Preventing Youth Suicide

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is one death by suicide every
13 minutes. Let’s put this into perspective. The average runner takes around 13 minutes
to run a mile (quora.com). One mile…one life…13 minutes.

Suicide has become a hot topic of conversation within our nation lately. From
Netflix shows to increased awareness in our own community, suicide prevention is
present. Our community is hungry for more education and ways to combat suicide.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people ages 10-24 in the
Kansas City metro region, with 78% of those deaths falling in the 18-24 year old age
range and the majority being male.

In response to this problem, ReDiscover, a Lee’s Summit behavioral health
center, is reaching out to youth ages 10-24 years old who are suffering from suicidal
thoughts or behaviors. Amplified efforts are directed toward even narrower populations
of this group who are even more vulnerable. These particular populations are youth ages
18-24 years old, especially those who are not currently enrolled in school, as well as
youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ).
This program, named “Show Me Zero Youth Suicide”, is funded by a grant from the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It specifically
works to reach these at-risk youth and connect them to long-term services. The goal is to
work with community hospitals, emergency departments, schools and physician offices to
increase the outreach for these youth and build a support network around them so they do
not fall through the cracks of the system.

A suicide prevention team works to treat the youth holistically, often assisting
them in applying for jobs and aiding with developing life skills such as budgeting and
nutritional meal planning, while connecting youth to whatever long-term mental health
services are needed for continued success.

As of August 2017 this team has worked with 161 youth in Jackson and Cass
counties and is steadily serving new youth each week. This program also allows the
community, particularly school districts and college campuses, access to a Suicide
Prevention Liaison with expansive knowledge of suicide prevention approaches. The
liaison is able to train the staff on further prevention and intervention tactics and assist
them in implementation within their curriculum. This program is just the beginning of a
community wanting change.

To link to local suicide prevention resources, please call the Show Me Zero Youth
Suicide Team at 816-347- 3052 or visit http://www.rediscovermh.org/zerosuicide.html

If you or someone you know have suicidal thoughts, call the local hotline at 1-
888-279- 8188 or reach out to the National Suicide Hotline toll-free at 1-800- 273-8255.

Kirsti Olson, MS, PLPC is the Suicide Prevention Liaison at ReDiscover, and is a guest
author for Lee’s Summit’s Health Education Advisory Board.

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