North Cook News

The father of a Glenbrook North High School senior who took his life in early January recently spoke on AM560 about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people's lives and outlooks.

Chris Buckner told Dan Proft, host of Chicago's Morning Answer, that his son Dylan seemed to have everything going for him but that he struggled in ways that weren't obvious even to parents who valued a close relationship with their son.

"Before Dylan made his first suicide attempt in September, I really would have never guessed it could have been possible with my son," Buckner said in the interview posted on Jan. 22.

Buckner said that common indicators of suicide risk include signs of loneliness and depression, as well as family problems or substance abuse. Yet, even those signs can be hard to detect.

"I mean, how do you know if someone is lonely or depressed?" he said.

Even if signs are there, the person struggling will likely try to keep them hidden from those who care about them, he said.

In Dylan's case, there were no outward changes in his behavior or obvious family problems involving arguments or conflict.

Even once it was known that Dylan had depression, he seemed to be doing well on medications, and with the therapy and support he received, Buckner said.

"And yet, his brain was still attacking him every day," Buckner said. "He was alive and happy on Thursday morning, and I talked with him at noon and certainly didn't see any signs. He talked to one of his football coaches about 1 o'clock and was dead at 3 o'clock. So, I mean, it could happen that fast. It's just scary what a silent killer it can be."

Buckner said Dylan's struggles with depression became worse with the social isolation of COVID-19.

"Having access to his friends, being in school, getting to play football, would have made a difference," Buckner said. "Those would have been bright spots for him."