Riverside’s SOS Signs of Suicide for Students is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that teaches middle and high school students how to identify warning signs of suicide and depression while encouraging them to seek help from trusted adults.
SOS for Students Has a History of Making a Difference
In the United States, SOS Signs of Suicide supports over 4,000 schools in nearly all 50 states. The interactive training includes classroom discussions, age-appropriate videos featuring real stories and modeled scenarios, and a brief depression screen that encourages students to self-reflect. For the Polish adaptation, the program’s videos were subtitled in Polish, and supporting documents were translated and adapted as needed.
SOS for Students focuses on teaching students how to “ACT” if they are worried about themselves or a peer. After receiving the training, students demonstrated the ability to:
- Acknowledge warning signs
- Care for friends in crisis and
- Tell a trusted adult
Since the program’s inception, researchers have assessed the effectiveness of SOS for Students by conducting several randomized controlled trials – an evaluation known as the “gold standard” of research studies. SOS for Students has reduced suicide attempts by 64% and demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression.
SOS for Students Makes Its Mark in Poland
In response to the significant increase in suicide and suicide attempts among adolescents following the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland adopted SOS for Students as part of its National Health Program for 2021-2025, and as the first evidence-based initiative to address urgent gaps in school-based prevention. SOS for Students was selected for adaptation and implementation after an extensive review of domestic and international literature regarding evaluated youth suicide prevention programs.
A comprehensive evaluation of the program’s implementation in schools in Poland demonstrated significant effectiveness in equipping students with the skills and confidence needed to recognize and respond to mental health crises among their peers. The study, conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, involved 1,540 students across 38 schools in 14 Polish provinces. Results showed that students who received SOS for Students gained substantially more knowledge about depression and suicide warning signs compared to the control groups. The program also fostered more supportive attitudes toward peers experiencing mental health challenges and increased students’ willingness to seek help, resulting in approximately 10% of students requesting a consultation with school-based mental health staff
SOS for Students appeared to reduce suicide risk among high-risk students who had attempted suicide at least three times in the previous month. This data corroborates US findings that high school students who received this training were 40–64% less likely to attempt suicide in the three months following training. SOS for Students also showed particular promise in Polish special education settings, where 21% of participants sought mental health consultations after completing the program — more than double the rate seen in primary and secondary schools.
“In my opinion, the SOS program is very helpful because the subject of depression, etc., is no longer taboo, and it is easier to get help. It helped me a lot because I realized that it is worth asking for help.”
— Polish secondary school student
Research Supports Widespread Implementation
The brevity and structured format make SOS for Students easily implementable in existing school frameworks with minimal cost. Researchers recommend widespread implementation of SOS for Students in Polish schools, citing its evidence-based effectiveness and ability to identify at-risk students who might otherwise go unnoticed.
Key Statistics From SOS In Poland:
- Slightly over 1,500 participated across 387 schools in 14 Polish provinces
- 10% of students (135) sought mental health consultations after program completion
- One-third of those seeking help visited a school mental health professional for the first time
- Significant reduction in suicide attempts among highest-risk students
