MARBLEHEAD — Mitchell Robson found out two years ago that one of the friends he’d made while competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington had committed suicide.
“I waited about a month — after the shock of it wore off — to decide I had to do something about this,” said the St. John’s Prep senior.
Robson, who won the Item regional spelling bee three years in a row — which is how he came to be in Washington — looked around and reached out to Samaritans, a suicide-prevention crisis center in Boston. He spent the summer getting trained, and by the fall of 2018 he was doing one three-hour shift a week taking calls and texts from teens in crisis.
Then, when it came time for Robson to put an Eagle Scout project together, he stuck to the subject that has become close to his heart — preventing teen suicide.
Originally, it was supposed to be a live panel discussion on teen suicide. Now, it will be a webinar, which will be held April 15 between 7 and 8:30 p.m.
He came up with the idea earlier this winter, but by the time he’d formulated his plan, and went to get approved, the COVID-19 crisis was in its early stages.
“I was able to present it to my troop, but then I had to get approval by emailing back and forth. Because of (COVID-19), though, now the project will be totally virtual.
“In a way, that’s almost better,” said Robson. “Originally, it was going to be local. But now, I’ve had people register for it from as far away as California.”
The project got a real shot in the arm earlier this week when Rep. Seth Moulton of the 6th District agreed to give an opening statement.
“He’s done a lot of work on behalf of soldiers who have mental health issues from being in combat,” said Robson. “He’ll talk about that, and about some of the work he’s done.”
Moulton, a U.S. Marine, served four tours of duty in Iraq.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third-leading cause of death of teenagers, and the second-leading cause of death for college students. Among young people, suicide rates increased by 56 percent between 2007 and 2016, after declining from 1999 to 2007.
Also, the CDC says, rates of suicidal thoughts and planning and attempts among young people have all increased significantly, and depression among teenagers ages 14 to 17 climbed by more than 60 percent from 2009 to 2017.
“No group or community is unaffected by mental health challenges, depression and suicide,” Robson said. “While some communities and populations are certainly more vulnerable, these are issues that impact all communities, including Marblehead.”
Between preparing to graduate and wrapping up his Eagle requirements, this has been a busy time for Robson — something that has not been made easier by the uncertainty that hangs over all seniors due to the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s hard not to feel disappointed about (having his senior year truncated by stay-home policies),” he said. “But I think of juniors, and how it sets them back academically. I’ve already been accepted to my colleges, and I’m in the process of deciding.
“But being a senior, especially at a place like this, there are so many traditions we’ll miss. We all want to walk up and get our diplomas. My friend and I are supposed to speak at graduation. These are once-in-a-lifetime things we’re all going to miss.
“But,” he said, “things could be a lot worse.”
Anyone with an email account is invited to view the webinar. It will include a discussion about what teens, parents, and teachers can do for their friends, children, students, and themselves in order to help prevent youth suicide.
Robson will moderate a panel of experts in various fields that involve interaction with youth, including Lieutenant David Ostrovitz of the Marblehead Police Department, Jeremiah Mankin of Samaritans, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, a family physician with Gold Direct Care, and Conor Dowley, the Director of School Counseling at St. John’s Prep.
The panel will also answer questions submitted by the public during the presentation.
Anyone wishing to join the webinar may register for free by going to Zoom.us and entering Webinar ID number: 150-472-932 and password: 364721 or by emailing Robson directly at [email protected].
“I am extremely grateful to this esteemed panel for taking their precious time to participate in this forum,” Robson said.