In light of the recent suicides of several Palo Alto teens, the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began an epidemiological study in
February 2016 that investigated previous youth suicide clusters. Last week,
the CDC released preliminary findings of their study, which revealed that
mental health problems, recent crises and problems at school were major
factors in the suicides of the 232 youths throughout Santa Clara County the
CDC investigated.
The CDC’s research revealed that 46 percent of victims had a mental health
problem at the time. The most common mental health problems were depression,
anxiety and bipolar disorder. Of the 232 cases studied, 53.7 percent had
experienced a major crisis in the last two weeks. Male youths were found to
be much less likely to report mental health problems or seek help and had a
higher suicide rate than female youths.
Palo Alto has a teen suicide rate more than four times the national average.
In the last seven years, Palo Alto has seen 10 teen deaths — six in a
cluster during the 2008-09 school year and four in 2014-15. Several of these
adolescents took their own lives on the Caltrain tracks near the high
schools.
Suicide clusters are defined by the CDC as “three or more suicides in close
proximity in regards to time and space.” The first suicide cluster in Palo
Alto took place in the spring of 2009 with the deaths of four students
affiliated with Gunn High School and two other local teens. The next cluster
took place between October 2014 and March 2015, during which four more Palo
Alto Unified School District students took their own lives.
The suicides caused students, parents, teachers, school administrators and
Stanford to examine the Palo Alto community and its reputation of being a
high-pressure area for academic achievement. A community response was
developed to address the apparent causes of the suicides in the first
cluster: parental pressure and academic stress. Projects, such as “We Can
Do Better Palo Alto” were initiated to change the culture of Palo Alto and
more programs were being introduced at schools to improve dialogue about
mental health and reduce overall stress.
There were also movements to remove “zero period” at local high schools,
an optional class period that begins at 7:20 a.m., before normal classes.
Although class was initially removed, it was reinstated after outcry from
students that extra limitations were not the solution to stress. Overall,
the success of the programs is unclear.
As a result, the Santa Clara County Health Department requested that the CDC
investigate Palo Alto’s teen suicides on behalf of the Palo Alto School
District. Five members of the CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducted the study. In February, they came
to Palo Alto to consult organizations that worked with youth mental health
and suicide prevention and to study county-wide data of 232 suicides from
2003 to 2015.
The CDC found that high school students who had considered suicide were
found to have many traits in common; they were much more likely to have
missed school in the last month, experienced bullying, used alcohol or drugs
in the past, engaged in binge drinking recently or to have identified as
gay, lesbian or bisexual.
The CDC’s report is still incomplete, and its findings may be subject to
change as the research continues. However, it does recommend broad steps to
prevent future suicide clusters. The report urges those who live or work
with youth to be familiar with signs of mental distress. Youths should be “
encouraging help-seeking behavior, and ensuring access to quality care.” It
also recommends focused outreach to male youths and increased efforts to
prevent bullying. Additionally, it mentions the importance of having
students develop trusted relationships with teachers or adults in order to
make them feel more comfortable discussing a suicidal crisis.
The final report will also include analysis of youth suicide trends, the
accuracy and role of media coverage and increased input from members in the
community. This report, although preliminary, does provide a basis of facts
and recommendations for the community to look to in the continued battle
against youth suicide in the county and leads Santa Clara County one step
closer to the goal of ending its stigma as a suicide-prone area.
