PORTLAND, Ore. — On Friday, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden was in Portland speaking out and learning more about youth suicide.
He said it's a crisis in the state, and health experts agree.
The senator spoke with volunteer teen suicide counselors about what they encounter on a daily basis.
They’re dealing with a lot. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center says in Oregon, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 10-24 years old.
By speaking with the youth counselors, Wyden hoped to get up-to-date information from the front lines.
Wyden said he's trying to get a national, three-digit number set up through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It would be used to help young people who are dealing with mental health issues or feeling suicidal. He said it's important for those teens to talk to someone who is specially trained to handle that type of situation, because minutes count. Precious time could mean the difference between life or death.
The teens who met with Wyden say, they hear similar things from the youth they talk with over the phone.
“Is there a teacher, an adult in your life you can talk to? There's no one. That's a very common theme,” said one teen.
“What we need to do is make sure when we’re talking about mental health matters, where even a few minutes can make a huge difference in somebody’s life, there is somebody who’s trained to deal with that targeted, specific need,” said Wyden.
Lines for Life CEO Dwight Holton said he support’s Wyden’s desire to create a phone line specifically for mental health issues.
“We have 911 for fire and rescue. This is kind of a 911 for the brain,” Holton said.
The Youth Line at Lines for Life has seen an increase in calls in recent years. Holton said five years ago counselors were talking with about 1,500 youths per year. Last year that number was around 15,000.
Holton said that higher number can be seen as a good thing. It means young people are actually reaching out for help.
If you or a young person you know wants to talk, the number to the Youth Line is 877-968-8491 or another option is texting “teen2teen” to 839863.