Middle School- Two Suicides

Middle school faces second student suicide in a week

UPDATED 6:25 PM CST Feb 24, 2015

URBANDALE, Iowa —For the second time in just a week, a student has died by suicide at Urbandale Middle School.

The two students were 12 and 14-year-old girls.
Superintendent Dr. Doug Stillwell told KCCI that in his 35 years in education, he's never dealt with anything like this.
The district is bringing together a crisis team and counselors from other schools. They're also reaching out to community groups who can offer services to students.
Child psychiatrist Dr. Donner Dewdney has dealt with this before and said all parents should keep an eye out for precursors to suicide, like depression.
“If your child's self-esteem is starting to drop, it shows up in a temper outburst. He becomes more irritable [and it] shows up in grades,” Dewdney said.
Dewdney said the best prevention of suicide is to talk to children or teens about it, focusing on its finality and positive alternatives, rather than its drama.
“It sends a message through to other kids who feel like nobody pays attention to them. That this is a neat, new way to get people to think about you as important,” Dewdney said.
Now that the worst has already happened in Urbandale, he said the main point for those close to the girls is to remember that “they're not responsible. That it's not their fault. They're not to blame.”
An Urbandale police investigation found no evidence of bullying in the first student's death, and authorities are continuing to investigate the second death.
Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death for 5 to 14-year-olds and it's much higher for older teenagers.
If you hear someone mention suicidal thoughts, you should always take it seriously and seek professional help.