Palo Alto students tackle teen suicide and mental health in documentary 'Unmasked'

Aug. 28--PALO ALTO -- It was during first period on March 9 when Andrew Baer learned that yet another classmate had killed himself on the Caltrain tracks near Palo Alto High School.

Qingyao "Byron" Zhu was the third of four teens who died by suicide on the tracks last school year, and Paly teachers that day gave students time in class to talk or write about their grief. One teacher read a poem.

By lunchtime, Andrew knew he needed to do more.

"The day of Byron's death we were in mourning, but we also saw it as a sign that we needed to start making the documentary as soon as possible," Andrew, 16, said.

Andrew called his parents and asked them to drop off camera equipment at the school and sent a text message to his friend, Christian Leong.

The two had talked about doing a documentary on teen suicide and mental health and decided to spend seventh period filming what would be called "Unmasked."

Just as Byron's death spurred them to raise awareness of mental health issues, co-directors Andrew and Christian hope the documentary will be a catalyst for more dialogue and action in the community.

"If you look for it, there are a lot of people willing to talk about this problem and willing to help someone through their problems," Andrew said. "Let's get past the stigma and take time to listen."

Produced by a group of 11 students from Palo Alto and Gunn high schools called DocX, the documentary aims to convey a message of hope for those who suffer from depression or lost someone to suicide.

"The problems of mental health and the stigma that surrounds it are common in Palo Alto but we know the documentary will also resonate with students elsewhere," Christian said.

Shift in community

Kathleen Blanchard, a member of a group of moms who lost children to suicide, said the documentary gives the community yet another entry point to discuss a difficult topic.

"Nothing is going to bring my son back but this documentary and the conversations that come from watching this documentary might save someone else's son or daughter," she said.

Blanchard's son, Jean-Paul Blanchard, known as "JP," died in 2009 by suicide on the tracks.

"I've come to believe that a person in distress might be unable to help themselves and need help from others," Blanchard said.

She said a person suffering from depression is like a person drowning at sea who does not know how to swim and is unable to help himself or herself.

"When you're depressed and anxious, you might not know it, especially if you're dealing with it for the first time or haven't been diagnosed with an illness," Blanchard said. "So everywhere we go -- the market, school, anywhere we're out and about -- is an opportunity for us to notice and connect and help someone who needs it."

"Unmasked" is another positive sign that there is a shift in community attitude toward mental health because the film does not point fingers at any one cause and instead includes a variety of perspectives, Blanchard said.

Jess Brooks, a 2009 Paly graduate who now lives in Chicago, was in Palo Alto for the documentary's advanced screening this month.

Brooks, who was featured in the documentary, said there is a palpable difference in the community's approach to addressing teen suicide now than after the suicide cluster of a few years ago.

"The community in 2009 felt like it was still in a place of trauma and people wanted to blame and be angry," Brooks said. "We were scared and sad and not ready to talk about it."

"And by being part of any discussions then you were almost implicated in the person's death," Brooks added. "Now it's OK to recognize that we're all part of a community that created a problem."

Brooks and her friends concluded from their feelings of depression and anxiety that "this is not other people. This is us. This is everyone."

As part of a community effort to approach mental health in different ways, Brooks led a group discussion about what success means in Palo Alto before the advanced screening.

"There are ways that Palo Alto limits your sense of identity," Brooks said. "Since I've left Palo Alto, the thing that has resonated with me is that elsewhere we emphasize and celebrate the whole person, not just when they're getting A's in school. You don't necessarily have to accomplish something to be celebrated."

Growing up in Silicon Valley, Brooks felt constricted to a timeline and was constantly moving from one milestone to the next.

"Every moment is either about a success or failure," Brooks said. "That's an extraordinarily anxious way to live a life."

Brooks said her family has always been supportive, but she was 20 years old and at Princeton before she realized her parents never talked about failing at anything.

Brooks' parents came to the screening; she hopes other families also will attend together.

Courageous effort

Both Blanchard and Brooks described the DocX team as a courageous group who tackled a difficult and complex topic without simplifying it.

DocX team members have said they don't want their film to glorify suicide and carefully followed the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's media guidelines on covering suicide.

Besides the co-directors, the DocX team is made up of fellow Palo Alto High students Josh Yuen, Joseph Kao, Zack Gibson, Leslie Garcia, Natalie Snyder and Stas Ilyasov and of Gunn High students Yui Sasajima, Lydia Sun and Tanner Kerrins.

The 35-minute documentary features an unidentified teen meant to represent the emotions and thoughts of someone grieving the loss of a friend who died by suicide.

The documentary includes interviews with students, teachers, counselors and community members, including Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Glenn "Max" McGee and Menlo Park Presbyterian Church student ministry pastor Chris Sturgeon.

To give another layer to the documentary, DocX surveyed about 200 students from Paly and Gunn on their leading sources of stress.

A public screening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.Sept. 12 in the Palo Alto Children's Theatre at the Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road. To watch the trailer or for more details, visit www.facebook.com/docxfilms or www.docxproductions.com.

Email Jacqueline Lee at jlee1@dailynewsgroup.com or call her at 650-391-1334; follow her at twitter.com/jleenews.

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