As part of her job as Franklin County Coroner, Dr. Jan Gorniak is head of the child fatality review board. And the board spotted a troubling trend.

One of the things that we noticed: We were reviewing a number of suicides. We said ‘Let’s go back and look at this. So we’re at the point now that ten suicides in one year, which is more than the past four years total. Are we missing something? Is there something else that we can do?

Dr. Gorniak says the youngest teen suicide victim in Franklin County last year was 13 years old.

She says it’s impossible to determine why so many Franklin County teens took their lives in 2012. As coroner, she hasn’t identified any common threads or common themes that connects the ten deaths.

Ohio State University researcher and author Paul Granello lost a brother to suicide in 2000. As part of his research, he’s conducted mental health screenings in 100 Ohio middle and high schools.

He says more than 20 percent of high school students screened had what he calls “significant” mental health problems and a smaller percentage were at risk for suicide.

The rate of suicide in the country is increasing. It’s increasing among young people faster as a group than it is across the general population. But it’s not surprising to me that we have those numbers in Franklin County given the size of population we have.

Granello says suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people after accidents and homicide. He welcomes Ohio’s new legislation to train teachers and other school personnel to spot students at risk for suicide.

During class change at a Central Ohio high school, a group of about 20 students are headed to health class for today’s lesson on major depression. Guest lecturer Mary Brennen-Hofmann introduces the topic with a film.

“This film will show how depression affected four teenagers. They each had common experiences, but what they had in common is that each were changed by their depression…”

Brennen-Hofmann coordinates suicide prevention services at North Central Mental Health. She’ll visit a school when asked by its administrators.

The assistant principal at this high school allowed WOSU to observe class, but asked that the school not be identified.

Brennen-Hofmann says in this instance, the health teacher asked for instruction on ways to help students identify risk factors for major depression and suicide.

Probably, Facebook or social media is the best place to find out what’s really going on inside their heads. Drastic changes in behaviors. A lot of times they’re tired with no energy. They may be angry. Also they’re feeling trapped or they’re having reckless behaviors like drinking.

Brennen-Hofmann says she’ll continue visiting classrooms to build suicide awareness among students. But, Ohio’s new law goes one step further; it requires school districts to train teachers, school nurses, counselors, and administrators to help them spot students at risk for suicide. Granello says the new required training could save some young lives.

“I mean we’re trying to train them as gatekeepers that they can recognize the signs, you know, the kind of warning signs, and get that kid to the appropriate help that they need to have.”

When a coroner takes samples of organs during an autopsy those organs are usually placed in a plastic bag and put back in the body for burial – except for the brain. Because the brain is gelatinous it has to be hardened to obtain a specimen. That can take a couple of weeks. By that time the body has usually been returned to the next of kin for burial or cremation. Many families have no idea the body is missing the brain. And according to Ohio law that’s OK. The General Assembly said in 2006 that any organ removed and retained for examination is considered medical waste at the end of the autopsy.

But many Ohio families oppose the practice of just disposing of the organs. They’ve filed a class action suit saying they would have liked to give the organs a proper burial. Some of the cases date back to 1991.

Patrick Perotti represents the families. Perotti told state Supreme Court justices that coroners should notify family members that organs will be removed and give families a chance to claim it before they are discarded.

“By a simple one page form that says, we are going to be retaining this organ when we give you the body back. If you want it when you have buried your loved one, let us know, then of course there’s a thing called an organ casket and if the person says it’s my religious belief that I want to bury all parts of the body they have that choice,” Perotti said.

But Mark Landes, an attorney representing Clairmont County in the suit, told justices that if coroners have to give notice to the next of kin the quality of the autopsies could be in jeopardy because examiners would be more reluctant to remove and test brain tissue.

“We don’t do as good a job. There’s a reluctance if we’re going to have to do that to just not take that sample,” Landes said.

But Justice Paul E. Pfeifer called that a lame excuse.

“That just seems like a totally lame excuse. We won’t do our job if we have to give notice after we’re done? I’m describing how the practice has been. Well they can change their practice,” Pfeifer said.

There was also discussion about what would be considered a body part. Chief Justice Thomas Moyer even said it would be difficult to write an opinion that would make sense. But Perotti said the justices can write a clear ruling.

“So when they say well, what about the epithelial cells? What about the blood? What about the gases? What about the fluids? Well, you don’t have those any more. Those are destroyed. Those are gone. Take the people who say, why don’t you give the blood back? You don’t keep the blood. You take the blood out and put in formaldehyde, so you don’t have that anymore. But the other stuff that’s left over, you can easily give that back,” Perotti said.

Even if the Ohio Supreme Court decides the family has a right to be notified the case would move to Federal Court for a final ruling. Coroners argued if that happens, they would be tied up in litigation for months.