Kentuckians Affected by Suicide End the Silence

Central to the “Let’s Talk” campaign is a video featuring Kentuckians affected in some way by suicide. The video will debut at a “Let’s Talk” kick-off event in Frankfort on Sept. 4. Bob Robey, a bereavement counselor, explains that most people don’t want to die. They want to find a way to live.

Mark Neblett is talking about suicide every chance he gets. So are Stephen Ulrich and several other Kentucky residents.

Why? Because they’ve all loved somebody who died by suicide, and they all know suicide is a preventable public health problem. These Kentuckians also realize that if they don’t step-up and try to help others, there will be many more senseless deaths like the ones that have touched their lives.

Mark and Stephen are working to end the silence and stigma that a suicide death often brings. They’re part of a new campaign the Kentucky Suicide Prevention Group (KSPG) is launching called “Let’s Talk: Kentuckians Affected by Suicide End the Silence.”

Suicide survivors (those who have been deeply affected by the suicide of someone close to them), people who have attempted or know someone who has attempted suicide, mental health professionals and concerned citizens are raising their voices in unison to declare that now is the time to end the silence surrounding the issues of suicide and mental health disorders.

The Problem

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 34- year olds in the state and the fourth for those 35 to 54. The risk for Kentucky citizens climbs with age. Kentucky loses nearly three times as many people to suicide as to homicide. An average of over 530 Kentuckians are reported to die each year as a result of suicide and experts believe that many suicide deaths go undocumented. But people continue to keep silent about this epidemic for fear of what others might think. “We have to educate our community and our children,” said Mark, who lost his daughter Rachael, a Bullitt East High School student, after she was being cyber bullied. Rachael was the first of three Bullitt East friends who died by suicide in 2006 and 2007.

“Suicide is not the answer. It has to stop and the only way to stop it is to spread the word,” Mark said. “Let’s talk about it. Don’t brush it under the rug.”

The Solution

Central to the “Let’s Talk” campaign is a video featuring Kentuckians affected in some way by suicide. The video will debut at a “Let’s Talk” kick-off event in Frankfort on Sept. 4. By putting a face on Kentucky’s suicide deaths, this compelling and edgy video attempts to capture the essence of grief, loss and pain, while projecting the hope and triumph that can shine through adversity.

The video touches on suicide among servicemen and women returning to Kentucky from war, youth suicide and suicide contagion, suicide on college and university campuses, suicide among select ages or populations, suicide among Kentuckians affected by HIV/AIDS and more.

Through brochures and other information, Stephen hopes this campaign will alert Kentuckians to the warning signs of suicide. Ulrich lost his stepson Nathan Eisert, a former Western Kentucky University basketball player, to suicide after an injury led to his depression. Nathan’s family, the coaching staff, his teammates and friends all missed the signs that he was in crisis.

“Nathan put off all kinds of warning signs, but none of us were aware enough of the signs to see them,” said Ulrich, a member of the Kentucky Suicide Prevention Group. “If we would have know then what we know today, Nathan would be alive today.”