A survey of southwest Denver teens reveals a startling number have tried to commit suicide, according to Denver’s Office of Drug Strategy.
The survey last year of hundreds of students in three middle schools and Abraham Lincoln High showed risky behavior increases as students get into high school, said Karla Maraccini, the office’s director.
Half of the 11th-graders surveyed at Abraham Lincoln said they had been in a car with a person who had been drinking, 45 percent of the 88 freshmen queried said they had tried to kill themselves in the past year, and just 30 percent of 10th-graders felt they had adequate parental support.
“This gives us a good idea of where to target our efforts,” Maraccini said. “It doesn’t make sense to do parental involvement at the 10th- and 11th- grade levels because kids at that grade are already doing (drugs). If we want to have the biggest effect or bang for our buck, we need to do that” earlier.
Information from the survey is being included in a DVD for parents in southwestern Denver to help them talk with their children.
Other areas of the city may get similar DVDs in the future, Maraccini said.
At a recent meeting of the parents advisory committee at Abraham Lincoln, the DVD was screened in English and Spanish for about 26 families.
“A lot of parents don’t know how to talk about these issues,” said principal Antonio Esquibel. “They don’t know how to approach them, or they don’t think it’s their responsibility. We’ve got to give the parents the mind-set that it is in their power.”
The video advises parents to talk early and often to their children, get involved and be a good role model. It also says parents should watch for changes, such as new friends, a drop in grades or participation, or a change in appearance or patterns.
“There are definitely warning signs,” said Jarrod Hindman, program manager of the state Office of Suicide Prevention. “If they see differences in behavior, big drops in grades or talking about suicide, that’s a huge red flag. They need to just ask, ‘Are you thinking about suicide?”‘
Start the conversation, said Hindman, who says the Abraham Lincoln survey results for suicide attempts were higher than the previous state average.
The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey that queried about 1,500 ninth- through 12th-graders in Colorado found 6.7 percent reporting they had attempted suicide the previous year and 13.6 percent reporting they had seriously considered suicide the previous year.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
