Alva Review-Courier -

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

(THE CONVERSATION) People often ask me what I do for a living. In the past, I would start with something vague, saying things like “I’m a researcher; I work at the university. I work with teenagers.” Inevitably, people wanted to know more. And then I told them, “Actually, I research why teenagers are dying by suicide.”

Reactions have included a shocked silence, stories of local suicide deaths, personal disclosures of struggles with suicidal thoughts and general unease. These days,...