Utah's Suicide Prevention Playbook - We believe that everyone has the power to prevent suicide—including you! That’s why we created the world’s first-ever suicide prevention course taught entirely over Instagram.

Athlete Brain Health - Beyond Concussion , Utah Olympic Park on Feb. 10, 2019

Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, The Speedy Foundation, 2 Time Gold Medalist David Wise

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The #Morning Mix returns this week after its 2-week Sundance hiatus with musical guest Shannon Runyon performing live in the Swede Alley studio, plus guest interviews with Shannon Decker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Speedy Foundation, and with Aaron Benward, Creator and Producer of ‘Nashville Unplugged, The Story Behind The Song’, a listening room experience happening at The Rockwell Room on Valentines Day. These guests and a rundown of events happening in our area on The Morning Mix.

How to curb Utah’s teen-suicide rate? Hatch-convened roundtable says kids needs access to mental-health services

By Alex Stuckey | The Salt Lake Tribune

Republican state Sen. Daniel Thatcher was 11 years old when he lost his first classmate to suicide. He was 16 when he lost his close friend.

That's why, he says, it's so important to drop the stigma and talk about suicide.

"If you talk to someone, they live," Thatcher, from West Valley City, said. "If you connect them to support, they live."

Hatch convenes suicide-prevention conference

By Lois M. Collins & Lauren Fields | Deseret News

“We’ve made more progress in the last five years than in the 20 years before,” Dr. Doug Gray, a psychiatrist, professor and suicidologist at the University of Utah, told the audience at the roundtable, held at East High in Salt Lake City.

By Travis Barton, My City Journals

The Speedy Foundation teamed up with Optum on Sept. 24 to offer a free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course at the Salt Lake County offices in West Valley City. MHFA is an eight-hour course training participants how to identify the common signs of mental illness including depression, anxiety disorders and substance use...“Mental health is not restricted to a particular age group,” Stewart said about traumatic experiences affecting all ages. 

Youth mental health classes are also offered for people who regularly interact with adolescents who may be experiencing mental health or addiction challenges. 

These classes have become increasingly important in light of a July report from the Utah Department of Health (UDH) stating that suicide is the leading cause of death in Utah for 10- to 17-year-olds. 

“We’re in a major youth suicide crisis right now…we need to really hit home in our schools and anywhere we can,” Flood said, adding that the class is great for parents, counselors and educators. 

Often times mental health issues can be misjudged as anxiety, stress or being overdramatic, especially in teens Emery said. 

“It took me two years to realize that it wasn’t typical teenage rebellion,” Emery said of the experience with her daughter. 

Flood said the class shows participants the signs between typical and atypical teenage behavior. 

“You can see where a typical teenager will always go on their roller coaster ride to really seeing the signs of isolating and if they’re getting involved with alcohol and drugs,” Flood said. 

Severity and time are two of the most important things to look for according to Emery. 

“That lets you know it’s not a situational issue,” Emery said.