Long before the pandemic put new and unprecedented strain on teen mental health, youth suicide became a crisis in Colorado — the No. 1 cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 17 in this state.
Knowing this, a group of Denver Post journalists led by health reporter Jessica Seaman spent much of the last year immersed in the subject of teen mental health and suicide, and today we’re publishing the results of that project, called , with support from the Fund for Journalism on Child Well-Being, a program of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
We began last year by traveling across the state, holding community conversations in five counties an effort to learn about and better understand youth suicide from the teenagers, parents, teachers and mental health professionals most affected. We believed it was crucial to include teen voices in whatever we did, and to that end we solicited essays from middle- and high-school students across Colorado for a contest, the results of which were .
There are several components to what we’re publishing today, beginning with Jessica’s , Colorado’s widely used student tip line that is still deeply rooted in law enforcement even though suicide threats and mental health concerns now make up the largest share of reports. Jessica found there’s little public accountability since the Colorado Attorney General’s Office doesn’t collect or track data showing what happens after officials respond to these tips.
We’ve also assembled a on mental health and suicide, using their own words paired with beautiful portrait photography by The Post’s Hyoung Chang. And we’ve shared a created by Amy Brothers that look at how different programs such as the Second Wind Fund are working to help children and teens struggling with mental health issues.
We hope you’ll spend some time today with this important project, both the work assembled by The Post’s journalists and the stark words of Colorado teens on the front line of this crisis.
Thank you.
— Matt Sebastian, The Denver Post
Five don’t-miss stories from last week
Polis warns of “third wave” as Colorado sees acceleration of COVID-19 spread across all age groups
Though Colorado’s rising number of COVID-19 cases has been fueled by the “significant outbreak” among college-aged people, state officials warned Tuesday that all age groups now are seeing increased infections.
Gov. Jared Polis cautioned that Colorado risks “a big third wave” of coronavirus cases if people don’t stay vigilant by wearing masks, keeping their distance from others and avoiding large gatherings — especially indoors. Read More…
CSU quarantines 900 students after wastewater monitoring detects COVID-19 in two dorms
Nearly 1,000 students living in two dormitories at Colorado State University have been quarantined after wastewater monitoring revealed a “significantly high level” of COVID-19 within those campus residences.
Five hundred students living in Braiden Hall and 400 in Summit Hall are under a mandatory quarantine of unspecified length, meaning students are not allowed to leave their residence halls for any reason, CSU officials announced Thursday night. Read More…
Cameron Peak fire grows to third-largest in Colorado history, chokes Denver and Front Range with smoke
Hot and dry conditions fueled growth of the Cameron Peak fire — now the third-largest wildfire in Colorado’s recorded history — to 120,251 acres Saturday, threatening a Buddhist retreat near Red Feather Lakes and choking Denver and the northern Front Range with smoke.
The wildfire burning in the Roosevelt National Forest now sits at about 188 square miles in size, and containment remained at 25% on Saturday evening, having dropped to that level after Friday’s growth. Read More…
Lakers oust Nuggets in Game 5, ending their magical “bubble” ride
The painful, humbling ending did nothing to erase the ride.
For 82 days, the Nuggets stayed confined inside the NBA bubble, living and breathing basketball each and every day. Only one family member made the trip. For the most part, it was almost exclusively the team themselves.
For nearly three months, they stuck together, authoring gripping comebacks, re-writing NBA history and changing how the Nuggets were perceived around the league.
But their storied ride came to an end Saturday night, when the Lakers ousted the Nuggets, 117-107, in Game 5, concluding Denver’s magical run. For weeks, the Nuggets were the talk of the bubble. Their resiliency and toughness, at times, left their coach searching for words. Read More…
Guest Commentary: I served under six presidents — four Republicans, two Democrats — only one has failed to serve U.S. national security interests
I can personally attest that Americans were very well served by those they elected to fill critical national security positions. There is one important exception to that statement — our current president. Read More…
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