"It shouldn't be such a scary topic," Dr. Berman told the nearly 30 people who turned out at the Brookfield Town Hall for the coalition's first meeting Wednesday night.
"People are afraid to say the word 'suicide' or talk about suicide, and I was just like that until what happened to me," he said during the 65-minute session.
"It helps me heal by dis­cussing it," said Dr. Berman, whose daughter, Alexa, is the subject of a mural that was painted inside Whisconier Middle School (WMS) in early April, just shortly before her birth date.
Alexa, who was a native of Russia, graduated from WMS last June.
Dr. Berman's wife, Debbie, said that 21 students worked on the project during a day off from school while teachers were holding a staff development day.
She said 18 of the students were from Brookfield High School (BHS) and the others were from WMS.
"I was afraid of scaring my patients by talking about it," Dr. Berman said regarding suicide. "But you know something, they want to talk about it as much as I do."
"When someone decides to do it, at that point they're not of the right mind and something takes over them," said Mrs. Berman, who is a teacher at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School (HHES).
"She was a tremendous actress," she said of her late daughter, who apparently concealed some of her mental health issues from family members and friends.
Brookfield Police Department youth officer Gary Gramling, who moderated the meeting, said he and Brookfield High School (BHS) nurse Angela Hazelwood , the chairman of the organization, visited with officials in Needham, Mass., which already has a similar coalition, this spring and have reviewed its Web site.
He said that the Needham coalition has 30 members, has established subcommittees and has a four-year plan.
The Brookfield coalition has adopted the acronym ACT: Acknowledge the problem; Care enough to speak up and say that you want to help; and Tell someone who can help.
"It still rips my heart out," Patty Zelle, a library assistant at HHES, said of the loss of Alexa Berman, who had been a student at the school.
She said that when suicide occurs, particularly that of a child, the friends of that person need to discuss it.
"These children need to express how they feel about suicide by getting in touch with family members or professionals," Ms. Zelle said in an interview after the meeting. "I think this coalition can provide that help."
During a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Gramling said that, according to the American Foundation For Suicide, there are 33,000 suicides committed every year and that it is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds.
He said that the foundation has reported that 90 Americans take their life every day.
Lori Bran of Danbury said that at Ridgefield High School, where she works as a guidance counselor, a film has been shown on mental health-related issues.
"It is well done, and the kids really relate to it," she said.
Ms. Bran suggested that the coalition consider establishing a hot line for mental health issues.
Mrs. Hazelwood said that there are greater burdens on parents to monitor their children's activities now that most homes have access to information technology.
'It's very hard," she said. "The parents have to have the computer in the living room or in the kitchen where they can see it and not tucked away in the bedroom."
Police Chief Robin Montgomery, the chairman of the Brookfield Substance Abuse Coalition, said that his organization discusses some of the same issues that the suicide prevention group is embarking on.
Mr. Gramling said that, in addition to the town's youth, the group is looking at all the other demographics, including senior citizens, a population that is projected to steadily increase over the coming years.
Ellen Melville, the supervisor for the Brookfield Senior Center, is a member of the steering committee, and the next meeting, scheduled for July 29 at 7 p.m., will be held at the senior center, which is temporarily located in a commercial building near the intersection of Federal and Silvermine roads.
Mr. Montgomery, who served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam in the late 1960s, said that there should be services available for soldiers returning from service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also said that the organization should attempt to get information out to the people who are not attending the meetings.
Mrs. Berman said in an interview that she was pleased that nearly30 people attended and hoped that they would speak to other people so that there would be additional interest.
Mr. Gramling distributed contact information sheets, which, among other things, sought input from the attendees on whether they would be willing to serve on subcommittees related to education and a Web site, grant funding, public relations and emergency and mental health resources.
He said that the coalition might want to model its Web site after the one that has been established by the Needham organization, which has photographs of people who can serve as resources to people seeking information on mental health issues.
Dr. Berman said that among those people should be coaches, since they often are influential with students.
Mrs. Berman stated in an e-mail message that she and her family wanted to thank the students that worked on the mural of her daughter.
They included Rachael Deutsch, Sal Strazza, Diondra Straiton, Emily Smith, Angela Berardi, Eric Ohrt, Lauren Kawulicz, Michaela Occhiboi, Leanna Pizzo, Ashley Bedini, Lily Maliszewski, Amanda Drake, Alexandra Willey, Annie Smith, Kim Russo, Joe Urso, Abby Seselier and Angela Zino, all of BHS.
WMS students Grant Morrison, Peter Jelinski and Kayla Lowry also worked on the project.
Dr. Berman said that he and his wife plan to participate this weekend in a 20-mile walk in Chicago to benefit the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention.