Did you know that September is suicide awareness month? There are steps that we can all take in order to be advocates for mental health and suicide prevention. A great way to show your support for mental health is by staying up to date on mental health resources.
One resource for mental health that is very near and dear to The Giveback Brokerage is the organization Yellow for Life. Founded by the owner of the Give Back Brokerage, Jenn Kikel-Lynn devotes the majority of her time to the community. If you live in Utah, you may have seen Jenn on the program Good Things Utah in early September. She joined the hosts to discuss wearing yellow in support of suicide prevention.
While suicide is often deamed as being a taboo topic, it is a very important discussion to have. Utah’s Public Health Data Resource noted that In 2019, suicide was the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 17 and 18-24. In addition, it is the second leading cause of death for ages 25 to 44 and the fifth leading cause of death for ages 45-64. Overall, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for Utahns. These statistics do not include the number of people that were treated for suicide attempts. How can we decrease these frightening numbers? We need to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention!
In order to get the ball rolling on the topic of suicide prevention in Utah, Jenn held a gala called Art in the Garden on September 10th. The gala benefited the Clever Coping Program in partnership with Clever Octopus. Clever Coping is a program created by Yellow for Life, a division of the FMK foundation, and the Clever Octopus. Through research, Jenn discovered that art is a primary coping strategy for depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The gala gave sponsored participants the opportunity to learn art skills as a means to “weather the storm.” Every single dollar from Art in the Garden went to pay for a kid to learn a new coping strategy. Every single dollar.
As September comes to a close, it is important to recognize that suicide prevention should be a topic year round. Do your part and be an advocate for mental health by taking advantage of the resources for suicide prevention. The Yellow for Life foundation offers the QPR Institute’s evidence-based suicide prevention training to the public free of charge. If you are not in Utah, you can always contant the National Suicide Prevention Hotline to find resources online and in your area. Let’s all join together to be mental health advocates!
