Andrew E. Slaby and Lili Frank Garfinkel

About the author: Andrew E. Slaby is a psychiatrist in New York specializing in depression and crisis intervention. Lili Frank Garfinkel is a freelance writer. They are the authors of No One Saw My Pain: Why Teens Kill Themselves.

Approximately 10 percent of high school students suffer from depression and an unknown number are never even diagnosed. For many of these teens, the mental pain of depression is so overwhelming that they believe the only way they can end their anguish is to commit suicide. Although depression is recognized, understood, and treated more than ever before, family, friends, and health care professionals frequently overlook or downplay clues that a depressed teen is considering suicide. With proper intervention and treatment, however, many depressed teens can overcome their suicidal tendencies.

The current statistics on youth suicide...