NC is close to an important step on suicide prevention

A few hours after you read these words, there is a great likelihood that someone in North Carolina will die by suicide.

The sad reality is that, on average, someone dies by suicide every six hours in our state.

Many of those lost to suicide are very young. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among those ages 10 to 34 in North Carolina.

According to the latest surveys, almost one in three North Carolina high school students report feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row. Sixteen percent seriously consider attempting suicide; another 14 percent report making a plan about how they would attempt suicide.

And almost 10 percent report attempting suicide one or more times.

Behind those statistics are thousands of families and communities that have been devastated by the loss of a loved one – and thousands more still who struggle themselves with thoughts of suicide or are worried about a loved one at risk of suicide.

North Carolina’s challenges with suicide are part of a national problem. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that between 2007 and 2017 the rate of suicide among those ages 10 to 24 jumped by 56 percent. Only accidents account for the deaths of more young people in our country and in our state.

The good news is that there is a simple, noncontroversial step lawmakers can take during their upcoming special session beginning Jan. 14 that will help save the lives of our youth and support the families caring for them.

Legislation already introduced in both the House and Senate , would require school systems to train their employees to recognize and respond when a young person indicates they are at risk of suicide or may be struggling with their mental health . Thirty-one other states have already approved similar legislation, and North Carolina can and should do the same.

The legislation now being considered in our state has the support of educators, public health leaders, and child advocacy organizations. Indeed, we are unaware of any opposition to this proposal.

School personnel interact with children and teens daily and are in a prime position to recognize and refer students who may be at risk for suicide to the appropriate resources and services. Similar to refreshers in CPR, repeat trainings in suicide prevention are essential to help ensure educators have the necessary skills and confidence to recognize when a young person may be at risk for suicide and to know what to do to help keep them safe.

Implementing this legislation will not be a burden to our local schools. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other organizations have resources schools can use – free of charge - to provide training for their employees.

With all of this in mind, the N.C. House overwhelmingly approved a mental health training requirement for school teachers and administrators during the 2019 session. A similar proposal was also introduced in the state Senate.

Now, after more than two years of working to reach this point, we are just one vote away in both the Senate and the House from sending this important change to Gov. Roy Cooper for his expected signature.

During the last two years, countless North Carolinians have written and called their representatives in support of this proposal. Many of them have also visited the General Assembly to tell the often difficult and painful stories of loved ones who have died by suicide.

The General Assembly has listened to those stories by developing responsible legislation with broad support. Those of us involved in addressing the suicide challenge in North Carolina deeply appreciate the work lawmakers have done to get us this far on this issue at the legislature.

Now, we ask that the General Assembly see this legislation to fruition during its upcoming session and help the many young people in our state who are at risk of suicide.

We are so close to final approval – and the problem of suicide in North Carolina, especially for young people, urgently needs all of our attention.