Suicide is third-leading cause of death for LA youth. Here's how to get help

The statistics are sobering. In 2022, nearly 900 Los Angeles County residents died by suicide.

And suicide is the third-leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 24 in Los Angeles County, according to health officials.

On Tuesday — World Suicide Prevention Day — L.A. County mental health leaders, educators and experts kicked off the 14th annual summit to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma around getting help. The two-day event at The California Endowment in downtown L.A. will feature personal accounts of suicide interventions, talks on burn-out prevention for providers and more.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Priya Batra, deputy director of the Health Promotion Bureau at the L.A. County Department of Public Health, called suicide a “preventable and significant public health concern.”

She and other speakers noted there are several ways to help, including taking a mental health first aid class, volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and sometimes just checking in with a phone call or text.

“We can’t forget that comprehensive suicide prevention also includes attending to the basic needs of our communities: economic security, ... space for arts and healing practices, workplaces that consider mental health and community connectedness,” Batra said.

What the county is doing

• Batra said the county received state funding last year to help medical professionals in county hospitals and emergency rooms better identify suicide attempts, particularly among youth. L.A. County received more than $5 million to participate in the state’s Youth Suicide Reporting and Crisis Response Pilot Pro​​gram.
  
• Over the last year, the county hosted mental health first aid trainings for community members. Those eight-hour courses teach people how to help someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis.
  
• In partnership with school districts, the county plans to expand its on-campus well-being centers to over 40 schools. Those centers provide everything from checkups to mental health services to pregnancy tests.

What you can do

The Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Network lists several ways to get involved in suicide prevention on its website.

Those include:

• Taking an in-person or self-guided suicide prevention training class through the mental health non-profits Didi Hirsch or National Alliance on Mental Illness.
  
• Volunteer or participate in an awareness walk with your local American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Chapter.
  
• Safely disposing of unneeded medications by taking them to a drug take back location and securely storing firearms with gun locks and safes.

Dr. Lisa Wong, director of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, stressed that everyone, regardless of their training, has a role to play in suicide prevention. One way is just by making yourself available to talk.

Wong recalled a situation when a client called late at night.

“It wasn’t my brilliant insights or my extensive Jungian training or my ability to do differential diagnosis that helped somebody in their moment of need. It was because I answered the phone,” Wong said.

Members of the public were welcome to attend the summit, but registration is now closed.