SALT LAKE CITY — Approximately 130 people in the United States die every day from suicide, according to Catholic Mutual Group.
Males are four times more likely to die by suicide, whereas females are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, the group’s suicide awareness and prevention newsletter states.
To help address this issue, suicide prevention training is being offered at parishes and schools throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Presenters are Carol Ruddell, Utah State Administrator for Suicide Prevention and a member of the diocesan Commission for People with Disabilities, and Sharon Cook, a program administrator with the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
Ruddell and Cook have been offering Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training, during which participants learn how to support those who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts or may be in emotional crisis.
The training also was offered to parents who accompanied their children to the Feb. 18 Joshua Project Rally held at Saint Rose of Lima Parish. The presentation was offered in English and Spanish thanks to the simultaneous translation by Father Gustavo Vidal, the parish pastor.
“A recent study found that 92 percent of all Utahns have been impacted by a suicide attempt or death,” Ruddell said. “And nearly 100 percent of us have thought about it ourselves. So in essence, every Utahn has been impacted by suicide thoughts, attempts or deaths.”
One common misperception is that in the state of Utah, the number of suicides among teenagers is increasing, but “this is not true,” Cook said. “It’s a myth I address daily. The rate (per 100,000) among those under the age of 18 has remained stable for the past seven years.”
In fact, in Utah middle-aged men have the highest rate of suicide; increasing rates are seen among people over the age of 55 and among Spanish and Polynesian language speakers. Some of the highest rates are among veterans and Native Americans.
Although there has not been a spike in suicide rates in Utah – and suicides in the state actually have declined since 2017 – Ruddell stressed that “every death by suicide is a tragedy.”
However, “we can take heart in knowing that our rates are less than in the past,” she said. “I’d like to think it’s because more and more of us are learning about suicide prevention, and how to make a difference among our families, friends and communities.”
Encouraging or supportive words can make a difference in a person’s life, the two presenters said. “We are living among family, friends, coworkers and neighbors who have faced their darkest moments of pain, and who have come through those times to better lives. There is hope. We can build that hope.”
The QPR training includes the warning signs that might be present if a person is considering suicide, actions each person can take to help prevent suicide, and resources available to help someone who is struggling.
The parents who attended the program during the Feb. 18 rally also learned that it can offer hope.
“Similar to CPR, which saves a person in physical crisis, QPR can help save a person in an emotional crisis,” Martina Hernandez said in Spanish.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988 to connect with the 988 crisis and suicide lifeline.
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