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| Third Eye Blind and ITM's Andrea team up to help save lives. |
| Description | Transcript | Raw Footage | Order Videotape What Is Depression? | What Is Self-Injury? | How To Help A Friend Quotes from Third Eye Blind | Teens Writing About Depression |
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| Depression: On The Edge
In "On the Edge," the members of Third Eye Blind reveal the meaning behind their hit song "Jumper" and
openly discuss how they individually handle depression. Then, In the Mix meets three teens who are
battling depression, and learns about the painful feelings they experience, plus some tactics that
have helped them win the battle.
In the Mix also visits small town life in Pierre, South Dakota-a city of only 13,000 but a place with
the highest per capita rate of teen suicide in the United States. In the past three years, Pierre has
been bombarded with a series of teen suicides. Why, in such a safe, sheltered community, are teens
taking their own lives? Teens in Pierre talk frankly about living in a small town and speculate on
the reasons for such shocking statistics. [Take our poll on suicide]
Through the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, a grassroots intervention program, teen activists in Pierre use
theater as a method of prevention in their community.
Through tragedy, this one town has pulled together to confront and deal with teen depression and
suicide to prevent more teens from taking their lives. The teens of Pierre also give voice to
universal pressures and issues teen face, which can lead to depression, and offer solutions for
preventing an escalating problem. [How do you feel about depression and suicide?]
"On the Edge" stresses early identification and treatment as your best weapon in the fight against the national epidemic of teen depression and suicide. We also aim to break down the social stigma of depression that leads many teens to deny and hide the problem. By speaking candidly and personally, "On the Edge" shows young people that the sooner they learn the facts, the sooner they can help themselves and their peers. [Great resources] [Get help 24/7] "Depression: On the Edge" is regularly re-broadcast on PBS affiliates across the country. Please check our schedule and station list for airtimes.
Related In the Mix episodes: |
Red Alert: Knowing the difference between the daily turmoil of growing up and the darkness
of diagnosable depression may mean the difference between life and death.
Left untreated, depression can lead to and be the underlying cause of eating disorders,
substance abuse, sleep disorders, headaches, and even result in suicide – which is now
approaching the second leading cause of adolescent death. Did you know that approximately 14
teens die at their own hands daily, adding up to 5,000 reported teen suicides annually? It's
estimated that the correct statistic is actually three to four times that number when unreported
and "suicide equivalent" deaths are added. Between 250,000 and 500,000 teens attempt suicide every year. 
"Depression: On the Edge" is co-hosted by Third Eye Blind and funded by the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting. It addresses teen angst-from normal "blues" to clinical depression to suicide-and
shows how and where you can get help if you need it. 
Dr. Belisa Lazano-Vranich, from the National Mental Health Association, shows us how to identify symptoms of depression in
ourselves and others, outlining the important distinction between natural "blues" and diagnosable
depression. She also clarifies the most common causes of the illness and provides practical,
concrete ways to fight it. 
We then take an intimate look into the life on one Pierre teen who is coping with the loss of
her brother to suicide.
