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HIGHLAND — The Alpine School District has an urgent message for parents: Talk to your children about suicide.
Alpine certainly is not the only school district facing challenges with this issue. In 2013 suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for Utah youth ages 10-17.
With several recent incidents involving parents and students, the Alpine district called a community meeting Monday night, and hundreds of people showed up.
Parents came with questions. The most common: How do you talk to your children about suicide?
One of the state's leading experts on preventing teen suicide, Greg Hudnall, executive director of Hope4Utah, was there to answer. He said he was thrilled to see so many people who want to be proactive.
“That’s the problem: We are afraid to talk about it. We are afraid if we do something or say something, it is going to plant the idea in someone’s mind,” he said, “when the research shows time and time again they have already thought about it.”
The majority of those in attendance were concerned parents of teens; others in the community also attended, wanting to be educated on what they can do.
Highland resident Mandy Bullock said, “I have a lot of girls and boys in the community that I love and care about, and I wanted to learn more so I can help them.”
David and Laurel Ellis lost their son Jonathan to suicide on April 21.
“He had the sweetest heart, (and) struggled with mental illness,” Laurel said.
The couple attended Monday night hoping their experience with suicide will give parents the courage to talk about it.
“Every individual and situation is a little different, but looking for those signs and intervening in the right and appropriate way can actually prevent a suicide from occurring,” David said.
Car accidents used to be the leading cause of death for youth in Utah, but statewide coordinated efforts have helped lower that statistic and save lives. Experts say the same approach is needed with suicide, a serious health issue that needs to involve the entire community.
If you or someone you know needs help with suicide prevention, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
