This opinion column was submitted by Jacquelyn Kleinedler, program director for The Children’s Cabinet’s Family and Youth Intervention Department.
The youth in our community are facing daunting obstacles, stressors and struggles as they return to school with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all areas of their lives. September is Suicide Awareness Month, which gives us a national backdrop for necessary conversations to normalize mental health for our youth.
In 2019 the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health contracted with the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Community Health Sciences to conduct The Centers for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which yielded alarming data. In Washoe County, 40.2 percent of students indicated that they felt sad or hopeless, 18.7 percent indicated that they were seriously considering a suicide attempt, and 9.9 percent admitted to an attempted suicide at least once in the 12 months before the survey. More than half of the youth surveyed, 58.2 percent, indicated that they did not or could not get the kind of help they needed when they felt sad, hopeless or anxious.
These results signify that more services and support are needed for the vulnerable youth in our community. There are two such programs available from The Children’s Cabinet that seek to connect students, parents, and educators with the tools and resources they need to address youth who may be having these feelings.
Parents in the Washoe County School District are notified at the start of the school year for their seventh graders about the Signs of Suicide Prevention Program, an evidence-based model for middle- and high-school-age students. SOS teaches youth with a video-based discussion how to identify the symptoms of depression and the thoughts of suicide in themselves or others. Students are then encouraged to seek help through the use of the ACT technique (Acknowledge, Care, Tell). Parents are provided with appropriate referrals to supportive care and counseling based on the screening results.
The Children’s Cabinet has long collaborated with the Washoe County School District administrators, teachers and counselors to conduct these lessons, screenings and to connect with youth in the program. The Children’s Cabinet has also partnered with Dr. Steve Nicholas to train and implement Living Ideation in our community. Living Ideation is a counseling approach that encourages the reduction of suicidal ideations by interrupting the lifestyles and patterns that contribute to pain and despair. Different from most suicide prevention and intervention models, Living Ideation encourages balanced mindsets and engagement with youth before suicide reduction programs are needed.
The pilot project for Living Ideation started in 2019 in partnership with Damonte Ranch High School. Created as a training series to support parents and other meaningful adults in a young person’s life, Living Ideation encourages thoughtful engagement with our youth daily. The Damonte staff and The Children’s Cabinet Case Managers were trained to cultivate positive mindsets and address red flag behaviors.
We must reduce the stigma of mental health and depression in order to treat our youth more effectively. By supporting Signs of Suicide and Living Ideation mentioned above, I am confident we will start to see results. The first step is, and always has been, to start meaningful conversations. If you or someone is having active thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), Text CARE to 839863, or call SafeVoice Nevada for students at 1-833-216-SAFE (7233). The Children’s Cabinet also has additional resources and support, call 775-352-8090. More info suicideprevention.nv.gov.
Full Article on Reno Gazette Journal:
https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/09/11/its-time-normalize-mental-health-our-youth-kleinedler/3474180001/