, prevention can begin with something as simple as a relationship with a trusted adult.
The CDC identifies school connectedness as an important protective factor for youth. When students feel that adults and peers at school care about them, support them, and value them, they are less likely to experience poor mental health and other health risks.
That means prevention can happen in everyday moments.
It can be a teacher noticing that a child seems different. It can be a counselor taking time to listen. It can be a staff member recognizing that a student may need additional support. It can be a parent asking one more question.
“Our schools are working to become one of the safest places where a child feels seen, heard, and supported,” Dorrough said. “Suicide awareness is not about frightening children, it is about recognizing warning signs, teaching children that it is okay to ask for help, and making sure trusted adults know how to respond when a child is struggling.”
That focus on connection is also central to UWWF’s broader work around mental health and crisis support.
Connecting Families to 988
UWWF oversees local 988-related efforts, helping connect people in Northwest Florida with crisis support and resources.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People can call or text 988 if they are experiencing emotional distress, a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, or if they are concerned about someone they care about.
For Jessica Johnson, UWWF's Vice President of Impact Services, making sure people know about 988 before they experience a crisis is an important part of prevention.
“We want 988 to be a resource people know about before they need it. When a family is in the middle of a difficult moment, they shouldn't have to wonder where to turn or whether it's okay to ask for help. Building that awareness early can make it easier to reach out when support is needed.”
For children, that awareness begins with the adults around them. Parents, teachers, counselors, and other trusted adults can help children recognize when they are struggling and connect them with appropriate support.
Johnson said that is why the work happening in schools and the work happening through 988 are connected.
“Prevention is much more than responding to a crisis. It's about building relationships, creating a sense of belonging, and making sure children and families know that support is available. Healthy Schools Escambia gives us an opportunity to start that work early, while also making sure families understand that resources like 988 are there when they need additional help.”
Prevention Is More Than a Crisis Response
Suicide prevention in an elementary school is not simply about responding when a child reaches a crisis. It is about creating a culture where children feel comfortable saying, “I need help.”
It is teaching children healthy ways to cope with difficult emotions. It is helping them identify trusted adults. It is strengthening connections between schools and families. And it is making sure the adults around them know where to turn when a child needs additional support.
One Caring Adult Can Make a Difference
For Dorrough, one of the most powerful prevention tools may also be one of the simplest.
“Sometimes, simply having one caring adult who notices, listens, and says, ‘I am here for you. You are not alone,’ can make a difference,” Dorrough said. “Every child deserves to know that their life has value and that there are people who will help them through difficult moments.”
HSE is helping schools create environments where children can feel connected, supported, and valued while making sure students and families know where to turn when they need additional help.
Because suicide prevention does not start when a child becomes a teenager. It starts with connection, compassion, and making sure every child knows: You matter. You are seen. And you are not alone.
If You or Someone You Know Needs Help
Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential, 24/7 support.
For local health and human-service resources in Northwest Florida, call or text 211.
