Suicide Stories Part 1: Gulliver
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.
Part 1: Gulliver
Dale Boland's son Gulliver was a normal 13-year-old kid who got good grades and seemed perfectly happy. According to this liberal Berkeley mother of four, Gulliver's only "rebellion" was that he was a card-carrying member of the Republican Party. One day, out of the blue, Dale got a phone call from one of Gulliver’s friends, telling her that her son was cutting himself. From that point on, Dale experienced a roller coaster of events and emotions, culminating in the suicide of her son a little more than a year later.