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Teen's suicide mystifies everyone Girl's is the fourth in as many months in Jackson County By JONEL ALECCIA Tabitha Foley marked her 18th birthday Friday exactly the way she had planned. She went out with friends, her father said. She took in a movie. She talked and she laughed. Then the South Medford High School senior went inside, arranged notes to family and friends and committed suicide in the garage of her Central Point home. "I'm going to hang myself tonight," read the last line of the journal her father found. "I'm not giving up. I'm just going to let the world pass me by." The death of the vivacious, red-haired girl has stunned family, friends and school personnel, who said Foley offered no hint of trouble beneath her bright smile. "She was a happy, happy kid," said David Foley, who will hold a memorial service for his daughter today. "This came as a real, real shock," said Kathy Offutt, a counselor close to the girl. "She got her ducks all in a row, but the whole time she kept up this shining facade." Foley's death is shocking for more public reasons as well. The girl was the fourth Jackson County teenager to commit suicide in as many months, according to county death certificate review. "It's four since December," said Hank Collins, county director of Health and Human Services. "There have been many years go by when there hasn't been one, so when you have a rash like this, we are concerned." In the four years between 1994 and 1998, Jackson County recorded 14 suicides among people ages 10 to 24, said Ron Bloodworth, youth suicide prevention coordinator for the Oregon Health Division. From 1991 to 1995, only two Jackson County teenagers committed suicide. For all of Oregon during that time, the number was 194. "You've already exceeded the average," Bloodworth said. "I think that's very alarming." Even more alarming, the reason for the spike in local teen suicides is unclear. The deaths occurred throughout the county and are apparently unrelated. And the young people who died were not among the 500 local kids treated for suicidal tendencies each year, said Fran Curtis, director of county mental health services. "None of the suicides has been kids involved with mental health services," she said. "They're the ones that are out of our reach." That leaves the burden of detecting and preventing suicide with the community surrounding teens -- friends, family, school and others. And it means that more people need to become more sensitive to the possibility of suicidal tendencies, Curtis said. It's a possibility that's greater than ever, according to a 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the state Human Services Department. Since the 1930s, suicide among Oregon teenagers is estimated to have increased five-fold. Statistics show that in 1997, some 35,000 Oregon high school students -- about 22 percent -- considered suicide during the year preceding the survey. Another 13,000 -- or 9 percent -- attempted suicide, and between 2,000 and 3,000 -- 2 percent -- were treated for their attempts. Most young people who commit suicide reach out for help, even unconsciously, Curtis said. "The numbers show that about two-thirds of people who complete suicide have left a clue," said Curtis. "There's the part of them that says there's no hope and then there's another part that wants to survive." In Tabitha Foley's case, the clues were difficult to detect, those close to her said. She seemed to adjust well to family difficulties, including divorce and several moves, her father said. She often was a source of solace to her friends. "Tabitha was a really good listener," her father said. "She carried other people's burdens." She got good grades -- A's and B's -- and threw herself into school activities, including tennis and basketball. She worked in the South High counseling office, where staff said she was meticulous about her appearance and loved to write poetry. "She was just trying to be the best girl, the best girl possible," said Jani Hale, assistant principal at South Medford High School. The first part of this school year was difficult, Offutt said. Foley's grades dipped. But lately she seemed to have recovered. "Now I know that she had determined in her life that there was no hope," Offutt said. "All of us didn't know all of the pain she was going through." Watch for these danger signs Detecting and preventing teen suicide is a delicate matter that requires public and private resources and responses, Oregon health officials said. The first step to reducing suicide is to make teens more comfortable seeking assistance for mental or emotional problems, said Ron Bloodworth, youth suicide prevention coordinator for the Oregon Health Division. "We have to really reduce the stigma," he said. "Young people wonder, `Will people think I'm crazy if I get help?"' The next step is for parents to pay closer attention to their teenagers, even as the teenagers pull away, he said. Warning signs for suicide can be blatant or subtle. They include the following changes or events: Accident proneness Drug and alcohol abuse Physical violence Loss of appetite Sudden alienation from family and friends Worsening performance at school Putting personal affairs in order Loss of interest in personal appearance Disposal of possessions Letters, notes, poems with suicidal content Expressions of hopelessness Explosive rage or crying spells Dramatic highs and lows Poor appetite, weight loss Lack of sleep or excessive sleep Talks about committing suicide Preoccupation with death Difficulty concentrating, irrational speech Hearing voices, seeing visions, expressing bizarre beliefs Sudden interest or disinterest in religion Death of a family member or friend, especially by suicide Loss of important relationship Public humiliation or failure Serious physical illness Parents, friends or others who suspect a teen is suicidal should call the Jackson County Mental Health Department's 24-hour crisis line at 774-8201. 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