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SALT LAKE CITY — More than 2,000 people gathered Saturday morning at Sugar House Park to break the silence on suicide. The Out of the Darkness Walk, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, offered families and suicide survivors help, hope and healing.
“Each one of us is here for a different reason,” explained Taryn Aiken, co-chair of the Utah Chapter of AFSP. “Some of us are here because we suffer with the struggles of mental illness; some of us have lost loved ones to suicide — whether that be friends or family members.”
Becki Ogden lost her 15-year-old son, Dallan, to suicide a year and a half ago. Saturday's walk was the first her family had participated in.
“We just want the message to get out to others that there is hope," Ogden said. "And we want everybody to use that hope to let your voices out, and use your voice to let people know that you are hurting, or struggling, or sad, or lonely; and just to break the stigma.”
Victoria Davis has lived with the stigma of mental illness for more than 30 years, and last year tried to kill herself.
“You can’t talk to anyone about it because if it is a mental illness, people don’t want to hear it," Davis said.
This was the first walk she had participated in, and she was encouraged by the support and number of people who turned out for the event.
Aiken organized the first walk for AFSP eight years ago, and each year the event has grown in size.
Crisis Hotlines
- Utah County Crisis Line: 801-226- 4433
- Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373- 7393
- National Crisis Line: 1-800-784-2433
- Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1- 866-488-7386
Online resources
- NAMI Utah: nam iut.org
- Salt Lake Mental Health: saltlakementalhealth.com
- Utah Chapter-American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: a fsputah.com
“I’m honored and proud of the work that we, as the state of Utah, have accomplished,” Aiken said.
Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Salt Lake City, addressed the crowd of walkers and explained some of the suicide prevention bills passed by the Utah Legislature in recent years.
“We now have several people in state government who are devoted full time to suicide prevention, both for youth and adults," Eliason said. "After New York (legislators) did that they reduced their (city's) suicide rate by 10 percent.”
Saturday's walk wrapped up a week of events marking Suicide Prevention Week and raised more than $80,000.
The Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition has created a new website with information about warning signs and suicide prevention resources: www.utahsuicideprevention.org.
