Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Suicide Prevention Organization to Expand Interactive Screening Program

  • 02/06/17

NEW YORK, NY – Each year, 10 percent of college students report that they have seriously considered suicide and more than 1,100 college students die by suicide. Those students who need help the most are often the least likely to seek help on their own, even when services are available to them. The Interactive Screening Program (ISP) is an online tool offered by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP, www.afsp.org) and used by college and university counseling centers to reach distressed students and help connect them to mental health services before a crisis emerges. In 2017, AFSP will expand the program to 20 additional colleges and universities nationwide.

“Oftentimes, feelings of shame, fear or uncertainty prevent students from seeking help,” says Dr. Christine Moutier, AFSP’s chief medical officer. “Through ISP, we are able to reach those students who may be struggling with issues like anxiety, depression or adjustments to college life. Through a customized and highly confidential approach, ISP addresses individuals’ perceived barriers to getting help.”

The program expansion has been made possible by a generous Mental Health Grant from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation. In 2008, the Leon Lowenstein Foundation granted AFSP another education-related grant which supported AFSP's educational film, More Than Sad: Teen Depression. This film has been viewed by over a million students and educators across the country since its launch.

All United States-based colleges and universities, including medical schools, are welcome to apply to bring ISP to their school by submitting a proposal through AFSP's website at www.afsp.org/isp2017. Applications accepted from February 1, 2017 through April 15, 2017; and the 20 selected new programs will launch in September 2017.

About ISP 
ISP is the only online screening program that offers students a safe and confidential way to connect with campus counselors and receive personalized recommendations and support. Since its official launch in 2006, ISP has expanded to over 100 colleges and universities nationwide and connected more than 40,000 students to a mental health professional. ISP is listed on the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Best Practice Registry for Suicide Prevention. ISP is also currently being used by workplaces, law enforcement agencies, and Employee Assistance Programs.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement.

Featured

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.