Studying teens at risk

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005 | 7:57 a.m.

Nevada's middle and high school students are less likely than their peers two years ago to use drugs or smoke tobacco, but the severity of suicide attempts has increased sharply, according to a statewide survey.

In Clark County, more than 3,700 students at 51 middle schools and 37 high schools participated in the Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which the state Education Department conducts every other year on a range of health and social issues. Results for the county, which accounts for 70 percent of the students surveyed, are similar to those collected statewide.

Statewide, the percentage of high school students who said they had tried marijuana fell to 39 percent, down 7 percentage points from 2003. Students responding to the confidential survey also reported a slight decline in overall use of illegal drugs, from 16 percent two years ago to 14 percent.

The percentage of students at both the middle school and high school level who reported they had smoked tobacco were 57 percent and 52 percent respectively. Both categories showed declines of more than 5 percentage points.

Among high school students in Clark County, 22 percent said they had engaged in binge drinking, down 4 percentage points from 2003.

The percentage of Nevada high schoolers who said they had felt suicidal dropped 2 percentage points, to 16 percent. But of the nearly 9 percent of high schoolers who said they had attempted suicide, 41 percent required medical treatment, up 8 percentage points from 2003.

Gary Waters, a member of the state's Board of Education, said he found the suicide results deeply troubling. Nevada's depression and suicide statistics at all age levels are among the nation's highest, Waters said.

"Suicide is the third leading cause of death for children ages 12 to 17 (nationally) behind homicide and accidental injury," said Waters, who was in Washington last week for a federal task force on adolescent suicide. "And of the leading causes of death, only suicide is predictable and preventable."

In 2002, the latest year for which statistics are available, Nevada's suicide rate was 19.5 per 100,000 people, ranking fourth among states and close to double the national average, according to the American Association of Suicidology.

Among Nevadans ages 15 to 24, suicide was the second leading cause of death in 2001, the most recent year for which the state Health Division has figures.

Concerned about the deaths, the Nevada Education Department, in conjunction with state health officials, is using a screening program developed by Columbia University to evaluate students for signs of depression and mental illness. Of the thousands of students in Clark County who have been screened, hundreds have been identified and referred to appropriate mental health services, Waters said.

The state Board of Education also established the Center for Health and Learning to coordinate preventative programs and initiatives for Nevada's schoolchildren. The center will oversee a $1.2 million federal grant, announced in September, for suicide prevention.

"What's important is that people realize talking about depression and suicide doesn't cause depression and suicide -- it helps prevent it," Waters said.

While Nevada's depression and suicide statistics were disturbing, Waters said he was delighted that fewer teenagers were smoking. In 2001, one-quarter of Nevada high schoolers said they smoked in the last 30 days. This year, 18 percent reported doing so.

"Kids are starting to see that smoking isn't cool -- it can kill you," said Amber Proctor, a senior at Spring Valley High School and a member of the Clark County Health District's anti-tobacco initiative aimed at teenagers.

The Clark County School Board's 2004 decision to ban smoking on all district property -- by both employees and visitors -- also plays a role, Proctor said.

"Before (the ban) you would see teachers smoking during their breaks or after school," Proctor said. "Teachers are role models, and kids watch what they do."

Survey findings that more middle school students were involved in gang activities may be "a sign of the times," state Superintendent Keith Rheault said.

"We're certainly seeing more problems at middle schools that used to only happen at the high schools. That may say more about us as a society than just something about our schools."

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.