Chris Schueler wasn't thinking about making a suicide film until he met the man who sent him a check.
Sam Garcia sent Schueler $1,000 to help fund his filmmaking. When Schueler met Garcia and asked him about his children, he learned Garcia's oldest son committed suicide.
"That's when I decided I wanted to do something about suicide," Schueler said.
The Agora Crisis Center will be featured in a documentary focusing on teen suicide and depression, "Coming Back: A Death and Life Story about Sons, Daughters and Friends."
Molly McCoy-Brack, director of Agora, said the center was approached for help with the film, because it is part of the New Mexico Suicide Prevention Coalition.
"We helped him figure out what was important to cover and how to do it responsibly," McCoy-Brack said.
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University suicide experts, Department of Health professionals and local leaders were consulted for the film.
"Everybody we talked to knew somebody who knew somebody who committed suicide," Schueler said.
The film centers around six teenagers who have attempted suicide.
"All these teenagers said that increasing the physical pain is better than the emotional pain," he said. "As they started pulling away from family and friends, then that just amplified the horrible feelings."
The 30-minute program will air on PBS, KNME channel 5, on Dec.15 and on KOAT channel 7 on Dec. 16 and 18.
McCoy-Brack said she hopes people who are depressed will talk to somebody before they are suicidal.
"They feel so hopeless that it's the only choice they can think of," she said. "They don't want to be dead. They just want the pain to end."
Schueler said 90 percent of teenagers have mental health issues, which include depression and compulsive behaviors. This mix can lead to "a permanent solution to a temporary problem," he said.
While filming, Schueler said he learned one in five teenagers in New Mexico seriously considers killing themselves, and one in 10 attempt suicide. He said teenagers thinking about suicide are more likely to turn to friends than parents when seeking help.
"We want kids to know the warning signs, so they can take care of each other," he said.
It's better to have a living friend than a dead one, Schueler said.
McCoy-Brack said she hopes the documentary will raise awareness about the high suicide rate in New Mexico and show the problem is not going away.
"I hope the negative stigma of asking for help will be reduced," she said.
Gov. Bill Richardson, who introduces the film, said in a statement he hopes the project raises awareness and understanding of youth suicide and depression and gives communities throughout the state tools that will enable them to intervene and help prevent suicide.
Agora will have about seven lines open during the program and for two hours after it ends.
Help hotlines
National suicide hotline
1-800-SUICIDE
Agora Crisis Center
277-3013
agora@unm.edu
UNM Counseling and Therapy Services
277-4537
UNM Psychiatric Center
by referral:
272-4763
