Teens at risk for suicide

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Twenty percent of Weston County students surveyed in 2018 have “seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months” and 10% of students reported having attempted suicide in the past year, according to the 2018 Prevention Needs Assessment Survey. 
This survey, according to Kristi Lipp, a community prevention specialist, is conducted in even-numbered years in grades six, eight, 10 and 12. The data provided to the News Letter Journal by Lipp represented students from both the Upton and Newcastle school districts in Weston County. 
Lipp said that even more students in the county have dealt with emotions linked to suicide, according to the survey. She said that 47% reported feeling “worthless” in the past 30 days, 58% reported feeling “hopeless” in the past 30 days, and 68% reported feeling so depressed that nothing could cheer them up at least sometime during the 30 days before the survey.  
“There are a lot of people in our communities who struggle not only with coping but asking for help, including our young people,” Lipp said. “Our PNA data echoes that.”
Difficulty coping, according to Lipp, not only contributes to the decline in mental health but also can also lead to substance use, which opens up doors to many other potential problems in someone’s life. 
“This is the reason that we started Sources of Strength. It is a given that none of us will get through life without going through some really difficult stuff, but it isn’t about the tough stuff we go through, but rather what helps us through the rough spots,” Lipp said. “Sources of Strength is a platform that our peer leaders are using to help their fellow students identify their own personal strengths in their lives and then draw from them during the difficult time. 
She said that the program also helps students identify whom they can go to in a time of need, so they do not deal with issues on their own.