April 6, 2001--
Utah has one of the highest teenage suicide rates in the nation.
Friday, leading experts on teen suicide from around the country met with state educators on ways to recognize and then help teens who may be suicidal.
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And as News Specialist Sam Penrod reports, the key message is "suicide is preventable."
Utah ranks ninth in the country for suicide rates among teens.
Friday's conference was aimed at educating others about helping teens who suffer from depression, to get the help they need, when they need it.
Greg Hudnall/Provo School District: "THE FOCUS IS ON CREATING WAYS AND METHODS TO HELP CHILDREN AND TO GET HELP FOR FAMILIES SO THAT WE QUIT LOSING CHILDREN TO SUICIDE."
Educators and mental health professionals from Utah and several neighboring states gathered for this second annual statewide conference.
The keynote speaker came from the Surgeon General's office in Washington, D.C.
Col. David Litts is presenting a new national strategy on preventing suicide.
It calls for a community effort, but also emphasizes the best defense comes from within the home.
Col. David Litts/U.S. Surgeon General's Office: "PARENTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF LEVELS OF DISTRESS IN THEIR KIDS AND SIGNS OF DEPRESSION, WHICH IS PRETTY COMMON AMONG YOUTH. BUT PARENTS NEED TO BE THERE FOR THEIR KIDS, TALK TO THEIR KIDS AND MAKE SURE WHEN THEIR KIDS HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT THEY GET PROFESSIONAL HELP."
The campaign outlines three steps in preventing suicide:
- Awareness-- to help the community understand suicide is a problem
- Intervention-- to help those who may be suffering from depression
- Methodology-- to advance what factors may lead people to consider suicide.
Litts: "SUICIDE IS PREVENTABLE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT. IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO GO AWAY."
But through working together, Litts believes communities can help keep teens from becoming victims of one of the leading causes of death among adolescents.
