The APA Alliance’s 1999 National Essay Project to prevent high school violence and suicide has brought national recognition to its sponsor.

Toward the end of July, Rosalind Hayes, chair of public affairs for the APA Alliance (APAA), received a letter from Richard Socandes, special assistant to President Clinton, thanking her for informing his Office of Public Liaison about the essay contest. Then late in August, Hayes received a letter from Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, expressing her appreciation for learning about the winners of the essay contest and also congratulating the winners.

The essay contest was a major component of a project undertaken by the Alliance last year with the theme "When Not to Keep a Secret." The project was established to help ninth and 10th graders learn to break the chain of silence surrounding threatened violent behavior by a fellow student or friend—an action that might keep that young person from killing others or from taking his or her own life. Specifically, students were encouraged to write essays expressing their thoughts and feelings in response to the following queries: "Have you had friends confide in you about thoughts of violence or suicide? What if the secret is dangerous or frightening? Whom do you tell, and when is it okay not to keep a secret?"

Various APAA and APA members sponsored the contest in their states. Close to 1,000 entries were received. National judges included professionals well known for their work on behalf of the mentally ill and/or the health and welfare of children, such as Mike Wallace of television’s "60 Minutes" and the wives of Senator Pete Domenici and Congressman Fred Upton. The three top winners were announced in April, and the grand prize winner and her parents came to Washington, D.C., in May, to be honored at APA’s 1999 annual meeting.

Besides benefiting the students who participated, as well as those young people with whom they have contact, the contest gave psychiatrists more visibility at the community level. For instance, thanks to the contest, the president of one of the APA district branches in New York was invited to develop a program on violence in high schools. And the contest has also brought national recognition to APA.

The APAA’s second national essay contest is now well under way and promises to be even bigger and better than last.

APA members in 25 states and 32 district branches are participating—about double the number from the first contest; the Southern California Psychiatric Society alone will be sponsoring the contest in some 400 high schools. "That represents thousands and thousands of students," commented Hayes. Moreover, the wire services have given it publicity.

Once again the Alliance will line up nationally recognized people to serve as national judges. And after the judging is over and the winners are picked, the APAA will organize a roundtable discussion with all the judges to continue their community-education outreach about preventing suicide and violence among America’s youth. The media will be invited.

The national deadline for the next contest is March 1, 2000. But the Alliance, she said, is "still eager to have psychiatrists who would be interested in fostering this—perhaps as simple as at their neighborhood high school. They don’t have to do the state board of education, they don’t have to do an entire county. . . . I just had a psychiatrist write me last night who wanted to participate. No, it is not too late; it is never too late to come on board."

Psychiatrists can get information about how to participate in the contest from their district branches or by contacting Hayes directly. She can be reached by phone at (818) 790-9515; fax: (818) 790-1930; or e-mail: RHAZE1048@aol.com.