Norwich prevention leaders present youth survey showing higher suicide‑related indicators among middle‑schoolers

Bonnie Smith, an analyst with the council’s consulting partner, told the Norwich council that an anonymous December survey of grades 6–12 achieved an overall response rate of about 71 percent and shows some areas of concern for youth mental health.

"About 11.6 percent reported that they had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months — that was 261 students," Smith said, adding that follow‑up questions showed 48.1 percent of those students had made a plan and 31.2 percent had attempted suicide (the 31.2 percent refers to the subgroup of 261 students, not all respondents).

The survey also found roughly 19.1 percent of students reported prolonged feelings of sadness or hopelessness and 33.4 percent reported feeling lonely often; middle‑school students recorded higher rates on several measures than high‑school students, Smith said.

Hannah Orinburne, the city’s drug prevention coordinator, described how the Norwich Prevention Council uses those…