A juvenile was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital after a suspected suicide attempt Wednesday.
The call was received by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel at 2:15 p.m. on Brooks Circle in Stevenson Ranch.
“It was originally a bleeding (advanced life support call),” said Austin Bennett, a Fire Department spokesman.
Responding paramedics were told to stage, according to Bennett, while deputies scoured the Stevenson Ranch neighborhood for the juvenile, with reports that he was threatening to hurt himself with a broken piece of glass.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station personnel confirmed that the individual was a juvenile, but declined to go into further detail as per their policy regarding minors.
The juvenile was eventually located in the neighborhood and transported to Henry Mayo.
According to officials on the SCV Sheriff’s Station Mental Evaluation Team, the number of suicides and attempted suicides has not risen higher in the Santa Clarita Valley due to COVID-19, but they have seen an increase in the number of family disturbance calls.
“What we see from other law enforcement agencies happening everywhere right now in the United States … is because of everyone being inside and then the usual stressors people have with job loss, everything is being amplified right now,” said Shirley Miller, a spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
Miller added that there have been a number of family disturbance calls recently that have involved a family member drinking.
“That’s what we’re seeing is up right now… there is nothing criminal has happened, no one is going to jail, no is being arrested,” Miller said, referencing that deputies are heading to more calls were tense family moments have escalated to the point that law enforcement is needed.
Larry Schallert, assistant director of College of the Canyons Student Health Center, said that he also has not seen an increase in suicidal thoughts when he’s been working with people, but has seen a hike in the number of people experiencing loneliness and/or sadness.
“In some sense, it’s stemming from the grief and loss of normalcy,” said Schallert. “The other thing we’re seeing though is if people have a preexisting condition such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, or if they had an economic toll to start with, or family problems, specifically in the domestic violence area … it really impacts and can really make things worse.
Schallert advised people to try and keep a schedule, sleep, exercise and pay attention to your and your family’s mindfulness.
Mental Health and other Resources for Santa Clarita Valley and Surrounding Areas
- College of the Canyons Student Health & Wellness Resource Website:
- Santa Clarita Valley Child & Family Center
- BethedifferenceSCV.org
- Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Behavioral Health Free and Confidential MH Screening Website
- Mental Health America
- Mental Health: It’s Part of All Our Lives
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
- National Institute for Mental Health
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK
- Reachout.com
- SAMHSA Site for Coping with Disaster and Traumatic Events:
- Santa Clarita City Mental Health Resource Page
- SCV Youth Project (661) 257.YOUTH (9688)
- Stop Bullying
This partial list was provided by the Santa Clarita Valley Committee on Suicide Prevention, Postvention and Wellness. For a more complete list, visit SignalSCV.com.
