PORTLAND, Oregon — September is suicide prevention month and locally, statistics are indicating more and more youth are dealing with mental health crises. In August, the Doernbecher Children's Hospital specifically saw a rise in youth suicidal thoughts compared to last August.
"For years, even before the pandemic, we were seeing an increase in crisis. But it was exacerbated by the pandemic and it has continued," said Kyle Johnson with the Division of Adolescent Psychiatry at OHSU.
Johnson says OHSU has been tracking this ongoing trend since 2015. And while suicidal thoughts are on the rise among youth, Johnson says suicide attempts have stayed consistent. Of those attempts in August, 91% of cases did so by medication overdoses.
“Overdosing on medications in the home is a common means by which kids attempt suicide,” said Johnson. “The acute phase of a suicidal crisis is often short-lived. So if we can obstruct that suicidal impulse in someway, we can save lives, and a medication lockbox is a means to do that."
Lines For Life is one of the many non-profits trying to help in Portland. In the first year of the suicide crisis line 988 launching, Lines For Life has answered over 40,000 calls and 10,000 texts total from those in a mental health crisis. And more are coming in from youth as the school year is starting.
“This is what we would hear from some of our contacts,” said Emily Moser, Director of Youthline at Lines for Life. “Is that the transition from the summer to the school year can be incredibly challenging. There’s a lot of changes and a lot of growth and a lot of uncertainty that goes with getting back in school."
Just like Johnson, Moser believes having easy access to pills plays a huge part in this ongoing crisis.
“These are the things that we hear that ‘I have the pills right here.’ Or I could get them in my family's cabinet," said Moser. “This isn’t something that has changed over the course of time it is because of the access, because it is in the home.”
Having a safe place to store and lock medication with at-risk youth at home is encouraged. OHSU has launched a program giving away lock boxes for families who visit their facility to use at home.
There's more funding also on the way to combat the problem. The Oregon Health Authority recently announced it's awarding over $640,000 to local suicide prevention initiatives.
"I would encourage parents to spend time with their youth," said Johnson. "Sit and talk with them. Let them know that they're available to them to talk about emotional issues and the stresses and strains that the kids face."