East Valley, AZ: 7 teen suicides in 6 weeks

Sept 24, 2017, Tempe, AZ, East Valley Tribune: 7 EV teen suicides in 6 weeks alarm schools http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/ev-teen-suicides-in-weeks-alarm-schools/article_5a3bf82a-9fe6-11e7-9e50-7f4f87c5e0ec.html Seven East Valley teenagers committed suicide during a six-week period earlier this summer, creating a disturbing suicide cluster and a grassroots effort to do everything possible to prevent additional deaths. The unusual suicide cluster included six boys and a girl ranging from 13 to 18 years old. Six victims hanged themselves and one death was by shooting. The deaths started on July 24 and ended on Labor Day weekend. … McPherson said she has been monitoring teen suicides for the past year, since a Corona del Sol High School student killed himself. Another committed suicide a year earlier on the school’s grounds. As a result of the cluster, teen suicide – a problem traditionally cloaked in stigma and relegated to the shadows – suddenly emerged as a topic earlier this month when an estimated 350 people packed a room to hear about the psychological issues that motivate youngsters to take their own lives. … An Arizona Department of Health Services report for 2015 recorded 10 suicides by children 14 or younger and 60 by those 15 to 19. The vast majority were white males. …