The rising prevalence of suicide and suicidal thoughts among young people is a problem that will take entire communities to solve, mental health experts said during Wednesday’s Columbus Metropolitan Club (CMC) forum.

While it may seem counterintuitive, suicide actually fell in 2020 but appears to be on the rise again, according to Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and a panelist at the forum. He said suicides have actually been shown to decrease during national tragedies but then increase in the six to 18 months after those events.

While increasing demand for mental health services among minors has been of particular concern in recent months, Coder emphasized suicide is not just a “kid’s issue.” He said suicides rates among Black individuals have risen 169 percent nationally over the last two decades, and noted that LGBTQ youth and adults, and veterans are all at higher risk for suicide. Coder also noted that 80 percent of suicides in Ohio are by men ages 35 to 65.

Other panelists included Doug Wolf, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio; fran frazier, founder of Black Girl Rising; and John Ackerman, suicide prevention coordinator for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The event was moderated by Tia Marcel Moretti with Lighthouse Behavioral Health Solutions.

One of the most important pieces to reducing suicides and increasing mental well-being, the panelists said, is building strong communities and preventive care.

In the case of LGBTQ individuals, Ackerman said that acknowledging people’s gender identity or sexual orientation can save lives.

“These are types of things that may seem like ‘oh, it would be nice if we were able to acknowledge individuals for who they are,’ but this is life-saving work. When you create representation for individuals for who they are and spaces that allow them to grow … That is suicide prevention.”

frazier noted a recent spike in suicide deaths among young Black girls and also discussed the importance of strong communities as a system of support for youth.

“When we did our survey of 411 Black girls in four Ohio cities, less than half believed that the community neighborhoods they lived in actually appreciated who they were, actually cared about the youth on that street, on that block in that community. Our girls need, and our boys too, to have a foundation of strength. They actually have to know who their people are,” she said.

Wolf similarly stressed the importance of building a community for youth and the influence that adults have over minors. He said it is important for adults to be able to take care of their own mental health so that they can help youth.

No one group or system can solve this issue on its own, the panelists said, but a multi-system, collaborative approach is needed. This could involve, for instance, preventive care in unexpected places. Coder noted research showing that about half of people who died by suicide saw a primary care physician within a month of their death and a smaller, but still significant, proportion saw their dentist within weeks of their suicide. He said these visits are opportunities for intervention.

Additionally, Ackerman recommended giving children tools to identify their emotions early on, noting that children as young as 6 and 7 years old can have suicidal thoughts. In these moments, children need to be able to recognize their emotions and know where they can turn for help. He stressed that this doesn’t mean overwhelming or scaring children, but teaching them about their emotions in an age-appropriate way.

While the issue can seem overwhelming, the panelists pointed to a few items the average person can do immediately. The first being calling their state legislator.

Coder spoke in favor of HB468 (Pavliga), the 9-8-8 suicide hotline bill, which he said is needed to provide additional funding to the crisis hotline.

Coder spoke against HB616 (Loychik-Schmidt), a “divisive concepts” bill Coder said would harm LGBTQ youth.

The panelists also discussed the need for expanded mental health training, saying that while not everyone needs to be a therapist, the training can help people lead minors to the right resources. HB492 (Loychik-Pavliga), a bill requiring school athletic coaches to complete mental health training, passed the Ohio House in June.

View the full forum at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH2H69K-r1k.