Rash of teen suicides in Douglas County raises concerns
By Judi Villa, Rocky Mountain News
Published November 27, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
One in four youth will struggle with suicidal thoughts. Make that half by the age of 20.
For those ages 10 to 19, suicide is the second-leading cause of death in Colorado.
Those are sobering statistics, and a rash of four teen suicides this month in Douglas County brings them to the forefront.
"It's such a scary, difficult, dark, mysterious issue that it's hard for people to really grasp how common it is," said Jeff Lamontagne, co-founder and executive director of the Second Wind Fund, which provides free counseling for youth at risk of suicide.
"It is something that has occurred to most people at one point or another. And when you're a kid, you have fewer experiences and resources to draw upon to say, 'You know, things are going to get better and this is temporary.' "
In Douglas County, two 16- year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl killed themselves on Nov. 16 and 17. A 14-year-old girl killed herself Monday. Police say none of the deaths appear to be connected.
But clusters like that are especially troubling because officials worry that other teens will begin to see suicide as acceptable.
The deaths prompted Douglas County school officials to send a letter home to parents, urging them to talk to their children.
The letter included resources for families and tip sheets on how to help students cope and how to talk about suicide prevention.
Lamontagne said referrals to his agency are up. Second Wind usually receives about three referrals a day, he said, and the Douglas County affiliate, which was receiving about one a week before the suicides, is now getting about one a day.
Fifty-eight Colorado youth ages 10 to 19 committed suicide in 2005, the last year for which complete data is available.
Risk factors include mental illness and feelings of hopelessness, isolation or unimportance.
But teen suicide is preventable,experts say, if families catch the warning signs early and seek help.
"Parents should take very seriously any comments about suicide or wanting to go away or wanting to die, or a comment such as, 'The world would be better off without me. Everyone would be happier if I was gone,' " Lamontagne said.
"All those kinds of things should not be blown off. They should be taken very seriously and something should be done."
Resources
COLORADO SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINES
* National hotlines: 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK
* Local hotlines: suicidehotlines.com/colorado.html
* Comitis Crisis Center Help Line: 303-343-9890
* Second Wind Fund for teen suicide prevention: 303-988-2645; thesecondwindfund.org
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
Featured
-
Boulder Wildfire
See photos from the Boulder County fire.
-
Legislature Blog
The Rocky's Lynn Bartels and Ed Sealover provide live updates from the Capitol.
-
Rocky multimedia
The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.
-
Who's next?
Complete coverage of the Broncos' search for a new coach.
-
Weekend plans?
Figure out things to do this weekend with the help of our entertainment calendar.
-
Winter Escapes
Your insider’s guide to the copious joys of the coolest season.
-
Sam Adams' Open Mic
Open Mic: Two-man advantage with Avs
-
Bronco Dean's rant
Listen to Bronco Dean's rant on what's next for the Broncos.
-
Live updates
Sign up for mobile alerts and breaking news e-mails to keep up with the latest news.
November 27, 2008
5:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
roger44 writes:
Coddling kids don't help, parents need to instill some reality into them. they hit a rough spot in the road and can't handle it. And the fact that a lot more kids are put on drugs by Doctors does not help. A kid did it in the small town we were in when my Daughter was 15, her friends came over to our house because I talked to them more as adults than kids, didn't treat them like they were stupid. had a long talk with them about asking for help from anyone when those thoughts cross their mind, told them I don't care if it's 3 am, call me, come over and we could deal with it. My dad did it when I was 11, and it was painful, so know the feelings.
As I told them, it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
November 27, 2008
8:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
SockRayBlue writes:
roger44
You are right on that.
My biggest concern was just managing to stay alive during my teen years. Suicide never entered my mind until I grew up and watched corporate America and the "government" at work. All those years of being idealistic and accused of not going with the flow. Not that is enough to cause someone to start thinking of suicide. Perhaps that is Obama's plan....to cause enough concern that the elderly will give up and self-clear the decks of social security recipients.
November 27, 2008
9:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
Burt writes:
One fact that is rarely mentioned is that a large percentage of teens that commit suicide are gay or bisexual. Children with gender identity issues are particularly at risk (but are a smaller percentage). Most of them don't feel safe going to anyone for help. We need to openly offer them help, too; not to change them into something they're not, but to help them through a difficult time.
November 27, 2008
9:31 a.m.
Suggest removal
NeilT writes:
RMN-"But teen suicide is preventable,experts say, if families catch the warning signs early and seek help."
Be careful, RMN! You run the risk of being called pompous when telling the truth.
Don't be surprised by a burst of teen suicide in the county where "keeping up with the Joneses" is not good enough; they must blow the Joneses away. Remember, this news is coming from the county with one of the highest household incomes in the nation. High debt is common, too.
It's too bad that some parents are more in tune with their debt/investments/careers/hobbies than they are with their children. The American Dream of a big house, SUV's in the garage and 2.3 children is nothing more than an accomplishment that gets checked-off the list when achieved.
Why stop there when you can have more? Don't worry about neglecting the kids, just buy them a computer, a new video game system and a cell phone and they'll be fine. Seriously! Those three items will keep your kids so busy, they won't bug you ever again. You'll have plenty of time to focus on things that really matter to you. This is how you pull-off the .3 partial child portion of the Dream.
Oh well. Try to enjoy the turkey today, parents. I understand the kids are a pain, but it's only a few hours you need to spend interacting with them. You'll be back to work and happy in no time.
November 27, 2008
1:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
kelseyjane writes:
I have never felt compelled to register and comment on a story until now. I knew the 14 year old girl who killed herself this week. Her parents, teachers, and friends tried for years to help her. She tried for years to overcome the darkness that was the depression that ultimately swallowed her. No one was concerned with 'investments' or shoved her off onto video games... other than investing time in her and doing everything humanly possible WITH her to try to help her. She has a family who loves her and is hurting. No amount of blaming, recrimination or "armchair quarterback analysis" is going to help them, her twin or her younger sibling. I know them, I love them, and I truly believe they did all they could. So did she. She said so.