On Aug. 17 the Youth Service Bureau hosted its 2nd annual Suicide Prevention Walk at Milligan Park. More than 80 participants joined together to help raise awareness about suicide prevention as well as support each other.
“Our goal was to bring Montgomery County and the surrounding area together to bring awareness and help break the stigma of mental illness,” said Sara Clapp. “We want people to know that it is OK to not be OK.”
The Youth Service Bureau would like to thank our sponsors Duke Energy, Chad Budreau State Farm, Montgomery Chapter of Civitan Club, Tanner & Servies Insurance and Crawfordsville Hometown Dental for their commitment to the youth and families of Montgomery County.
The YSB finds this cause so important because youth suicide statistics are staggering. In 2017, 71 Hoosier youth age 19 and younger died by suicide. Hoosier youth are more likely to consider suicide than their peers nationally. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24. In Indiana, one in five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in the last 12 months. Statistics provided by the Indiana Youth Institute).
If you suspect a youth you know is thinking of suicide, ask the person about suicide. Do they have the thought? Feelings? Plans? Don’t be afraid to ask. I know it can be scary, but say the words … “Are you thinking about suicide?” Asking the question does not put them at a higher risk for suicide. If your intuition is telling you there is something wrong, then ask the question. Try to persuade them to get help with a mental health professional, listen to them carefully. Do your best to not try to solve the problem for them or give advice. Just listen. Let them know you want them to live, you care and getting help is an important part of that. Then help them contact a health care professional. This may mean you call or physically take them to a health care professional. If the situation is urgent, this may mean going to an emergency room. Another possibility is calling a suicide prevention hotline. The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It is very important to understand that if you believe they are actively thinking of suicide to call for emergency assistance. A person’s safety is always most important and you must act in their best interest, even if they don’t want you to. All of these steps can be found at https://qprinstitute.com.
For more information on warning signs and risk factors, check out the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at https://afsp.org.
Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau
