TEEN SUICIDE IN MARIN COUNTY: STATISTICS

We have an epidemic on our hands - and we need to start addressing what is quickly becoming the biggest public health crisis of our time. The problem is ever-increasing - in the next decade we will have a 31 percent increase in teen suicides - and the ages are getting younger and younger.

Before we can know how to prevent suicide amongst our Marin County middle and high school students, we must first understand the why - what drives a teen to suicidal thoughts. And this begins with the facts of who actually dies by completed suicide.

The central fact is that almost all, over 90 percent of youth, who die by suicide had at least one - and usually multiple - psychiatric illnesses at the time of death that may have been unrecognized for two years or more.

Teens who suffer from an underlying mental health disorder are especially vulnerable to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. These include (but aren't limited to) the following psychiatric disorders:

It's important to note that risk is even greater for teens who have both depression and another mental health disorder. Therefore, it makes sense that our best line of defense in preventing suicide is early diagnosis and treatment of the mental illnesses and disorders that put our teens at the highest risk.

Under-diagnosis or Misdiagnosis = wrong meds = suicidality

Variations of mood and temporary risky behaviors are part of the normal adolescent process, just as it is normal for teens to feel depressed from time to time and for this mood to last several days. When the depression becomes a more serious problem, distinguished by the duration, persistence, and impact of the symptoms, a teen may be prescribed an antidepressant to help reduce symptoms.

However, the complex nature of depression in teens can mask a bipolar disorder or personality disorder traits, putting those teens at risk for worsening suicidal ideation upon exposure to antidepressants.

Early detection and diagnosis of serious mental illness is key to getting the correct treatment that may help manage suicidal behaviors. Too often, serious mental illness in teens is overlooked and misidentified as "typical teenage behavior" or temporary anxiety or depression. Many health care professionals treat the symptoms a patient is experiencing through talk therapy or by prescribing medications without performing any kind of formalized psychiatric diagnostic screening.

Just as screenings help medical doctors determine which treatment is correct to use based on the diagnosis, psychiatric screenings can help mental health care professionals determine the correct type of treatment for a mental illness diagnosis. And the impact of a misdiagnosis of a mental illness can be just as devastating to a teen and their family as a medical misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Warning signs of suicide to be alert to include changes in personality or behavior that might not be obviously related to suicide. When a teenager becomes sad, more withdrawn, more irritable, impulsive, anxious, tired, or apathetic-things that used to be fun aren't fun anymore-you should be concerned. Changes in sleep patterns or eating habits can also be red flags. Acting erratically, or recklessly is also a warning sign. If a teen starts making really poor judgments, increases drug use, or he starts doing things that are harmful to himself or other people, like bullying or fighting, it can be a sign that he is spinning out of control.