COMMUNITY
A psychiatric nurse practitioner, Born knew Zack was at greater risk because of his father’s death and because men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women. But she never thought she would be the mother burying her child. “The only thing I can come up with is something happened,” Born said. “Somebody said or did something that upset him. I don’t know what that is.” Brianna Reinhold, the clinical director at Northern Lights Therapy on John Wayne Parkway, said a common misconception is that “it’s always the quiet ones or the ones that openly seem depressed.” There can be some signs, but she said it can happen to anyone at any time. “It can happen in wealthy families, poor families. They could have a drug addiction or be completely sober,” Reinhold said. “They can be valedictorian, the star football player or the misfit.” Indeed, in October, a 14-year-old from Florida who had never displayed suicidal ideation was convinced to kill himself by an A.I. chatbot, according to several national news outlets. And here in Maricopa, it even happened to one bright, gifted athlete from a close-knit family with all the resources at hand to keep suicide at bay. “He had all these plans for the future, his whole future. I think sometimes when people think of suicide, they think of someone who might be withdrawn or isolated, but he was very engaged with school, with friends,” said his mother, a 51-year-old Maricopa Unified School District employee who asked not to be identified, citing her role as a high-ranking public official. Her child died by suicide in 2022, and even now recalling the faintest memory feels freshly painful. “I still feel a lot of confusion and disbelief,” she said. “I wish I could say years later it’s better, Several teens enrolled at Maricopa High School spoke with InMaricopa of experiencing suicidal thoughts and even attempting suicide. Ages 14 to 17, their reasons were personal but common. “A bunch of family problems,” a 15-year- old from Glennwilde gave as the reason for considering suicide. “It really messed with me a lot and made me feel stuck.” A 16-year-old Palo Brea student said he distanced himself from friends and family, then but to be honest, it feels the same.” Surviving teens speak out
The quiet kids Sometimes it does happen to the quiet ones; the ones who cannot find the voice to express those personal fears aloud. That was the case for Cameron Spencer, a 33-year-old U.S. Army Reserve veteran who survived a suicide attempt in his Mesa home at age 16. At the time, Spencer described himself as a quiet and reserved teen with few friends. He said he lived with a non-blood relative who psychologically tormented and bullied him in his childhood home for a grueling three years. “He said I was a loser and had no friends and no life,” he said. “Living with him was very different than what I was used to ... growing up.” Spencer said the relative, his brother-in- law, spent three years verbally, physically and psychologically abusing him when they were alone in the home. “It would just go on and on and on with all the verbal abuse pretty much the whole time he lived with us. He would knock on my [locked bedroom] door and try to get to me mentally,” Spencer said. “He had nothing to do and found a way to get off on it.” By age 16, he had had enough of the abuse and attempted suicide. “At the time I just wanted the pain to stop,” he said. “I just wanted the abuse, everything to stop.” Even 17 years later, recalling the emotional turmoil spurred by the abuse, the inability to feel heard by adults in his life and feeling no other way out is still a painful memory at 33. “Even though I didn’t die, I know a part of me did,” Spencer said, amid tears. “I cried and cried for I don’t know how long.” Years later, he used his experience to talk with fellow soldiers who contemplated suicide. While serving in the military police unit, he saw four suicides, three of whom he knew When it’s teenagers, don’t down- play what they’re telling you. If they’re telling you they don’t feel happy, or the world would be better off without them … err on the side of caution instead of taking that chance.” BRIANNA REINHOLD, CLINICAL DIRECTOR, NORTHERN LIGHTS THERAPY
REINDEER DASH
Maricopa High School held its inaugural Mental Health Reindeer Dash Dec. 10 to raise awareness and provide resources for mental health services for students. “About 1 in 5 students struggle with mental health issues,” said Maricopa City Councilwoman Amber Liermann, who was present. “There’s a lot of myths about mental health and a lot of stereotypes, so we want to break some of those down by continuing to talk about it.” The festivities were part of a grant Maricopa Unified School District received from the Arizona Department of Education, Liermann said. She said MHS opted to host events during the fall and spring semesters, which included the Reindeer Dash. “We wanted it to be interactive, to have the kids move around and not just sit and talk about [mental health] or be handed a brochure,” she said. “For the walk, we have little cards so the students can write the name of someone they want to walk for who has struggled with mental health.” Currently, MUSD provides students with access to school counselors and community resources as needed, according to the
Valeria Bejar, a statewide education coordinator for Rural Arizona Engagement, speaks with Maricopa High School students Dec. 10 during the school’s inaugural Mental Health Reindeer Dash.
district spokesperson, Mishell Terry. “MUSD is committed to supporting students’ mental health. Each school has dedicated counselors who provide guidance and immediate support,” Terry said. The district requires middle and high school students to complete a training course to “recognize and respond to signs of suicide risk” in themselves and their peers. Additionally, it provides suicide awareness and prevention resources and training for parents. Students at last month’s event said they weren’t convinced it was enough to move the needle on teen suicide. MHS senior Kayla
really willing to do anything about it. All I see are QR codes, but it didn’t help my friend when he needed the help,” she said. Houston was referring to QR codes found on the back of student ID cards directing them to a crisis line. Isis Anderson, a junior at the high school, agreed with Houston. “I see posters around and we have mental health counselors, but besides that, not really much else,” she said. “I think we could do better for sure.” Houston said she was joining the walk in honor of her friend, Aiden. “I wanted to walk for him because his mental health got the best of him last year,” she said. “Some may think it’s cringey, but it just has so much power behind it, being able to walk for somebody and just feel like you’re able to do something.”
Then-20-year-old Cameron Spencer stands for a photo with his dog in Dilkon, Ariz., in 2011.
The key for families, it seems, is to listen without judgement. “I think nobody really knows who it’s going to happen to because a lot of people aren’t listening to what’s really being said,” Reinhold said. “When it’s teenagers, don’t downplay what they’re telling you. If they’re telling you they don’t feel happy, or the world would be better off without them … err on the side of caution instead of taking that chance.”
“lost four people to suicide, which escalated [my suicidal thoughts] quickly.” For most of the children who were interviewed, talking with supportive friends or finding healthy coping mechanisms helped, but few said they felt they could speak with their families about their demons. “I never did [reach out for support],” said one 14-year-old boy. “I was too scared, and more importantly, it was too hard for me to explain what I was going through at the time.”
Houston was among several students who
said she believed action to address mental health issues was lacking in the city and the high school. “A lot of students have issues, but nobody’s
InMaricopa.com | January 2025
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January 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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