Positivity
Showing another aspect
Despite the dark, hope
Teen suicide in Utah is a heartbreaking problem. In 2017, suicide was the leading cause of death in Utah for teens ages 10 to 17 (Utah’s Public Health Data Resource, 2018). There are so many complicated factors contributing to suicidal behavior. It is not difficult to find an article on the failures in Utah with mental health or how detrimental our suicide rates are. I cannot argue with these claims; they are accurate in many senses. Personally, I work with a suicide prevention program called Hope Squad (Hope4Utah, 2019). Sometimes seeing these articles and statistics discourages the passion I have. I have researched this social topic throughout the semester, and it has been difficult to see the positives. To bring contrast, I want to look at another aspect of the suicide issue in our state. Despite the pain and devastation, there is hope. There is a realistic way to see the positives in Utah, and finding the hope is not only helpful but necessary in teen suicide prevention. There have been improvements in our views of mental health as a society. There has been growth in the way we as a state address suicide prevention. I have tried my best to tackle the issue of teen suicide in Utah. I know that alone I cannot fix Utah’s problems, but I can still make small and powerful impacts in my community. Even with all of the pushbacks and statistics stating our insignificance, I can find hope in my work for suicide prevention.
The suicide rates we see now are cascading effects of the past. There used to be a culture in Utah where no one discussed their mental health. It was considered a taboo topic. I had a Hope Squad advisor describe to me the difficulty of establishing a suicide prevention program where she taught 30 years ago. The school board refused to address the problem and were afraid of causing more suicides. There has been a disconnect generationally on what to do about mental health. Utah’s Public Health Data Resource says males ages 45-54 and 75 plus have the highest suicide rates when compared to other males (Utah’s Public Health Data Resource, 2018). My parents and grandparents grew up in an era of purposeful ignorance concerning mental illness. Now, our society unites for change. We endeavor to bring awareness for mental illnesses and advertise the resources for help. Social media is a huge part of my generation’s culture. There have been many campaigns for mental health awareness through the various social media platforms. Instagram created a campaign that used the hashtag #HereForYou to show the support network available for people struggling with their mental health and open the door for others to share their stories (Keane, 2019). Another aspect of the culture we see change in is the medical field. Mental health has not always been recognized as a necessary concern for our overall health. Throughout the years, that has changed. Marc Harrison wrote an article It’s past time to include mental health into the doctor’s office visit describing the need for mental health to be a part of the medical field. He works at Intermountain Healthcare and discussed the method already established for integrating mental health into the conversation during doctor’s visits; there is a team of people with various occupations ready to help every aspect of our health, including mental health providers (Harrison, 2017). Harrison goes on to describe the need for more mental health conversations in all of the medical field (Harrison, 2017). Fighting against the stigma of mental health and bringing awareness for suicide prevention starts with a culture change in every facet of our lives.
There is no denying that Utah’s leading religious group is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Church financially supported a campaign for suicide prevention in our state (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2019). This is significant because not only will the money work for the amazing cause of suicide prevention, but all of the followers of this religion will see the support their church gave to the campaign. The financial sponsoring will combat the tension many people, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, have with balancing mental illnesses and religious beliefs. A large part of the Utah culture is the Mormon church, and their support in a suicide prevention campaign is encouraging. Through this change in culture, people and organizations rise up to make an impact with the support of the community and government alike.
There are various programs and campaigns developing in Utah for suicide prevention. The campaign The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints financially supported is a $2 million program created by multiple agencies in our state; it will focus on mental health awareness on many virtual platforms (Imlay, 2019). With how recently this campaign was created, we will have to see the impact it has on our community. Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition developed a plan for suicide prevention. The content was researched in many subjects, such as: methods people use for committing suicide, risk factors, protective factors, various approaches, and goals for improvement in Utah (Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition). Being well-researched is crucial for suicide prevention. There is a need for realistic statistics so we can look the problem square in the face and work through it. My personal partnership with the Hope Squad program has been very influential in my view with suicide prevention. I know this one program cannot fix the problem as a whole, but I feel empowered as a teenager to make a change. I can hold on to hope.
My own work with Hope Squad has been reviving. It is easy to burnout and fall into discouragement when looking at suicide. I watch my friends struggle with mental illness, hear stories from people about their past suicide attempts, observe my own generation decline into a satirical depression. Then I go to a Hope Squad event. I talk with teenagers about their success stories when they referred someone for help. I sing along to our cheesy songs about mental health. I cry during the personal reflections about transitioning from despair to joy. I am not trying to be over personal. I know that things aren’t okay and I am not wanting to sugar-coat the issue. All I am addressing today is that we don’t have to be hopeless. In fact, I say that hopelessness is one of the biggest obstacles in suicide prevention. How do I help my fellow peer if I can’t respond to their depression with options? How do I pull my friend from darkness when I refuse to see the light? How do I keep my head above the water when I see our state as drowning? There is so much to do, so much to change. But I know we can do this; I want to be a realistic optimist. There has been a lack of data developed to determine decreases or increases in Utah’s suicide rates (Utah Foundation, 2018). I say let’s research what we have done right and what we have done wrong. I want to stop trying to find the misery in my state. Instead, I will realistically look at the problems and celebrate the victories, however small they may be; because without hope, we have nothing.
There is no denying that Utah’s leading religious group is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Church financially supported a campaign for suicide prevention in our state (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2019). This is significant because not only will the money work for the amazing cause of suicide prevention, but all of the followers of this religion will see the support their church gave to the campaign. The financial sponsoring will combat the tension many people, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, have with balancing mental illnesses and religious beliefs. A large part of the Utah culture is the Mormon church, and their support in a suicide prevention campaign is encouraging. Through this change in culture, people and organizations rise up to make an impact with the support of the community and government alike.
There are various programs and campaigns developing in Utah for suicide prevention. The campaign The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints financially supported is a $2 million program created by multiple agencies in our state; it will focus on mental health awareness on many virtual platforms (Imlay, 2019). With how recently this campaign was created, we will have to see the impact it has on our community. Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition developed a plan for suicide prevention. The content was researched in many subjects, such as: methods people use for committing suicide, risk factors, protective factors, various approaches, and goals for improvement in Utah (Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition). Being well-researched is crucial for suicide prevention. There is a need for realistic statistics so we can look the problem square in the face and work through it. My personal partnership with the Hope Squad program has been very influential in my view with suicide prevention. I know this one program cannot fix the problem as a whole, but I feel empowered as a teenager to make a change. I can hold on to hope.
My own work with Hope Squad has been reviving. It is easy to burnout and fall into discouragement when looking at suicide. I watch my friends struggle with mental illness, hear stories from people about their past suicide attempts, observe my own generation decline into a satirical depression. Then I go to a Hope Squad event. I talk with teenagers about their success stories when they referred someone for help. I sing along to our cheesy songs about mental health. I cry during the personal reflections about transitioning from despair to joy. I am not trying to be over personal. I know that things aren’t okay and I am not wanting to sugar-coat the issue. All I am addressing today is that we don’t have to be hopeless. In fact, I say that hopelessness is one of the biggest obstacles in suicide prevention. How do I help my fellow peer if I can’t respond to their depression with options? How do I pull my friend from darkness when I refuse to see the light? How do I keep my head above the water when I see our state as drowning? There is so much to do, so much to change. But I know we can do this; I want to be a realistic optimist. There has been a lack of data developed to determine decreases or increases in Utah’s suicide rates (Utah Foundation, 2018). I say let’s research what we have done right and what we have done wrong. I want to stop trying to find the misery in my state. Instead, I will realistically look at the problems and celebrate the victories, however small they may be; because without hope, we have nothing.