In America someone commits suicide every 17 minutes. To help illuminate this startling statistic, a confident and good looking young man, took to the stage at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax on Saturday, to tell how he had been hospitalized for wanting to take his own life during his senior year of high school.

"I would not be here today had I not learned that it was o.k. to seek help for my problems," said Ross Szabo, now Youth Spokesperson for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign (NMHAC). His presentation was part of one of several local "Out of the Darkness" expos, sponsored by Pallota Team Works, for an upcoming overnight walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP.) Founded in 1987, AFSP is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to funding suicide prevention research, education and awareness programs.

More than 30,000 people commit suicide annually in this country. Though Paul VI is not directly involved in the walk, the school donated the space for the event, which drew nearly 200 people from around the metro area.

According to information provided by Pallota, suicide in America is the third leading cause of death for 18-24-year-olds and the eighth leading cause of death over all. One of the public service announcement phrases for this first-ever walk, printed on T-shirts, is "No More Secrets."

Pallota Team Works, based in Los Angeles, was founded 10 years ago by Dan Pallota. In their many humanitarian campaigns, the organization has netted over $184 million for charity.

The upcoming 26-mile walk will be held from the Annandale area (the specific route has not yet been finalized) to Washington on Aug. 17-18. It begins at dusk, with each participant carrying a light throughout the night, and ends at dawn with a sunrise service. With 2,100 walkers currently registered, it is estimated that there will be 3,000 total. Each is asked to pay a $100 registration fee and provide a minimum of $1,000 in raised funds.

Sazbo, diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 16, was forced to take a medical leave of absence from American University in Washington during his freshman year there due to a relapse. Currently a senior at American, he has spoken to more than 11,000 youths during the past six years to abolish the stigma associated with mental health problems and encourage them to seek assistance.

During May, Szabo will be featured in Parade magazine. He continually emphasizes that NMHAC’s focus is not just on suicide, but in taking away the stigma.

"We need to develop an openness," said Szabo. "Every single one of you can take a role in taking away the stigma. Millions of people out there are having problems. There are two ways we can go. We can continue to watch the violence," he said, citing the increased number of shootings at schools, "or we can make a change; we can make a difference. A lot of society focuses on externalities. Let’s focus on the internalities. We need to develop a sense of community where people can open up, helping them to know that it’s o.k. to talk about things, rather than them turning to alcohol, drugs or violence."

In using an example of society’s misunderstanding and intolerance of mental health issues, he said his girlfriend was less than 100 feet from the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11 when the terrorist attacks occurred. She saw horrific sights such as falling bodies, and afterward went through a very long period of depression and needed to discuss her experience extensively. Three months later, someone harshly asked her, "Why are you still talking about that?"

Brochures at Saturday’s expo showed the spectrum of mental health concerns including anxiety attacks, confusion, behavioral problems, eating disorders, extreme mood changes, withdrawal and suicide.

One expo attendee, who is a mental health professional, said she heard of the walk while driving home from working the night shift. The woman said she will participate because "It‘s the first time that depression and suicide has ever come out of the closet to this extent. Mental illness is stigmatized and this lets people know it’s o.k. to have it out in the open."

To train for the walk, she will join the preparation pre-walks that Pallota is holding throughout the region this spring and summer. Expo information sessions also ranged from crew responsibilities, to how walkers can raise funds, to finding good walking shoes and ensuring good hydration and nutrition.

The minimum age for walkers is 13. Those younger than 17 must be accompanied by an adult, and crew members need to be 17 or older.

Karen Marshall, now president of the National Hopeline, also spoke at last week’s event. After her father’s death by suicide in 1973 and her only brother’s suicide in 1990, she began processing her grief and volunteering to help other survivors.

Last Saturday, the Bennett family, Karl, Arnita and their son Brian, 5, drove down from Lanham, Md., for the expo. Karl had seen a brochure almost a year ago and thought it would be "something good to do," he said. He had considered being a walker, but doesn’t have the time to train. So he and Arnita will be part of the support crew who man the stations and provide water and food to the walkers. The Bennets added that all types of volunteers are needed, from truck drivers to medical personnel.

"I think it’s a great cause," said Arnita. "At a certain point in your life, it’s time to give back," said Karl.

Jill Crouch, a Pallota crew coordinator, said that support crew also cheer people on, mark the route, deal with pedestrian traffic and are motorcycle safety personnel. She explained that each crew member pays a $50 registration fee to help fund the event.

"It’s logistically intensive, getting more than 2,000 people from Point A to Point B," said Crouch. Since this is the first "Out of the Darkness" walk, it will be held at only one location. "Next year, we hope to have more," she said. "This is one of those issues that touches people really deeply. And it seems to be overdue, based on the huge response and reactions we’ve gotten from people. By participating people feel they can make a positive contribution."