A recent rash of suicides among gay youth has captured the attention of the nation, with President Obama releasing a video Thursday aimed at reaching gay teens threatened by bullying.
Among the deaths most heavily reported by the media was that of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student whose intimate interactions with another man were broadcast over the internet.
While Clementi's death is heartbreaking, and the details surrounding it particularly vivid, some experts say the bigger story is that hundreds of suicides go unreported or underreported every year.
"While it's great to have this topic in the news, unfortunately this isn't news. This is an issue that has been going on for a long time," said Leigh Powers, head of Information Services at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. MORE
The most recent data from The American Association of Suicidology shows that there are more than 1,000 suicides on college campuses ever year. In 2007, more than 4,000 young people aged 15 to 24 killed themselves.
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