Teen's suicide prompts school district to screen for depression
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LEBANON, Ore. - A mother said she tried to get her daughter help for depression but in the end her 13-year-old took her own life.
Now she's hoping a new program can help other kids who are suffering, before it's too late.
Jody Bledsoe's daughter, Jordyn Beckner wasn't afraid to be different.
"She reflected that in her music, the way she dressed, haircuts - pink, blue, black," Bledsoe said.
But underneath it all, the teenage girl was hurting. She expressed that through writing and art that her mother only found later.
Bledsoe tried to get help for her daughter, but this past November, the girl took her own life.
"As hard as it is to say, I think Jordyn made up her mind to do this a long time ago and I think the opportunity presented itself that night," Bledsoe said.
After her daughter's death, and a mental health conference that school district leaders attended, the Lebanon School District decided to start something new to help other teens who are struggling.
Starting in April, all seventh grade students will be screened for depression. With parental consent, they will answer nine questions. Based on that questionnaire, if they show a risk of harming themselves the student's family will be notified and they will be referred to a family physician.
"For kids who are first starting to think about it and willing to talk about it - absolutely. I think a screener is a great idea," Bledsoe said.
She doesn't know if it would have helped her daughter, but said it could help others.
"Even if it only helps one kid, it was worth it," she said.
Details about the program from the Lebanon School District:
- We plan to screen 7th grade students throughout the district in April. To complete the screening we will receive parental consent.
- The screening will be in the form of a questionnaire and scored by district staff.
- The screening tool was chosen by district staff, Linn County Mental health and a child psychiatrist from Samaritan Health.
- Questionnaires will be scored to determine which students would benefit from immediate support through Linn County Mental Health. Other students will be supported as part of a group focusing on the development of skills needed to address depression. Other students may need to make contact with their physicians. We want to provide differentiated support based on student need.
- We are screening students for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we want students to be at school and ready to learn. We believe that addressing students overall health, including mental health, is an important component in meeting this goal. This is a pilot program this school year. We started discussing this pilot after attending a mental health conference as part of a regional Safe Schools Grant.
- The funding has come through our partnerships. Staff from Samaritan, Linn Benton Lincoln ESD, Linn County Mental Health and the Lebanon Community School District will be giving time to support the screening process and leading groups for students.
As tragic as it is to lose a child, the Beckner's loss is used as a prop by KATU and the Lebanon School District to bring frank, honest awareness to the devastating and debilitating effect of untreated mental illness. The prevalence of mood disorders and anxiety is quite common. They are likely to occur to one in three persons at some point in their lives, with women and younger people of either gender showing more cases than other segments of society. Unfortunately, we live in an area of the country where Season Affective Disorder (SAD) also wreaks havoc on the stability of those who have mood disorders such as: anxiety, PPD, OCD, recurrent major depressive disorder, impulse control disorder, panic and bi-polar disorder (or any of the other 400 types of mental illness). Throw in neglect, physical abuse, low self-esteem, poor diet, low income and neurodevelopmental disorders and/or genetic predisposition and you have just about every other child in any Oregon school district 'at risk'. I agree that parents ought to be monitoring their children's health, however if the parent is also prone to mood disorder they may inadvertently neglect the child's well-being. Mental illness is not something to joke about here, and those who ridicule a school district for at least trying to 'score' a child's propensity for depression indicates the type of suspicious mistrust exhibited by those suffering from PPD. There are many healthy, open minded parents here who will handle this issue at home but for those children whose homes are not equipped with the fundamental basics a child needs to feel safe, respected and loved, a program such as this may very well be a life-saver!
Educate yourself and your loved ones before it's too late:
http://www.nami.org
How about educating the parents and children with information of whats available for mental health in the community. Most people donot have any idea where to go for good help outside the school. The staff of the average school does not have qualified mental health experts - leave it to the professionals.
Scientology uses tests for recruiting
Very very very trajic, I kind of blame this on the Keeping it Weird Theme of Oregon mostly Portland and donât get me wrong, I am not a toe the line type of guy. BUT I donât put myself out there. For whatever reason if you put yourself out there and you are noticed for being different, be ready for the ridicule. If you donât like the ridicule DONâT put yourself out there.
And that's just like the logic behind the "well, she got raped because she was dressed sexy" excuses
Boy I do sure see your point and that is a dilemma, I think the woman dresses sexy but never with the intent of wanting to be raped (of course). Whereas some of the younger youth dresses different with the intent to be different and that is what aims ridicule in their direction. No pun intended, one does not want it, the other does want itâ¦but the one that does want it cannot handle the attention. Is that clear as mud or what?
Any suicide is sad; when committed by a young person, it's even sadder... Teens tend to focus on "now", rather than on the unseen future... Â and their emotions are like a roller-coaster ride - up one minute, down the next.. Many of them also tend to be overly-dramatic (what, to an adult, is a "slightly" off day seems like the end of the world to a teenager)...it's kind of a black-and-white world... not much in between...Â
I seriously doubt that 9 questions is going to be much of a reliable indicator of anything other than the teen's mood at the particular time that he/she is answering them... and the answers themselves will probably be dramatically affected by everything from the weather and what they had for breakfast, to what they're wearing and/or the current state of affairs with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Â You'll probably also have a certain number of teens who will answer in a way that denies any possible issues, simply because they are very reluctant to interface with adults...
Frankly, since the schools don't even seem to be able to teach the kids basic skills, eg: reading, writing, and basic math, I would question their ability to do even an initial evaluation of a teen's mental health...Â
good luck with that.. I would say 90% are depressed
It's depressing, isn't it.
1. There is a big push to get firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill
2. Depression can be considered a mental illness
3. The more people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness, the fewer people will legally be able to own guns under likely future laws
4. Anyone see a little early pre-planning going on here? Could it go on their permanent records at some point in the future?
@WhenCowsAttack Even better- find candidates for suicide bombings
@WhenCowsAttack You get an A++ in conspiracy theory! Nice job!
@deejm2112 @WhenCowsAttack I do??? YAY!!!
"Even if it only helps one kid, it was worth it,"
There it is right there. The tyranny of the few.Â
How about parents get involved in their kids lives and not leave raising them up to schools? Now the schools/state/government will be able to determine the mental state of your child?
Sad as the story is, and I feel very bad for the family, nothing legitimizes the further intrusion into our lives by bloated overreaching government.
But how many parents would actually realize the signs of depression? The signs of depression may not be obvious, and often times, teens can be pretty good about only showing mom/dad what they want mom/dad to know.
Even the psychobabble crowd with supposed education in this area cannot get it right most of the time. I don't know what the answer is, but parental involvement is one if the gov't would allow it. Kids as young as 14 or less can get medicated without parental approval. laying more on the schools is not the answer. And, no , even if it help one kid it is not worth it to force yourselves into a lot of other lives. How many lives have we sacrificed in the name of freedom in this country? So that is a bulls*** statement and a cop out
@wvboy You'd probably change your tune if it is your kid that's saved.
I appreciated Katu bringing all the recent attention to teenage suicide. Keep it up.
@trololol Yep, it's just like sensationalizing gun deaths. Keep throwing this stuff out there to show everyone how "easy" it all is.
"you are all clinically insane! Trust us we will take care of you"Â (government)
Since when did mental health care become a function of a school district? This is just another example of a government agency usurping the role and responsibility of the breeders that refuse to be parents.Â
@I812Â Intervention programs have always been part of most schools. You may not realize it, maybe you don't have kids or you just didn't pay attention, but why do you think they screen for things throughout early childhood and elementary school? Yeah the screening may stop later on... but it's still part of it.Â
This is no different from a hearing screening. Depression is a serious thing, and a lot of parents may not realize that their child is showing signs, or maybe the child is very good at hiding it. Also, the child spends a big part of their day within the schools, and maybe that's the place where the depression shows.
Thirdly, early intervention saves the community and families a lot of money in the long run. Catching something like this before it leads to attempted suicide or whatever, will save a lot of pain and suffering, along with money in medical care etc.Â
@Kiki It is the parents responbility to provide the necessary care for their children including medical care. It is not society's responsibility to care for the offspring of breeders who cannot o will not be parents. If parents need to be educated on depression, then that should be the focus, not saddling taxpayer with more expense. Remember 47%% of us are paying for the 53%% that don't pay taxes. This is not sustainable.
We also need to educate parents to teach their children to be self-reliant, self disciplined, and resourceful. Our entire society is getting soft because we allow it. We need to stop mollycoddling everybdy. It is a tough, competitive worrld. People need to be prepared for it instead of having someone making excuses for them all the time.
@Kiki So you apparently feel it is okay to reproduce but then abdicate parental responsibility? You apparently feel it is okay for people to reproduce but place the burden on society? And you apparently feel it is okay for people to make bad choices because the responsibility w3ill ultimately fall to society in general?Â
There are several reasons that 47% of Americans are paying for the other 53% who don't contribute and one of the primary rerasons is our society allows it. People who choose to procreate must understand and accept their responsibility. Anyone can make a baby but many do not have the slightest clue about their responsibility, and fewer still are willing to make the necessary effort.
Perhaps you are one of those who are relying on society to shoulder your burdens for you?
@I812Â While I agree that it is the parent's responsibility to provide care, I do feel that sometimes things could be overlooked at home. You realize that in today's society a large majority of households are those of 2 working parents, who may not have as much time as they want with their kids. If you believe this should keep them from procreating, then I'm sorry you feel that way.Â
Furthermore, this is a small questionnaire to look for potential problems, where if something is found they would be referred to a specialist. I don't see this being a huge cost or inconvenience on the school. Is a couple of dollars in tax savings really worth the death or suicides of teens? Yeah maybe the parent's should do a better job of paying attention, but can you really fault a kid for that? They did not choose their parents or their situation.Â
@Kiki @I812 I get what you're saying but NINE questions?
Those types of screening tests usually have hundreds of questions.
Nine questions isn't enough to determine what a teen wants for dinner, let alone if they're seriously depressed or suicidal. Point is, IF they're going to do it- they need to do it right and 9 Q's isn't thorough enough.
The school already feels the need to replace the parent on way too many issues- let me handle my child's mental health.Â
@margay1 @cwpholder I hear ya there!
No wonder the school isn't doing well at teaching the standards, they have their hands in too many other non-school things.
One test, on one day of nine questions.. It's insane to think that's going to be an accurate measure.
The kid might be having a bad day, perhaps didn't get the video game he wanted etc.. Or some kids will lie to not seem depressed.. Others will lie to make it seem they ARE depressed for attention.Â
The parents see the child much more, in a variety of settings and will be much more likely to spot signs of an issue.Â
@cwpholder ~  Yeah, I wondered about that, too... and trying to visualize my response if my son were still of school age (he's in his 40s now)...  I think my reaction would be to tell the school to stick to teaching my son to read, write, do basic math, etc - and stop trying to play shrink...  This sounds more like another "feel good" idea than anything else...Â
@Kiki   Schools...early intervention? Ha Ha Ha. Why don't they intervene when they are notified of a bully?!
@I812 Every school kid OFFICIALY labeled "CRAZY" & "INSANE" gets the school districts DUMP TRUCK LOADS OF EXTRA TAXPAYER CASH..........
I think this is beyond the scope of information the school should be dealing with. Â What are they really going to do with the information? Â What if the parents are also mentally ill somehow? Â I agree, too, that the possibility of labeling a child can be detrimental to the outcome of their success as a person.
As a teen, I had a boyfriend once who was suicidal. Â I told his parents. Â They told me to mind my own business. Â Fortunately he grew out of his depression and is doing ok now (with the help of mental health counselors) but I really wish his parents would have been more supportive.
About the same time I started college. Â One of my classmates told me he was suicidal. Â I went to the administrators. Â He was pulled from class, put on a 72 hr psych hold (so he must have told someone else or admitted to the intake officer that he was suicidal), and never spoke to me again. Â Did I do the right thing? Â I'm not sure. Â But I know it cost him at least a part of his dignity. Â If I'd known him and his family better I might have had a different approach but I was only 18, in a new state, and no idea how to get help outside of the school (in a very small community where everyone knows everyone else -- even the students on campus).
I signed up my now  5th grader for a SUN choir class and all she's learning are sad songs about teenage love and break-ups. One of the songs talks about "not being your ghost anymore...living half a life"...WHat the heck!! My daughter is only 10.5 years old.  Whatever happened to uplifting music or patriotic songs? When I wrote emails to complain and request changes to the repertoire, they replied that the songs didn't have profanity nor obscene language and they deemed them appropriate for 10 y.o girls!!  I'm already homeschooling my 2d grader and I'm keeping fingers crossed that my daughter will want to join us soon. Â
@Baffled ~  Boy, that sounds like a v-e-r-y weird choral class..!  Â
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@TheUglyTruth @BaffledÂ
She has been taught the Pledge of Allegiance, oddly enough.Â
This is the first time I read comments that MAKE PERFECT sense! Â There are still sane people in the world. Such a relief.Â
I also would NOT trust the schools to diagnose my children. Parents need to revisit what kind of media they allow their kids to watch. From music to movies to books, kids are being exposed to very dark themes, and adults don't seem to care. Many of my 4th grade daughter's classmates were reading The Hunger Games with their parents' consent, obviously. I wonder IF they're sitting to talk about the content of the book, to ask how they feel about the storyline, etc. We need to get to know our children better.Â
I would never let some administrator, employed by the government, make a diagnosis on my child. These people can't even do the jobs they have now.
Slowly, without most of the population realizing, our government is taking away the rights of parents.
We need to abolish the federal education department before it's too late...
"We need to abolish the federal education department before it's too late" Once again every one has an answer to the problem but no one seems to have a (REAL) solution. Please tell me you do, and you're not just throwing your meaningless opinion around...no on second don't bother. You are posting on this forum so all you have is an empty opinion...as you were;-)
@owt_raged I can, and will agree, to an extent. The problem is, I grew up in a household where I heard many negative parents from my parents with regards to extended family who were clinically depressed. When i ended up at the school nurse's office (actually, nurse practitioner) my junior year, and she began asking me questions, she mentioned that it sounded like I was dealing with some issues of depression. It's been maybe 15 years since then, and only recently have I really connected the dots to what ultimately left me feeling isolated, and ultimately depressed. I think this may have some strong beneifts, but I don't think the administrator should have any part of it, I think it should be be left to a school nurse
@pdxdSo did she contact your parents, or put you on medication? Place you in a support group, send you off to a mental health specialist for treatment? Or as adults used to do years ago, suggest that you talk to your parents?
I see no mention of parents being brought into this process of treatment or diagnosis. Just "sign here".
When I was in school, I would get sick almost every afternoon. Behind my back the nurse called my parents and said I was on drugs, when in fact I had low blood sugar because I didn't have lunch. Since the nurse was so sure, and my parents had repeatedly confronted me about drugs (which I wasn't doing) no one ever figured out why I got sick except me, years later.
Perhaps, if instead of making a suspect diagnosis, the nurse had said "talk to your parents, I think there's something wrong" it wouldn't have taken until my mid 20's to figure it out. And I wouldn't have been labeled a "bad kid" either.
Schools are NOT some place that medical or life situations should be addressed.@owt_raged I was not put on medication, she didn't place me in a group, she didn't send me off to some mental health specialist, or contact my parents. She simply indicated that there appeared to be some signs. And a couple years later, at age 19, I did speak to counselors at my own free will while in college.Â
They're putting too much on the shoulders of the school. Parents need to step up and do their job.
just another way for schools to try and parent...PARENTS need to STEP UP and parent!!
When the "schools" find that the child is 'depressed", what medication are THEY going to give the child? The medications they give you for depression, can also cause you to commit suicide. WHY are all the parents so eager to turn over their children to the school to care for?? No wonder things are falling apart. Is it too much to ask for that PARENTS DO THE PARENTING? We really are becoming a communist country.
@myopinion240 The schools actually can't give you so much as an aspirin.
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@TheUglyTruth  No doubt! Our public education system is so screwed up - they certainly would not be screening my child. If fact, if I had a school age child now, she would not be in the public schools where they allow bullies to beat up and harass other kids with no conseqence, and where they dumb down the cirriculum so that the lowest common denominator can advance from grade to grade.
@wondering @TheUglyTruth Yeah, I doubt bullying just happens in public schools.Â
@therandomroger   True, but the difference being that in a private school, the teachers and other administrators can and will actually to something about it.
Just what the USA needs...more children LABELED FOR LIFE as INSANE & MEDICATED/GROUP THERAPIEDÂ INTO ZOMBIES!
Only seventh graders are suicidal now? I wonder how many will just lie.
@Jeepers
Those tests ask a lot of obscure questions, I doubt most 7th graders have the critical thinking skills that would be required to fake their way through it, though I guess it is possible.