The city of Palo Alto in Santa Clara County is often touted as the focal point of the Silicon Valley. Having been born here, I grew up experiencing the palpable innovative energy and enthusiasm that defines the region. But amidst the allure of the bright lights of the hi-tech industry, a public health crisis in our public schools has been looming.

No, this is not an outbreak of measles, a new STD, or a deadly virus. This outbreak is teenage suicide. Since the year 2005, the average suicide rate between the two high schools in Palo Alto is 5x higher than the national average. It has killed 20 high school students since 2010 in Santa Clara County annually. These suicides often occur in set clusters where one suicide spurs the onset of multiple suicides immediately after. The most notable cluster occurred in 2010, where 6 students in Palo Alto committed suicide over a 9 month period. According to a 2014 survey in The Atlantic, 12% of Palo Alto students contemplated suicide the past year.

“Since the year 2005, the average suicide rate between the two high schools in Palo Alto is 5x higher than the national average.”

What has spurred this alarming incidence of teen suicides in this community? Students point to the high pressure to succeed that the Silicon Valley culture fuels from an early age. There is a societal expectation that students receive perfect grades, be involved in prestigious activities, and be accepted to the most elite universities. A lot of this pressure has reportedly come from parents as well as peers. After graduating a high school in nearby Mountain View in 2009, I have witnessed and experienced some of these pressures first hand. Competitive chatter about AP classes, GPAs, and who had internships at Google, Apple, or Facebook was constant.

How do we begin to address this crisis? We need to view this as a public health emergency in order to put forth immediate policy initiatives at the local and state level. Firstly, research on this topic is still very limited. This past February 2016, the CDC has begun researching the issue. Preliminary results released over the summer suggest that 46% of the victims had mental health conditions, while 54% were experiencing traumatic crises within the two weeks prior. Some common traits among victims included missing school, experiencing bullying, recent substance use, and identifying as LGBTQ. Research priorities from groups and institutes like the NIH and CDC should continue building upon this formative research in addition to developing and piloting interventions.

“Some common traits among victims included missing school, experiencing bullying, recent substance use, and identifying as LGBTQ.”

Additionally, policy at the state level must allocate funding to better integrate mental health services into the public school system. Evidence suggests that this should begin at an early age so that students will be equipped with psychological tools before the time they begin high school. Counselors should be accessible to all students, especially in times of crises. And various support groups that empower students and de-stigmatize the struggles of mental illness should be made available. Schools like Palo Alto High School have begun to emulate this, but counselors are often overburdened and ill-equipped to address the circumstances. State funding must therefore include training for counselors and teachers.

The role that parents have played and can play must not be overlooked. Schools should find ways to integrate parents into the solution. Educational resources and workshops should be made available by school officials to equip parents with the skills to identify signs of mental health disorders and how to alleviate the emotional stress of school, beginning in very early grade levels. Teachers can find ways to communicate performance to parents in ways that take other factors into account, not just grades. Family should ideally be an additional support system for teenagers throughout their education, and most parents are eager to be a part of the solution to protect their kids.

Overall, these suicides point to an immediate need for mental health interventions. Cities across the country must look to Palo Alto as an example to guide preventative measures and identify early warning signs in their own communities. We have to look at these issues through a public health lens in order to address the complexity and nuances of this epidemiological crisis. As a community, we cannot accept these circumstances as the status quo. Our children’s lives are at stake.