Contest Urges Teens to Weigh Consequences of Keeping Secrets

The “When Not to Keep a Secret” national essay competition was launched in 1998 by the APA Alliance to encourage teens to ponder the importance of divulging a friend’s confidence when the friend indicates plans to commit suicide.

Every year since then, the competition has grown bigger and better, and this year’s—the sixth—is in its final lap, as the top three winners will be announced at the forthcoming APA annual meeting in New York City.

How the competition has gotten this far, however, is due not only to the APA Alliance, but also various organizations, notably APA district branches, and the American Psychiatric Foundation, which has provided financial support.

Here is an overview of the timeline that the 2003-04 national competition has followed and some of the groups that have contributed to the competition in this period:

• The competition started in September 2003 at the county level. The APA Alliance members in participating counties, along with the local APA district branch or other like-minded organizations, launched the project.

For example, the San Diego Psychiatric Society and the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program helped Friends of the San Diego Psychiatric Society with the project in San Diego County, Calif. The California Medical Association Alliance, the Atwater Silverlake Rotary, and the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program helped APA Alliance members with the project in Los Angeles County, Calif.

The California Medical Association Alliance, in collaboration with the California Psychiatric Association and the California Medical Association, agreed to sponsor the project at the state level.

• In December 2003, entries from students in school districts in each participating county were judged.

• On January 9, each participating county turned its top three essays over to the APA Alliance for state-level judging.

• On February 28 each participating state sent its three highest-ranked essays to the APA Alliance for the national competition. The essays will be judged by nationally recognized leaders in psychiatry, media, literature, and civic affairs, Alicia Muñoz, chair for the annual contest, told Psychiatric News.

The first prize will be a state-of-the-art computer system and printer. The winner will be honored at the joint luncheon of the APA Assembly and Board of Trustees on Sunday, May 2, during APA’s annual meeting in New York City.

The states participating in this year’s competition included Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Utah.

More information about the essay project is posted online at www.apaAlliance. ▪