Youth suicides increasing, Oklahoma family pushes for better data tracking and training
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — The number of children dying by suicide has increased over the last three years, but in Oklahoma, those numbers of deaths and attempts might be worse than initially thought. Fox 25 investigates one tracking system and looks into why one family is pushing for change.
The loss of a child
The Silagyi family lost their son Nate to suicide. He was a young teen, and the family will forever grieve his loss.
"He was the kindest kiddos. He was one of those kids you hope your child turns out to be... and he was so funny-- oh my gosh, so funny. He had the best dry wit," says Melissa Silagyi, Nate's mother.
The pain and loss of a death by suicide leaves its mark on those left behind. For a time, the Silagyi's feared they would lose their eldest child when he longed to be reunited with his brother and best friend. Life is now about finding a new normal and finding ways to heal while still honoring Nate's life.
"We are very direct and we talk about our feelings a lot, especially how much we miss Nate," says Melissa.
Nate was an Edmond North High School student when he died 2.5 years ago. Based on court records, Nate had written an essay indicating he may have been suicidal, and the family says the district did not warn them appropriately.
Today, the family want to see more done at the state and federal level to better prevent youth suicides.
"Our hope is that parents would be aware, schools would want to have a heart to help kids. It doesn't matter if it is a little sign or wrong-- always err on safety," says Dez Silagyi, Nate's father.
Tracking attempts and completed suicides
The Oklahoma State Department of Education says districts are required to report certain incidents of violence, but through on an open records request by Fox 25 we learned that though attempted and completed suicides are on the Incident Report List, they are not a required part of reporting.
"That is up to the district of what is being included in that report. There are a number of reasons why that data wouldn't be in, and we completely trust our school districts to determine what are the parameters-- what information does need to be input into this report," says Elizabeth Suddath, Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Student Support.
Suddath goes on to say that the department does not provide any guidance on how suicide reporting should be done by the schools should they choose to do it at all. However, she adds that the state does use the data to see how they can better support staff and students.
Mental health crisis
A school counselor at Edmond Santa Fe High School tells Fox 25 that she has noted an increase in the number of students needing more support and that the school does have a suicide prevention policy.
"We are blessed in our school that every teacher/faculty member is trained in suicide awareness; that they know the signs to look for, and so we have lots of eyes on these students," says Erin Bickle, Academic Counselor, Edmond Santa Fe High School.
Bickle says there are programs implemented throughout the district, and that they have existed in some form for at least the last 23 years. It should be noted that Melissa Silagyi says she was a middle school teacher for Edmond Public Schools and she tells Fox 25 she did not experience the level of training described. However, Melissa says she was a sixth-grade teacher and Bickle tells Fox 25 the training on suicide prevention for educators and students starts in 7th grade.
The Silagyi family says they consider the current start of training in Edmond Public Schools too late and say that collecting incomplete data means the state and districts are not doing enough to protect students.
"If you are not willing to look at it, then you are basically saying it is not a problem-- we don't want to address it. It is pretending it doesn't exist, but it really does," says Dez.
The family says its goal is to continue to fight for improved suicide prevention measures in school systems and to bring the conversation around deaths by suicide into the light.
"We found out really quickly that the way to change things is through policy. I think we both have been trying to make meaning of his death through advocacy," says Melissa.
Available data
The only tracking system Fox 25 found on suicides in the Oklahoma Violent Death Reporting System. Data is collected from death certificates, medical examiner reports, and law enforcement records. That data is used to put together reports on suicides by the Oklahoma Department of Health.
If you or a loved one is struggling you can contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. That number is 1-800-273-TALK.
You can also chat online on the Suicide Prevention LifeLine website.
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