REACHING OUT TO TROUBLED TEENS BURBANK SCHOOLS TO LAUNCH ANTI-SUICIDE PROGRAM.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - A 17-year-old Saugus boy placed a plastic bag over his head and suffocated himself in his bedroom last month, becoming one of 12 American young people who commit suicide each day, officials said.

But long before teen-agers end their lives, authorities said, warning signs appear - teens may cut themselves, threaten suicide, act depressed or withdraw from loved ones. Unfortunately, in many cases, these red flags of self-destruction go unheeded.

Alarmed by the rising rate of teen suicides - as well as her daughter's stories of suicidal schoolmates - Santa Clarita youth activist Barbara Oliver has launched a program in Santa Clarita high schools designed to help disturbed teens get help quickly.

She is creating another chapter of the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program in the Burbank School District this spring and said she would eventually like to expand the program throughout Los Angeles County.

``Teen-agers don't commit suicide because they want to die. They commit suicide because they're in pain and don't know what to do,'' she said. ``The hardest thing for them to do is ask for help, and this program provides them with a nonverbal way to do that.''

During her school presentations, Oliver gives students Yellow Ribbon cards that read, ``This is a cry for help.'' The cards can be turned into a school counselor or any mental health professional.

``The message of the program is `It's OK to ask for help,''' she said. ``Some teens have come forward to say they are being abused or molested at home, or they have a friend who's thinking about killing himself. We plant the seed and lives are saved.''

About 70 Santa Clarita teens have signed up as program volunteers, Oliver said, and she is scheduling meetings with Burbank High School students next month.

Like Santa Clarita, Burbank is a peaceful, middle-class community filled with troubled teens.

``The teen years are a very emotional time,'' said Burbank Police Officer Phil Whitehair, adding he frequently deals with suicidal or self-destructive teens. ``And sometimes they think there's no way out from their problems.''

The key to dealing with suicidal people of any age is to speak calmly to them and get help as quickly as possible, he said.

For example, during the evening rush hour of March 20, Whitehair said he encountered a suicidal man ready to jump from the Magnolia Boulevard overpass of the Golden State Freeway.

``He said he had no friends, no family, no job,'' Whitehair said. ``I talked to him calmly and help got there in about five minutes. Maybe he wanted someone to stop and help him.''

The man's posture and blank gaze alerted Whitehair that something was amiss.

``After 25 years on the street, you develop a kind of gut instinct about those things,'' he said.

School officials say they too rely upon gut instinct when dealing with teens in crisis.

``Suicide prevention has an educational aspect to it that goes along with school violence and safety issues,'' said Paul Vinetz, a juvenile probation officer who works with the Burbank Outreach Center, a referral service for students and parents. ``We need increased awareness among teachers, counselors and administrators that they need to pay attention to the warning signs.''

Oliver said she initially dismissed her 16-year-old daughter's stories of suicidal schoolmates as ``high school dramatics'' but has since gotten out of her ``blissful ignorance.''

``The statistics are astounding,'' she said. ``In the West, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 25.''

Oliver's daughter, Tiffany, said parents often take a hands-off approach when their children reach the teen years, though that is precisely when kids need their parents' support.

``I had a girlfriend who was carving on her arms and talking about killing herself, but her mom didn't really know what was going on,'' Tiffany said. ``My friends and I talked about it and finally called her mom and told her she needed help.''

Tiffany said most teens she knows at Valencia High School are depressed.

``Oh my gosh, there are so many issues - parents, grades, relationships, social aspects,'' she said. ``So many people are afraid socially, or they're afraid they're not popular enough. But if you don't talk about the pain, it gets to you.''

The Santa Clarita chapter of the Yellow Ribbon Program will hold its first teen volunteer meeting at the Valencia Towne Center community room at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The volunteers will look for ways to connect with other teens, come up with outreach programs to get teens involved with helping other people, and bring the Yellow Ribbon Program to area junior high schools, Oliver said.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, chart

Photo:

(1 -- ran in Valley edition only) Burbank police Officer Phil Whitehair talked a man out of jumping from this Magnolia Avenue bridge over Interstate 5.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Barbara Oliver has launched a program in Santa Clarita high schools designed to help troubled teen-agers get help quickly.

(3 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) A yellow ribbon pin worn by Barbara Oliver signifies she is there to help suicidal teens.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer

Chart: SUICIDES

Teen suicides in Santa Clarita and Burbank have prompted a local mother to create a program to identify and help troubled youths.

SOURCE: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Santa Clarita Station, Burbank Police Dept.