Editor’s note • This letter discusses suicide. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24-hour support.
Utah’s suicide rate has been consistently higher than the national rate for over a decade. “An average of 687 Utahns die from suicide, and 5,228 Utahns attempt suicide each year” (Suicide Prevention | Violence and Injury Prevention Program | Utah Department of Health and Human Services).
In fact, “on average, 2 Utahns die as a result of suicide every day, and 14 Utahns are treated for suicide attempts every day,” making suicide one of the most prominent public health problems in Utah.
There are multiple statewide initiatives that help to bring awareness to this issue; however, if no one knows that they exist, what good do they do?
One of these initiatives is Live On Utah. Live On Utah is a statewide public awareness campaign that focuses on reducing stigma surrounding mental health and teaches everyday suicide prevention tools. They have a Suicide Prevention Playbook that provides all the tools you might need in order to help someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide. “When you know how to help someone struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can save a life.” (Live On). This playbook has 11 sections, each one taking approximately 10 minutes or less to complete, and can be found at https://liveonutah.org/.
You never know; maybe taking this course could be the very thing that helps you save a life.
Kaitlynn Royal, Smithfield