KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Screening for Suicide?

Unfortunately, depression rates for high school and college-aged students is on the rise.  Each year, nearly 15,00 high school teenagers attempt suicide.  Now, many people are wondering if there is a way to screen or help fellow students and teenagers before something bad happens. 

A new study published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry reports that one out of every four college students who visit a university health center for a routine cold or sore throat, turn out instead, to be depressed enough to have suicidal thoughts.  Most health centers miss the clues, though, because they don't screen for depression. 

According to the most recent CDC High School Youth Risk Behavior survey, 6.3 percent or nearly 15,000 high school students attempted suicide in the 12 months leading up to the survey.  At last count, suicide was the third leading cause of death among teens.

Doctors say it is crucial for parents to act if they notice signs of depression in their kids... whether they are in middle school, high school or college.  Some common signs of depression include, a feeling of worthlessness, a lack of motivation, and changes in eating and sleeping behaviors.