Mental

POP QUIZ --

TOP THREE WAYS TEENS TRY TO KILL THEMSELVES.

WHAT AGES? 15 TO 19.

ALL ATTEMPTS, OR SUCCESSFUL ONLY?

ALL.

MALES OR FEMALES? GIRLS.

POISON -- USUALLY PILLS --

CUTTING,

SUFFOCATION -- USUALLY HANGING.

BOYS? FIREARMS, JUMPING, HANGING.

GIRLS THINK ABOUT SUICIDE TWICE AS OFTEN.

BOYS ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED.

GIRLS ROMANTICIZE.

THEY IMAGINE WHAT THEY'LL LOOK LIKE AFTERWARD.

THAT'S WHY GUNS ARE RARE.

BOYS ARE... ACHIEVERS?

YEAH.

THAN GIRLS AT SOMETHING.TER

COME ON, HEATHER. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

I HAVE HOMEWORK.

WHEN'S YOUR DAD GETTING HOME?

WHY? YOU SAID WE COULD.

I KNOW WHAT I SAID. SOON, OKAY?

YOU'VE BEEN TELLING ME THAT FOR MONTHS.

STOP. STOP IT.

WHEN?

WHEN I DON'T HAVE HOMEWORK.

OTHER METHODS, GIRLS IN PARTICULAR.

IN VERY SMALL PERCENTAGES, TRANSPORTATION-RELATED --

RUNNING INTO TRAFFIC, DRIVING OFF THE ROAD.

THELMA AND LOUISE.

THELMA AND LOUISE.

AND DROWNING, THOUGH THAT'S PRETTY RARE.

WHAT ABOUT BURNING --

SELF-IMMOLATION?

NO WAY, NOT ON PURPOSE --

TOO PAINFUL, TOO DESTRUCTIVE,

TOO HORRIBLE TO CONTEMPLATE.

THAT'S THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM.

HEATHER.

AAH! AAH!

AAH! AAH!

HEATHER!

[ SIREN WAILS, INDISTINCT TALKING ]

Man: EASY. GOT HER?

SO, WHY WOULD A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL

DELIBERATELY SET HERSELF ON FIRE?

Woman on P.A.:MR. HARRIS, ;PLEASE REPORT TO BIOFEEDBACK.

MR. HARRIS, ;PLEASE REPORT TO BIOFEEDBACK.

I TRIED TO PUT IT OUT BUT HIT THE CURTAINS.

I CALLED 911. IS SHE GONNA BE OKAY?

WELL, LUCKILY, YOU GOT TO HER BEFORE SHE WAS SERIOUSLY BURNED.

BUT, MATT, HAVE YOU ANY IDEA

WHY HEATHER MIGHT HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

HAS SHE BEEN DEPRESSED

OR UNUSUALLY QUIET, MOODY, ACTING STRANGELY?

NO, SHE'S FINE. SHE'S OKAY.

I MEAN, SHE'S -- SHE'S REALLY HAPPY.

I WOULD KNOW.

Veronica: DOES SHE DRINK OR USE DRUGS

OR ANY SUBSTANCES THAT MIGHT AFFECT HER BEHAVIOR?

NO, I'VE NEVER EVEN SEEN HER DRINK AN ENERGY DRINK.

HEATHER IS STATE HIGH-SCHOOL CHAMPION IN THE 800 METER.

SHE'S THE HEALTHIEST GIRL I KNOW.

WELL, SOME GIRLS HEATHER'S AGE,

EVEN THOUGH THEY APPEAR WELL-ADJUSTED ON THE SURFACE,

HAVE THINGS THAT THEY DO IN PRIVATE, LIKE CUTTING, PURGING.

Nurse: OKAY?

NOT HEATHER.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU TWO BEEN TOGETHER?

WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE GRADE SCHOOL.

MM-HMM.

WE'VE BEEN DATING FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS.

OKAY, YOU SAY THAT HEATHER DOESN'T DRINK,

BUT YOU FOUND HER WITH A BOTTLE.

IS IT POSSIBLE ALCOHOL --

SHE WASN'T DRINKING, OKAY?

SHE WAS TRYING TO KILL HERSELF.

YEAH.

 DR. SIEGEL  TO THE PHARMACY.

HEATHER, I'M DR. GALLAGHER.

I KNOW YOU'RE IN PAIN, SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE THIS QUICK.

HEATHER, DO YOU FEEL LIKE TALKING?

DO YOU WANT TO TELL US WHAT HAPPENED?

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

I WAS HAVING A DRINK AND LIGHTING A CIGARETTE,

AND THE BED CAUGHT ON FIRE.

I'M REALLY SORRY. CAN I GO HOME NOW?

GARY MASTERS WILL BE HERE IN A FEW MINUTES.

I TOLD ADMITTING TO PAGE YOU WHEN HE GOT HERE.

OKAY, THANKS.

WHAT'S HE BEEN TOLD?

UH, THAT A FIRE STARTED IN HIS DAUGHTER'S ROOM.

SHE WAS SLIGHTLY BURNED, BUT SHE'S STABLE.

RIGHT.

ARE ANY OF THOSE BECKY?

NO SUCH LUCK.

WHO TOOK THOSE PICTURES?

THAT PRIVATE EYE I HIRED.

ANY PROGRESS?

NO.

I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

DOCTOR?

HEY, DOCTOR, AM I GONNA SEE YOU LATER?

I JUST HAD A CASE COME IN. CAN I CALL YOU?

NOT TOO LATE. I'VE GOT SURGERY IN THE MORNING.

SURE.

BYE.

MR. MASTERS?

YEAH.

DR. JACK GALLAGHER.

IS HEATHER OKAY?

YEAH. SHE HAS A FEW MINOR BURNS.

THEY'RE A LITTLE PAINFUL, BUT SHE'S GONNA BE OKAY.

CAN I SEE HER?

OF COURSE. FOLLOW ME.

DAD.

IT -- IT'S OKAY, HONEY.

THEY SAID YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY.

I'M SO SORRY.

DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT IT.

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS NOW IS FOR YOU TO GET BETTER.

OKAY? OKAY.

DADDY'S HERE. IT'S OKAY.

IT'S OKAY.

Jack: GARY, I'M JUST GONNA SPIT THIS OUT.

WE BELIEVE THAT HEATHER, UH --

SHE DELIBERATELY TRIED TO SET HERSELF ON FIRE.

HAS ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER HAPPENED BEFORE?

NO. NO!

S-SHE'S POPULAR, BEAUTIFUL.

ALL THE MAJOR COLLEGES ARE ALREADY COMING AFTER HER.

SHE'LL GET A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO ANY ONE OF THEM.

SHE HAS HER BOYFRIEND, GOOD GRADES.

WHAT?

HER MOM --

MY WIFE COMMITTED SUICIDE WHEN HEATHER WAS 10.

WE -- WELL, WE SORT OF FELL APART AFTER IT HAPPENED,

BUT THEN THINGS...EVENTUALLY GOT BACK TO NORMAL.

HEATHER AND I BECAME CLOSER THAN WE EVER WERE BEFORE.

CAN'T BE EASY RAISING A -- RAISING A GIRL ON YOUR OWN.

BUT IT WAS.

RIGHT OFF THE BAT, SHE WAS INTO SPORTS.

EVERY WEEKEND, WE'D SPEND IT ON THE FIELD --

HEATHER ON THE TRACK, ME WITH THE STOPWATCH.

S-SHE REALLY GOT THE GOODS.

WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY SOMETHING?

WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME?

WELL, SHE'S A TEENAGER, GARY.

THIS IS MY FAULT.

HER LAST MEET, I PUSHED HER TOO HARD.

I HAD HER TRAINING TWICE A DAY,

A 40/20/20 PROTEIN-TO-CARB DIET.

LOOK, YOU KNOW WHAT -- I'LL BRING HER HOME,

TAKE IT EASY, SCALE BACK THE TRAINING.

WELL...

IT'S NOT QUITE THAT SIMPLE.

WHENEVER SOMEBODY TRIES TO COMMIT SUICIDE,

WE'RE -- WE'RE COMPELLED BY LAW

TO KEEP THEM HERE ON A 72-HOUR HOLD.

BUT IT WON'T EVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

I'M TELLING YOU, IT WAS JUST THE PRESSURE.

MAYBE.

CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE IN HER LIFE

THAT MIGHT BE TROUBLING HER?

NO.

TRACK IS HER LIFE.

Jack: SHE'S INSISTING IT WASN'T A SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

WHAT'S HER FATHER DO?

HE'S AN AUTO MECHANIC.

AND HE'S HER COACH, HER TRAINER.

IS THIS EVERYTHING

THE PARAMEDICS FOUND IN HER ROOM? Veronica: YEAH.

LISTEN, IF HE'S HER TRAINER, MAYBE HE'S PUSHING HER TOO HARD.

MAYBE SHE'S CRACKING UNDER THE PRESSURE OF COMPETITION.

I'VE GOT A FEELING SHE MIGHT BE IN THE CLOSET. WHY, 'CAUSE SHE'S AN ATHLETE?

SHE'S GOT A PRETTY HOT BOYFRIEND.

YOU EVER SEEN THOSE? NO.

HAVING A BOYFRIEND DOESN'T MAKE YOU STRAIGHT.

I'VE HAD BOYFRIENDS.

MY GAYDAR IS NEVER WRONG -- ALMOST NEVER.

SEEN THOSE?

NO.

BESIDES, GAY TEENAGERS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY

TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE AS STRAIGHT ONES.

SHE TRIED TO SET HERSELF ON FIRE.

IT'S NOT THE DEATH OF CHOICE FOR A TEENAGE GIRL OF ANY PERSUASION.

SHE'S AN ATHLETE. HOW ABOUT THIS?

ABUSE OF ANABOLIC STEROIDS CAN LEAD TO PSYCHOSIS.

MAYBE SHE'S ON DIET PILLS.

SHE COULD HAVE AN EATING DISORDER.

MAYBE SHE'S PREGNANT.

WELL, LET'S GET HER BLOOD WORK DONE,

CHECK THOSE HORMONE LEVELS.

LET'S GET THESE ANALYZED.

THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.

DO YOU EVER TAKE A REST?

I'M FINE.

YOU'RE THE MAIN DOCTOR, RIGHT --

THE ONE WHO TOLD MY DAD I CAN'T LEAVE?