Parents Learn How to ‘Save Our Youth’

About 15 parents and community members gathered in ’s auditorium Wednesday night to learn about depression and substance abuse in young people.

The event, “,” was held as part of a grant the county received to work to prevent teen suicide, depression and substance abuse. It’s the first time such an event was held at the school and included breakout sessions addressing suicide prevention, drug and alcohol abuse and crime safety as well as a resource fair.

“I hope that parents and the school work together to build resiliency in students,” said Heather Gallagher, North County school psychologist. “These are very difficult topics to have conversations about, but I think it’s essential parents, staff and the community begin discussing these issues that are very pertinent to teenage life.”

The program included information on the county’s QPR initiative, which aims to train those in the community to question, persuade and refer anyone who might be suicidal to someone who can help them.

QPR trains teachers and community members to prevent suicide, said Nancy Davidson, school psychologist at North County.

“Just by asking a question … it opens a door for that person to talk about their problems and it doesn’t increase the risk [of suicide],” Davidson said of the myth that asking someone if they’re contemplating suicide increases the chances that person will try to hurt himself.

Davidson also listed some behavioral, situational and verbal cues that parents should pay attention to, such as a sudden interest or disinterest in religion, a recent unwanted move or saying things such as “you won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

And parents who attended said they learned a lot from the forum.

“It was very helpful,” sad Linda Ferrier of Severn who has a son in 10th grade at North County who has had issues with depression.

Ferrier said she’s heard her son say some of the verbal cues that Davidson mentioned but had not questioned him about it out fear that it would push him toward harming himself.

“Now I know what to do,” she said, adding that she hopes to be able to attend similar forums in the future. “Every time I come to an event like this I learn something new or get more information.”

Jean McCracken, substance abuse resource specialist for county schools, shared information with parents about the dangers of drug and alcohol use among young people and how, when coupled with depression, it can lead to suicide.

“The younger you start using any drug on a consistent basis, the [more likely] you are to have a dependency on it and become suicidal,” she said.

McCracken shared some of the slang terms that young people use when referring to drugs and urged parents to ask questions when they hear or see them being used by their children.

That list of slang words included terms such as “blunt” (a hollowed-out cigar filled that’s with marijuana), "rolling on X" (using ecstasy) or "triple Cs" (coricidin HPB cough and cold medicine)—terms that Karen Osburn of Glen Burnie said she had never heard before. She has two children, ages 12 and 6, who will eventually attend North County.

She said simply learning those terms made attending the forum worthwhile.

“If I hear such a thing, now I’ll know what it means,” she said.