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September is
Suicide Prevention Month
By Judge Stephanie Charter
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2023. Far too many families have had their lives turned upside down by the tragedy of suicide. Although it is an uncomfortable and challenging topic, we can make forward progress through increasing awareness, reviewing research, and opening the dialogue to share resources for help and solutions. As CASAs and dependency judges alike are devoted to serving our youth’s best interests, we will focus in this article on the sobering statistics tied to youth suicide especially among our foster youth and our LGBTQ youth. We will also provide an overview of warning signs and a list of national and local resources.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged 5 to 24 years old in the United States. [1] Youth in foster care face unique challenges that can impact their emotional well-being, and they may have significant mental health needs. Statistics show that youth with foster care experience are twice as likely to engage in suicidal ideation as other youth, and they are three times more likely to attempt suicide than their same-age peers who have not experienced foster care. [2] LGBTQ youth are also a vulnerable population as they face daily challenges in part related to societal pressures and expectations which can negatively impact the youth’s overall emotional and mental well-being. Statistics show that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. 73% of LGBTQ youth reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety, and 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. [3]
The mental health of youth continues to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. LGBTQ youth reported that their mental health was poor either all of the time or most of the time due to the pandemic. [4] The National Institutes of Health found that youth across the entire population are facing unprecedented and “devastating” mental health effects as a consequence of the prolonged periods of quarantine, school closures, disrupted peer relationships, COVID-19 infections, loss of loved ones, and an overall senses of unpredictability in their lives. [5] Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Suicide and Prevention Research found that the rate of youth suicide increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also found that the youth who took their own lives were disproportionately white males.
Recognizing suicide warning signs is a critical step we can take together to decrease the number of youth suicides. According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the warning signs of suicide among youth include: direct threats of harm (I am going to kill myself. I wish I wouldn’t wake up); posting online about plans or suicide notes; prior suicidal behavior; preoccupations with death; making final arrangements such as giving away prized possessions or writing a will; and changes in behavior, appearances, and expressed feelings/thoughts. The Trevor Project provides these additional warning signs: not caring about their future (It won’t matter soon anyway); putting themselves down; using drugs or alcohol more than usual; losing interest in their favorite things to do; and eating or sleeping more or less than usual.
The NASP provides this specific guidance for how to react if you see any of the suicide warning signs: ask the youth directly and in plain language if he or she is thinking about suicide (are you thinking of suicide?); listen to the youth without judgment; do not leave the youth alone; reassure the youth that there is help and that he or she will not feel like this forever; remove any means by which the youth could harm him or herself; get the youth help as soon as possible from community, mental health professionals, or school resources; and continue to take the threat seriously even after the youth no longer displays acute signs or otherwise calms down.[6]
Here is a list of national, state, and local resources to call for help:
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The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline): 1-800-273-8255): call or text 988;
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The Trevor Teen Project Suicide Hotline: 1-866-488-7386 or text 678-678;
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The Mobile Crises Response Team: 702-486-7865;
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Nevada Crisis Line: 775-784-8090;
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For Clark County School District (CCSD) students: Hazel Health (virtual therapy sessions at school or home): 702-718-0123; United Citizens Foundations (mental health sessions at school): 702.888.6300; and Care Solace (assistance with finding counseling services): 888-515-0595.
These statistics are very sobering and illustrate the tremendous challenges our most vulnerable youth- our foster care and LGBTQ youth- face. The Trevor Project however also provides another very powerful statistic: just one accepting adult decreases the risk of suicide by 40% for LGBTQ youth. Through awareness and communication, each of us can accept the challenge to decrease suicide among all of our youth and be that person who makes a positive difference.
[1] Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, Bridge JA, “Youth Suicide During the First Year of the Covid-19 Pandemic”, February 15, 2023.
[2] “Suicidal Behaviors in Youth with Foster Care Experience” from the Handbook of Youth Suicide Prevention, Colleen C. Katz, January 2022.
[3] The Trevor Project, National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 2022.
[4] The Trevor Project, thetrevorproject.org.
[5] “The impact of Covid-19 on child and adolescent mental health and treatment considerations”. Behav. Res. Ther. Chavira, DA, Oct. 2022.
[6] National Association of School Psychologists (NSAP), “Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents and Educators”, 2021.
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