Posted: May 29, 2010 7:11 PM PDT
Updated: May 29, 2010 10:46 PM PDT
TERRACE HEIGHTS:
East Valley High Schoolers helped put together a suicide prevention walk today at Sarg Hubbard Park.
According to Washington's Youth Suicide Prevention Program, an average of two Washingtonians between the ages of 10 and 24 kill themselves every week.
Students tell KNDO they want to bring awareness.
"Giving away, prized possessions, talking about suicide and even joking about suicide are all signs," Desiree Kempf said.
Increased drug or alcohol use can also be a big warning sign.
As for ways to help, showing support for a suicidal person and contacting a counselor or loved one can go a long way.
YSPP's Executive Director, Sue Eastgard, did a live radio interview with Kim Iverson of the “Your Time with Kim Iverson” show on Entercom Communications. It runs in 10 cities across the US and last night focused on teen suicide. (March 11, 2010)
To listen, click here
Please take time to listen to a very informative on-air interview with Sue Eastgard by Gary Shipe from Sandusky Radio Seattle about:
- YSPP's history
- Washington State statistics
- Suicide Prevention in schools
- Media reporting
- Depression & Suicide Prevention
- Stigma of suicide
To listen, click here
(length: 30 min.)
YSPP's Executive Director, Sue Eastgard, was interviewed on-air with Tama Fulton from Seattle's country station, KMPS.
To listen, click here
(length: 18 min.)
YSPP Youth Advisory Council
If more youth knew how to recognize a depressed friend and where they could go for help, lives could be saved. But attitudes about youth suicide have to change and skills for intervening need to be learned. Five dedicated teens and young adults have recently formed an advisory council that is helping YSPP “spread the word” about this stigmatized issue.
The council meets once a month on Sunday evening and they have already developed a Facebook page, currently called Prevention Works. Check it out! Council members can receive community service hours or help in the design and implementation of a senior project related to youth suicide prevention. (In order to access the Youth Council's page, Facebook requires that you open an account.)
The council would welcome new members; interested teens and young adults should contact Sue Eastgard at suee@yspp.org.
YSPP had 2 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) developed to be played on Seattle radio station KWJZ. There are two slightly different versions; one is a 30 second spot and the other is 60 seconds. Click on the links below to listen:
PREVENTING YOUTH SUICIDE
New Set of Classes Helps Stop A Serious Problem
Brian Callanan - web reporter
SEATTLE - Do you have trouble talking with your teenager? If so, you're not alone. But now, a new study by our state schools shows you've got some help on your side. It's all part of a school program to prevent a very serious problem: youth suicide.
It's a more serious problem than you might think. Every two weeks in our state, two young people die from suicides, and 14 more youths attempt suicide and have to go to the hospital. But now, our state has started a set of classes for kids to prevent suicides. The new study shows those classes are working.
So what's it like to be a young person in high school, or middle school? Teacher Wendy Arness likens it to carrying cups, one for each new stress in life. She says, as she stacks cups in a student's arms, "You didn't make the basketball team, and now, maybe someone's trying to pressure you for drugs or alcohol." The student drops the cups. "So you've got all this stuff you're trying to hold, and you can't hold it all." Arness teaches students the HELP curriculum, Helping Every Living Person, to show students signs of depression, and what can lead to suicide.
Our state just reviewed the middle school version of this program, Look, Listen and Link, and found students who've been through this type of training are more knowledgeable about depression and where to turn for help. Arness says, "I know they're getting help they might not have gotten if we hadn't talked about this in this class."
Students like Miranda Solsberry, a junior at Mt. Tahoma High, say the threat of suicide for kids is very real. Solsberry says, "I've had friends who've been through that, and have wanted to do that, have tried to, so it's definitely happening." In a recent survey, one out of ten students in our state said they had attempted suicide in the past year. One out of five said they had seriously thought about it. Yet less than half of those surveyed said they'd be likely to seek help.
That's where the state is hoping to make an impact, with the HELP and Look, Listen, and Link curriculum. Suicide isn't something anyone likes to talk about. But when you can talk about suicide, recognize kids who might be in danger, and link them with the right resources, you can stop a tragic loss of life. As Solsberry puts it, "Keep your eyes open. It's pretty easy to see what kids are struggling, what kids aren't. So really just make sure you pay attention."
1-800-273-TALK is the national 24-hour suicide prevention hotline, if you need immediate help. Regarding this new suicide prevention curriculum, these classes aren't in all our state schools yet. If you'd like to learn more about this program, and how to bring it to your school, or find more information about youth suicide prevention, follow this link.
With Suicide Rates Soaring, Students Pitch In
October 5, 2009
By Peter Bukowski
Watch the story
Cops are out everyday trying to keep the streets safe. But each year in Yakima, homicides pale in comparison to suicides. And this year, it appears we're headed for a record setting end.
"We've seen quite a few more than we had in past two years anyway. We're already at numbers more than the total of last year, " says County Coroner Jack Hawkins.
Hawkins is busy investigating body after body rolling in under similar circumstances; suicide. It's a problem Celisa Hopkins says is preventable.
"We need to be putting our energy so that we're not dealing with the aftermath."
And that means more than having a tip-line to call.
"It's a topic that people are uncomfortable with and so a lot of time its hard to get your foot in the door, people don't want to look at it, people don't want to address it, but if we don't address it in terms of prevention, we're dealing with it on the other end," offers Hopkins, the field coordinator for Yakima Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
A group of students at East Valley high school called the Life Savers aren't afraid to talk about it.
To continue reading click here
Sue Eastgard, Executive Director of Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Washington State and Kristen Spexarth, suicide survivor-mother whose son died 8 years ago with a gunshot to his head, join Joyce to talk about the warning signs that could help save young lives.
It was an excellent opportunity to promote suicide prevention and talk about this tabooed subject.
Here is an excerpt of Kristen's story that she shared about the tragic suicide of her son, Colby.