A Survivor Tells His Story

When Brighton resident Jeff Edwards saw Farmington Hills city council member Nancy Bates on television talking about a rash of suicide threats and attempts among young people in Farmington Hills, he wasted no time getting in touch with her.

Edwards' passion for suicide prevention emerged after his 12-year-old son Chase killed himself in 2003. In hindsight, he realized all the symptoms of depression were present in his son.

Edwards said he not only didn't know the warning signs of depression and suicide, "what's worse, I didn't know I didn't know."

To help break the uncomfortable silence around the subject, he has developed an awareness program for schools, which he previewed Thursday night for the Hills suicide prevention task force. The program has drawn positive reviews from students and school officials who have seen it.

"I don't dwell on the gory details of my son's suicide," Edwards said. "I don't shock and awe. It freaks the kids out ... to the point where they miss all the important information that's being conveyed."

He hoped the preview would give task force members a "virtual magic lasik surgery, so your eyes are opened ... and you will be more knowledgeable."

Through visual challenges, Edwards encourages kids to look at things just a little differently, to find a way out of the pain they may be in.

"The game-changer here is when ... you're thinking outside the box," he said. "Your job is not to solve the problem. Your job is to find someone to help you solve the problem."

Edwards tells kids, "Never, never, never give up. You are more loved than you could ever imagine, and you are more valuable than you could ever imagine."

He also encourages them to look beyond the stereotypes and stigmas of suicide and mental illness, by showing them pictures of a happy, smiling, carefree young boy – his son.

"He doesn't look like a kid who would take his own life," Edwards said. Then he tells students, "When you look at me, I'm a dad with a broken heart. I'm a dad with a Chase-sized hole inside of me ... Do I look like the parent of a suicide victim?"

Students are given a long list of the "ingredients" that go into depression – symptoms like difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, headaches or stomachaches, extreme withdrawal from family and friends, loss of interest in activities. He tells them they have a real chance to make difference in the world, by speaking up when a friend talks about suicide.

Edwards urges students to look at depression and suicide as they would any other life-threatening illness.

"My son was sick, he was undiagnosed, he was untreated and unfortunately, he died as a result of it," he said.

Edwards also aimed to dispel a myth about suicide that Hills task force members have discussed: contagion. He said only a very small percentage of suicides have resulted from the influence of other suicides. Hills council member Randy Bruce, a task force member, said his research into various medical journals showed community-based intervention programs are "very effective."

"We have to teach parents that every child is at risk, no matter what," he said. "It's imperative to reach parents."

After Edwards' presentation, the approximately 20 task force members broke up into work groups. The group will meet again on April 28, 7 p.m., at 's community room. The public is welcome to attend.

Edwards and his wife, Laura, secured passage in 2006 of "Chase Edwards' Law," which encourages school districts to provide age-appropriate education for all students and professional development for faculty and staff about warning signs and risk factors for suicide and depression. To learn more, visit their website.

Editor's note: This article is part of an occasional series about recent efforts by police, city and school district officials and concerned residents to help teens and adults affected by depression.