The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates the high teen suicide rate in Palo Alto, California.

A "suicide cluster" or a string of deaths by young teens over the years has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Five students, which include recent graduates from the Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, committed suicide between 20019 and 2010. There were four more in 2014 and 2015. According to Newsweek, several of those who committed suicide did so on the tracks of the CalTrain commuter line that run near the school and connects San Francisco and San Jose.

"It was a huge shock and there was a silent tension on campus on the following days," said Shawna Chen to ABC News when asked about the string of suicides at the high school she attended. "It was hard for people to wrap their heads around it."

The outlet adds that a single suicide tends to affect others and experts say that these incidents highly occur among teens and young adults. Colombia University professor of psychiatry and epidemiology Madelyn Gould said that teens tend to be "more impulsive than adults" as well.

"Their relationships with other teens really start to play much more of a role than their relationships with their parents, and so they influence each other more," she told the outlet. "Between both the social influences and biological influences, it makes them much more vulnerable to being influenced by somebody else's suicide."

The Henry M. Gunn High School is considered to be one of the best schools in the country. However, similar schools in Fairfax County, Virginia and two counties in Delaware share the same suicide cluster issues.

According to WebMD, some telltale suicidal tendencies and signs include:

  • Peculiar social behavior or keeping away from friends and family
  • Mentioning or joking about suicide
  • Giving prized belongings away
  • Preoccupation with death; obsession with dangerous weapons such as guns and knives
  • Aggressive or hostile than usual

A five-person team has been sent to investigate an epidemiological assessment this week in California. In what is called as an "Epi-Aid" or the urgent investigation of public health issues, the fact sheet posted on Project Safety Net's website aims to identify, track suicide behavior trends and look at youth suicide prevention policies.

According to Daily Mail, the mental health experts will meet with community groups this week in order to look at existing suicide prevention strategies and investigate factors that contribute to the suicide tendency of Palo Alto's youth. A preliminary investigation report on Palo Alto is expected to be completed and released after the visit.