PALO ALTO. Calif. -- Upwards of 400 concerned parents and educators packed a community meeting in Palo Alto Wednesday night to discuss the recent string of four teenage suicides. They sought answers to why the teens decided to end their lives by standing in front of a train.

The most recent suicide happened on Monday at the same East Meadow Drive railroad crossing where three other teens have died since May.

Palo Alto's city manager said this is a crisis situation in a community that is suffering.

"It is a cruel irony that despite all these efforts and our increasingly strong committee outreach on this topic, we haven't yet found a solution," said School District Superintendent Kevin Skelly.

There was a sense of apprehension at the meeting because of the lack of easy answers.

Three of the victims attended Gunn High School. One was scheduled to enroll.

"I'm concerned that that condition has to exist at the high school and the kids have to deal with it and feel about it," said Gunn High School parent Ivan Teemes. "And as a parent, I couldn't even imagine what it would be for a family to go through this. We don't need it anymore, enough."

"It seems to be just happening here and that's a puzzle. I don't know why," said parent Ann Hillen. "But it's more than a coincidence now and I almost wonder if it's starting to become like a siren call to kids who are in this area who are not feeling well."

One child and adolescent psychiatrist on the panel advised the news media to be restrained in covering the story

"With a lot of coverage at the school, at the train tracks, that could inadvertently draw attention potentially glorifying the act and the event," said Dr. Shashank Joshi "These are not random events for the most part. These are events that occur in youth that may be either high risk or something that happened that tipped them over."

So far in 2009, Caltrain has staged at least 13 successful crisis interventions on or near its tracks, according to David Triolo, Caltrain's chief of protective services.

In many of these instances, family and friends who "sensed something was amiss" contacted 911 in time for officers to arrive at the tracks, he said.

A 2007 CDC study found teen suicide rates rising to the highest in 15 years. Which begs the question are teenagers today under greater pressure than previous generations?

Psychiatrist Masa Fisher said relentless interconnection from the internet and cell phones adds to teen stress by allowing successes and failures to become public information. That information can be used by some to compare and to judge.

A UC Berkeley psychologist said young girls may be at the highest risk for severe depression. Whereas previous generations juggled fewer roles, young women today are pushed to be studious, athletic and -- thanks to a highly sexualized pop culture -- hot. Some can collapse under the weight of these expectations.

Parents said they are trying to keep in touch with their children, including one woman who lost her mother to suicide.

"I'm aware of it and I try to keep abreast of what's going on with the kids and hopefully they will be fine and stable," said area parent Montse Armitano.

Various social help agencies set up tables to give out information and officials said these forums will continue so that everyone can continue to communicate.

Anyone seeking help or counseling services can call Adolescent Counseling Services at (650) 424-0852. The Palo Alto organization contracts with the Palo Alto Unified School District to provide a counseling presence at middle and high schools in the district.

The organization's Web site can be found at www.acs-teens.org.

Teens can also call a health, relationship, crisis, and information referral line at (888) 247-7717. The dispatch service directly connects the caller to needed services.

Another local organization, Kara, provides grief support for adults and teens. Kara has also worked with the PAUSD to provide counseling at the schools and can be reached at (650) 321-5272.

For immediate help, especially outside of daytime hours, Santa Clara County operates a 24-hour suicide and crisis hotline. Residents in the north county can call (650) 494-8420, central county residents can call (408) 279-3312, and south county residents can call (408) 683-2482.