Why
Are Our Young People Killing Themselves? MetroBeat TV Special
Examines One of America's Most Disturbing Problems
 DENVER
-- Colorado has one of the highest suicide incident rates in the
country, and the Rocky Mountain region leads the country in suicide
death rankings -- and the problem isn't going away.(a)
What are the warning signs? How can
these tragedies be prevented? And what can be done to help a friend
who is feeling suicidal -- or even yourself? These are just some of
the questions that are explored in a one-hour edition of MetroBeat
TV's "Student Voices" that begins airing tonight on Comcast Channel
8 in the Denver Metro market. "Student Voices: Teen Suicide"
examines the serious and disturbing issue of teen suicides.
In the program, seven area
teenagers whose lives have been affected by the self-inflicted
deaths of their friends or family members, or who have attempted
suicide themselves, gather to talk with host Brian Harper about this
epidemic of despair. With the help of guest experts, they also
brainstorm some solutions. This special forgoes the series' usual
upbeat graphics and music because of the gravity of the subject
matter that is addressed.
But teenage suicide is by no means
a problem only out West. It's the second leading cause of death
among young people nationwide. One in five American teens has
thoughts of suicide and 6,000 young people across the country commit
suicide each year.(a)
Because of these facts, the
producers are making free DVD copies of "Student Voices: Teen
Suicide" available to any business, municipal or public access TV
station, social support group, civic, church or youth organization
that may wish to use the program to promote awareness of this very
serious problem in their own community.
Accompanying the DVD are print and
electronic resources that can be easily customized and updated to
complement and promote other local presentations of the show,
including a template press release, fact sheet and resource list.
For more information, or to request a free "Student Voices: Teen
Suicide" DVD and resource kit, those interested can send a request
through the contact section of the
www.metrobeat.tv website.
"Like many of our shows, this
program began with a series of e-mails from our viewers. Once we
learned that the Rocky Mountain region led the nation in suicides
and that as many as 18 teens a day were killing themselves
nationwide, we knew we had to do something special," said MetroBeat
TV's executive producer Dan Sitarski. "We think we did and we hope
this program will help make a difference and even save lives."
"Student Voices" is a MetroBeat TV
series that is produced in association with the Annenberg Public
Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania that empowers
students and involves them in their own communities. MetroBeat TV is
a new collaborative pilot project between Comcast and 25 greater
Denver Metropolitan Area communities that helps improve the quality
and relevance of local programming.
(a) Sources: August 2006 --
Colorado Department of Public Heath and Environment/Office of
Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Brown University, and the American Psychiatric Association.
|
