This year, about 2,800 young people will kill themselves, including about 1,600 in the emotionally volatile 15-to-19-year-old age group. Suicidal tendencies are so common that about one in five high school students seriously considers suicide. To reduce the teen suicide rate, mental health experts say it is vital to identify and treat at-risk youngsters. But suicidal youths are difficult to identify. Some experts worry that talking about suicide may actually exacerbate the problem. Others point to studies indicating antidepressant drugs, increasingly prescribed for children, may trigger suicide in certain cases. Meanwhile, limited government funds have been allocated for the problem, few schools have screening or counseling programs and many states lack comprehensive suicide-prevention plans.

David Hosansky is a freelance writer in the Denver area who specializes in environmental issues. He previously was a senior writer at CQ Weekly and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, where he was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.