At 19, Christopher's mother Gail Beeman said "he was struggling with a situation that had caused him to be depressed."

And while his family understood and was aware he was going through a difficult time, they never expected he would take his own life.

"Other than they anger, he didn't show any other (signs). He just kept saying his life was screwed up because of one mistake," Beeman said. "At that time, I didn't realize that anger was a sign of depression...We took him to a counselor. She said he was doing great about expressing his feelings."

Christopher's death stunned his family and the community. In the picture Gail shared with News10, Christopher was a handsom young man, with plenty of friends, and had a love for adventure sports, espescially motor-cross. He was the kind of man to leave an impression in life and even in death.

In the spot where Christopher ended his life, sat a journal his friends created to share their memories. The journal was left there to be read by anyone who came there to jump.

"They were coming to take their life and after seeing the effect of his death they walked away. To me that's a miracle," said Beeman back in 2004 a few months after she lost her son.

Some people showed their gratitude by leaving entries in the journal:

- "My name is Crissy. I came here to jump today, but now I can't."

- "Seeing everything people have put here and what they have to say about you makes me think I don't even know you and you have saved my life."

Beeman and her daughter Carrie are part of a support group called Friends for Survival which helps families recover after losing a loved-one to suicide. Marilyn Koenig runs the group. She offers an enlightening take on why suicide becomes an option for teens in pain. "Suicide isn't about dying. Suicide is about ending your pain."

Koenig's son also ended his life on April 4, 1977. Like Christopher, Koenig's family never saw it coming. "If he hadn't left notes, I would have thought somebody had murdered him."

Koenig noted that during the 70's though depression wasn't a popular topic. Since then she's learned more about depression, suicide and what it takes to help the families left behind.

But, to stop the scenario from taking place altogether, intervention is an important element. Koenig works closely with The Effort - an organization that provides a number of crisis intervention services including the Sacramento Suicide Prevention Crisis Line.

Jonathan Royers is the Program Manager. He not only runs the program, but he takes calls from people who are in crisis.

To stop people who are serious about ending thier life he says, "We're really going to talk about a lot of reasons to die. We'll also hit reasons to live and at some point that will be part of the conversation. But, reasons to die is really critical. That's where they're feeling misunderstood by the people around them."

And while teens who are considering suicide may feel like they don't have anyone to talk to, experts say they most often will show signs of suicidal behavior.

- Risky behabior involving drugs, alcohol, sex.

- Change in relationships with friends and family.

- Decline in school grades.

- Start to give away possesions.

The Beeman's want to educate parents, students and teachers about the warning signs of depression before more tragedies occur.

They already campaigned and won an effort to have a hotline phone placed on the Foresthill Bridge. Christopher's mother is now on a mission to convince schools to start teaching students about depression and suicide prevention.

Some schools have been open to the idea, but others are hesitant. Beeman believes the ambivalence stems from the stigma associated with depression.

"We talk about sex education. But, then they say they're afraid to mention the word 'suicide' because it might give kids ideas," says Beeman. "Well, that contradicts what they say about sex education - that if we teach them about sex that they will have safe sex...You can't have it both ways."

Carrie Beeman wants to help her mother. "The pressures are so much greater, nowadays than it used to be. There's college, and not only do you have to go to college, you have to go to a prestigious college. Then after you get in college you feel the pressure of going to grad school. It never feels like you accomplish anything because there's always something more that you're being pressured to do."

And in the midst of that pain, experts say teens considering suicide will often tell someone they are thinking about suicide. The California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) provides resources to help campus psychologists deal with students suffering from depression.

Psychologist and CASP President, Doug Siembieda, says that friends of a teen who is depressed are good resources to stop someone from hurting themselves. "Teenagers frequently talk to at least their friends. Somehow or another their friends are a good way for those of us who work in schools to find out about it."

Siembieda adds that families must also play attention if they notice thier child is exhibiting behavior that is out of character. He adds that while some teens may be crying for help there is a difference in the way they express feelings about ending their lives. " It's different when a teenager says I wonder if I die who would show up to my funeral. As opposed to I want to die, because I don't like my life."

For the Beeman's it's still tough to understand what drove Christopher to that point. 19-year-old Carrie still struggles with the loss of her brother and understands the pain of a sudden loss. Her advice to people suffering emotionally is "The greatest thing that got me through was just realizing that there was a tomorrow and what you're feeling today, just give it another day and maybe tomorrow will be better."