'Copycat' teen suicides trouble Russia

A Russian official said he briefed President Dmitry Medvedev about teenage suicides -- at least seven in six weeks -- that have caused alarm in the country. Pavel Astakhov, the children's ombudsman, said the scale of the problem, which included another death this week, led him to brief the president . Astakhov had said earlier that schools need to improve access to psychological help. Teens have been jumping from buildings in Moscow and the surrounding area, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Friday. The latest victim, a 14-year-old girl, died Wednesday. The victims, mostly girls, did not know each other and appeared to have different reasons for killing themselves. Psychologists say news coverage of the deaths appears to have spurred "copycat" suicides. Russia has one of the highest suicide rates in Europe, with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 teenage suicides each year, psychiatrist Boris Polozhy has said.