Parents, school administrators, and other concerned individuals are searching for answers in the wake of two teen suicides and a suicide attempt by a third, all of whom were students at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, Calif. A June 5 article by NBC Bay Area reporters Owen Thomas and George Kiriyama provided the following details:

A month ago, JP Blanchard, a junior at Gunn, walked in front of a Caltrain. This week, 17-year-old Sonya Raymakers also killed herself by crossing in front of a commuter train. She was due to graduate in two weeks. Her parents are holding a funeral service on Friday.

At 8:30 p.m. [June 4], the third Gunn student, who has not been identified, was caught by his mother attempting to cross the Caltrain tracks. ...

This latest suicide attempt took place even as parents and students attended a meeting at a community center in Palo Alto to discuss suicide and depression.

"It sets up a kind of pattern where somebody has been having thoughts about it might find it easier to do," said Dr. Bruce Bienenstock, a child psychiatrist. "I think it puts us all higher on alert to be sensitive to what's going on with them right now."

Teen suicide has been associated with a number of causes, including teen depression, anxiety, poor self-image, bullying, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Labels: suicide, teenagers