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Preventing Suicide
How families and communities are reaching out to troubled teens to avert further tragedies
By Jennifer Biddle and Elaine Herscher
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE
Although teen suicide attempts have declined gradually since the 1990s, death by suicide has risen 8 percent among teenagers, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, it’s the third leading cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 and 19. While each suicide is a unique story, there is a common thread: More than 90 percent of teens who kill themselves show signs of major depression or another mental illness in the year prior to their deaths. Once treatment begins, however, the risk of suicide declines dramatically. This three-part video series takes an inside look at the tragedy of teen depression and suicide -- and explores what parents, kids, communities, and mental health advocates can do to help prevent it. Click here or on the picture to start. Multimedia Team
Director and producer: Jennifer Biddle
Video production and editing: Jennifer Biddle and Elaine Herscher
Senior editor: Paige Bierma
Camera work: Jennifer Biddle and Elaine Herscher
Flash design and production: David Dudley
Web production: Deepi Brar
Executive producer: Diana Hembree Thanks to Kara, a grief support and education organization in Palo Alto, California, for providing a child's drawing of “a body map of feelings” (used on the “Solace Amid Sorrow" navigation button). Troubleshooting
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References
Interview with Dale Allen Boland.
Interview with Sophia Jiang, student at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, and other students who live in Palo Alto
Interview with Dr. Mel Blaustein, MD, Psychiatry, St. Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco
Interview with Teresa LaFromboise, PhD, Professor in Counseling Psychology, School of Education, Stanford University and expert in Native American suicide
Interview with D'Shane Barnett, Director of Planning and Policy, Native American Health Center, Oakland, California
Interview with Janet King, MSW, Project Director, Children's Mental Health Grant, Native American Health Center, Oakland, California
Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents. Benjamin N. Shain and and the Committee on Adolescence. Pediatrics 2007;120;669-676
American Academy of Pediatrics. Some Things You Should Know About Preventing Teen Suicide. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/childhealthmonth/prevteensuicide.htm
Teen Suicide Prevention. State Health Lawmakers Digest, National Conference of State Legislatures. Volume 5, Number 5. Fall 2005. http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14111
Nemours Foundation. About Teen Suicide. June 2008. http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html#
Child Trends Database. Teen Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm Death. http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/archivepgs/70.htm
National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. American Indian Life Skills Development/Zuni Life Skills Development. June 2007. http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/programfulldetails.asp?PROGRAM_ID=118
Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Testimony by Teresa D. LaFromboise. February 26, 2009. http://indian.senate.gov/public/_files/DrLaFromboiseTestimony.pdf
Reviewed by Michael Potter, MD, an attending physician and associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who is board certified in family practice.
Our reviewers are members of Consumer Health Interactive's medical advisory board.
To learn more about our writers and editors, click here.
First published February 24, 2010
Copyright © 2010 Consumer Health Interactive
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