A Reason To Live: A Film about Depression and Suicide in Young Adults 15-24

Short Synopsis

A Reason To Live is the powerful new documentary about teen and young adult depression and suicide – penetrating personal stories of despair and hope told by the young people themselves and their families. The honesty and openness of the individuals in this film bring us face to face with depression, the mental illness that can result in the third-leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.

Description/Treatment

A Reason To Live is the powerful new documentary about teen and young adult depression and suicide – penetrating personal stories of despair and hope told by the young people themselves and their families. The honesty and openness of the individuals in this film bring us face to face with depression, the mental illness that can result in the third-leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.            

Young adults, who have suffered with depression, honestly and poignantly share their emotional struggles with the depression that led them to attempt suicide. Family members describe their own feelings in supporting a depressed, suicidal child. Their stories illuminate the psychological, biological, social and cultural factors that informed their personal experiences and they speak honestly about their struggle to eliminate the stigma and shame surrounding their depression and suicide.             

Every day, in newspapers across America, we can read about a young person who took his/her own life. Suicide has become so widespread among young people that many of us are intimately connected to these statistics –a member of our family, friends, the neighborhood kid, our child’s classmate. Each year in the U.S., close to two million adolescents will attempt suicide, and almost 700,000 will receive medical attention for their attempt (AACAP, 2001).        

• Annually, over 4000 young people ages l5-24 take their own lives.
• The rate of suicide in this age group has nearly tripled since 1960, making it the third leading cause of death in adolescents and the second leading cause of death among college-age youth.
• More than 3 million young people are at risk for suicide, yet only 36% receive treatment.
• One out of three gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) young adults will attempt suicide.
• Clinicians have determined that 60% of suicides are a result of depression.
• Nearly 50% of 26,000 college students surveyed at the University of Texas at Austin said they had seriously considered suicide but NEVER told ANYONE and NEVER sought HELP.            

Few understand the seriousness of a depression that can lead to this final act. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, experienced depression over a bad day, or a failed grade, or a break-up with someone we loved? But, with time, we got over it. They don’t.

While the young adults interviewed for this documentary will likely continue to struggle with depression, most are learning healthier coping skills to utilize as adults. Today, they work to live with a greater sense of self determination and hope in managing their daily lives. 

“An innovative, provocative approach to teen suicide and the families left behind. Allan and Cynthia Salzman Mondell have captured the essence of teen suicide and mental illness -- anger, fear, desperation, and the unsettling (for us) peace that descends upon them once the final decision is made.  The parents and the surviving teens are extremely brave and forthright in this dramatic and intense documentary about teen suicide and a society that doesn't know how to prevent it…or find a way to plod on with life after a loved one has taken their life.” John Dornheim-NAMI Texas, Green Oaks Behavioral Health Care Services