Henry Westray Jr., director of suicide prevention and the Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is a dynamic and passionate man. When you meet him, it quickly becomes clear he cares a great deal about his life’s work.

The effectiveness of the dedication and commitment he shows to youth, everywhere he goes, is starting to be reflected statistically. In a preliminary analysis of data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Westray’s efforts appear to be paying off. The rate of suicide in Maryland’s youth population, defined as ages 15 to 24, decreased from 1989 to 1998 more than in any other state.

According to the CDC, suicide rates, expressed as the rate per 100,000 population, averaged 11.4 in 1997, more than 1.5 times the death rate from homicide. Overall, suicide is the eighth-leading cause of death, but in those aged 15 to 24, it is the third-leading cause of death. More teenagers died by suicide in each of the last seven years than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined.

According to the CDC, the risk for suicide is the greatest among white males aged 15 to 24, and from 1980 through 1995 suicide rates increased most dramatically in black males aged 15 to 24. These are the statistics that scared Westray into action.

Suicide rates in Maryland for the age group of 15 to 24 declined 21.4 percent overall from 1989 to 1998. The suicide rate for Maryland’s youth peaked in 1993 and has steadily fallen since. The decrease from 1993 to 1998 amounts to a 33.3 percent reduction. When broken out by sex and race, the statistics show that the highest risk categories in Maryland mirror the national trend, white males aged 15 to 24 and African-American males aged 15 to 24. Both populations’ rates also peaked in 1993, then steadily declined through 1998. For white males, the rate decreased 27.8 percent from 1993 to 1998. For the African-American male population, the rate dropped an astounding 47.1 percent. These results are in direct contrast to the national rate for the same age group, which increased 11 percent overall; for white males the increase was 19 percent, and for African-American males, an alarming 105 percent. Westray believes the state of Maryland is doing something right. However, Westray told Psychiatric News, "It will never be enough, as long as we still have victims."

Twelve years ago Westray set out to develop a crisis intervention program that would be available at any time, anywhere in the state. He put together a network of six agencies that make up the Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline. The decentralized hotline serves callers from the six sites throughout the state. A caller dials one statewide toll-free number, and the call is routed to the center nearest to the caller. "That way," Westray explained, "we can get early, fast, appropriate response, whether it’s just talking or the person has attempted suicide and needs 911 dispatched immediately."

The hotline includes among its resources outreach agencies, domestic violence centers, county crisis centers, youth counseling centers, and a variety of other resources in each local area. The hotline has been very successful in intervening with those who have attempted suicide, and according to Westray, the community-based network has been an invaluable base for the hotline.

Westray has over the past 12 years developed a large following of committed individuals who work with him to prevent teen suicide. At the top is strong support from the Maryland state government, including the Governor’s Inter-Agency Workgroup on Youth Suicide Prevention, which brings together various state agencies. In addition to Westray’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the workgroup has representatives from the departments of Education, Human Resources and Children’s Services, as well as medical examiners from around the state. They have organized committees that meet monthly. The Conference Committee oversees an annual meeting—now in its 12th year and to be held in October this year; it also organizes Youth Suicide Prevention Month, which Maryland Governor Parris Glendening has proclaimed the month of October. The Public Relations Committee organizes public education activities such as putting the Crisis Hotline phone number on student IDs in schools across the state and organizing activities on college campuses. It is also developing a Web site, <www.crisisline.org>, to add another avenue for providing information to the public. The workgroup has also developed special-interest outreach groups for those with especially high risk for suicide, such as black youth and the gay and lesbian community. It has participated in national teleconferences and produced public service announcements for television and radio.

Westray called the state’s efforts "a major educational campaign." He continued, "You know, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body. You can either use it to build somebody up, or to tear somebody down."

The state of Maryland appears to be making a habit of using the state’s resources and its citizens to build each other up. When the hotline needed a new logo, Westray organized a statewide competition in the school systems. The group chose a simple, yet powerful, hand-drawn image submitted by middle-school student, Tara Finkle. Her winning entry shows two Maryland youths reaching out to each other across the state, using the telephone (see facing page).

Behind Westray’s exuberance is an embarrassed modesty. "If we really have reduced suicide rates more than any other state, the credit should go to our youth, not us. They are valuable assets for our future. All we’re doing is reminding them of that."