Females attempt suicide more than three times as often as males; however, males die by suicide more than four times as often as females. Nathan Joyce, pastor of Heartland Worship Center, believes this begins at a very basic level. “We need to be aware of the gravity and the universality of this issue,” he says. “We can no longer believe that anyone is exempt from this.” “I encourage everyone to see the goodness of their life and their own personal value,” Pastor Joyce says. “To be loved by God is value and to know that God finds beauty in you and has a plan for your life is valuable. Life is too rough without that.” Along with a strong faith and other support systems, Gretchen and Wendy urge constant dialog between parents and teenagers. “Check in with kids, really be present with them and talk, but mostly listen,” Gretchen advises. “Be attuned to all of those things, so maybe when there is some subtle clue, you might catch it. Find a reason to talk to your children. Insist upon dinner together two nights a week or take an extra lap around the block the next time you are in the car with your son or daughter. Create opportunities for your child to talk to you.” “If your kids say they have been feeling depressed or anxious, listen to that. Some parents get very frightened by that because it brings up volumes of fears for them and they look for some quick fix. Instead, give hope by saying things like ‘Things will get better, we will make sure that things get better.” In upcoming issues, we will look more closely at the contributing factors of suicide and try to hone in on some solutions. We will talk to those who have been directly affected by the death of a friend or loved one. And, we will talk to a local business owner who came within seconds of ending their own life. ʄ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 HOW BIG IS THIS PROBLEM? Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15-24. In Kentucky, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15-34. In 2016, Kentucky ranked 19th in the nation for deaths by suicide. More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition. 1 in 5 teens ages 13-18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness. 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24. Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14–21 and older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group. Statistics provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. We want to thank you, our readers, for taking time to engage in our efforts. We welcome your comments on our website too. And, we also want to thank the many people who contributed to this series and this first article in particular including Wendy Lay, director of children’s services at Four Rivers Behavioral Health, Gretchen Roof, vice-president of clinical services at Four Rivers Behavioral Health, Charles Moore, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Paducah, Nathan Joyce, pastor of Heartland Worship Center and J. Patrick Kerr, in public affairs at Four Rivers Behavioral Health.
