With suicide ranking third as the leading cause of death in American youth aged 15-24, a new prevention program tested in Ohio schools has proven it can help teens overcome depression and thoughts of killing themselves.

A just-released study shows that the 6000 students who have gone through the program are significantly less likely to report that they are considering suicide, planning suicide or have attempted suicide than before participating in the program.

Developed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Surviving the Teens® is one of the few suicide prevention programs to have data supporting its effectiveness.

Strunk taught the Surviving the Teens curriculum to more than 6,000 high school students in Warren, Butler and Hamilton counties during the 2008-2009 school year.  For this study, more than 900 were surveyed before going through the program and after completing the program.  More than 400 were surveyed three months later.

The study, conducted by Keith King, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services, was published today in the Journal of School Health.

Among the findings three months after the program (compared to surveys taken beforehand):

"The program taught students how to have more self-confidence and how to engage in positive behavior, which lessens the risk of them contemplating suicide," says Strunk.

The survey administered immediately after completing the program showed that:

"This study focused on students' self-reporting, so it is unclear how closely their feelings and attitudes mirror actual behavior," says Michael Sorter, MD, director of Psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's and study co-author. "This is something we need to look at in the future. Even though we don't claim that Surviving the Teens is the answer to suicidal behavior, we are very encouraged by the research so far indicating how helpful the program might be."

The curriculum focuses on educating students about the warning signs of suicide in either themselves or friends and how they can get help if they or their friends have suicidal feelings. The program includes a component called Steps to Last™, which assists students in understanding what steps they need to take if they, their friends or family members need help. Learn more at the program's website.