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This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7. To reach the 24/7 Crisis Text Helpline, text 4HOPE to 741741.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It is Suicide Prevention Month and Tuesday was World Suicide Prevention Day. So, suicide loss survivors gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to share their stories and ask for more to be done.
“It’s about shifting from a culture of silence and a lack of understanding to one of openness, empathy and support,” Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention (OSPF) Foundation Tony Coder said.
David Rife is one of the suicide loss survivors who was at the statehouse on Tuesday. He lost his son, Matthew Rife on July 8, 2019, when Matthew was 33.
“It was the worst day of my life,” Rife said. “He didn’t want people to know about what he was going through, so he kept his struggle inside. And, you know, we never really knew how bad the fight was until we lost him.”
Rife said first, he wants to see the stigma go away. He said work has been done, but it is still not enough.
“There’s such a stigma around mental health,” Rife said. “People don’t want to be labeled; people don’t want other people knowing what’s going on. If somebody walked up to you and said they had cancer, you would lean in in a heartbeat to see what you could do to help. If somebody comes up and tells you they suffer from depression or bipolar disorder, people tend to lean away. We can’t do that as a society.”
According to the most recent numbers by the Ohio Department of Health, back in 2022, there were 1,797 suicide deaths in Ohio, which was a 2% increase from 2021.
Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Ohioans ages ten to 14 and 20 to 34. Overall, it is the 13th leading cause of death in the state.
Rife said another large gap in Ohio’s mental health resources is help after someone is hospitalized. He said he experienced the lack of resources firsthand with his son.
“Sometimes it was six months before we could get him in to see a counselor,” Rife said. “If somebody goes through a traumatic situation where they need to be hospitalized, there’s got to be follow up care so we can make sure that we don’t just help them in that short window, get them over that bridge and then put them back on the street and say, ‘hey, good luck.’”
Rife said there has to be a “methodical plan,” for continuous help to bridge treatment. Despite millions of dollars in the state budget going toward mental health resources, families say it does not matter if it is not used the right way.
“We’re so far behind. The system is so far behind.” Coder said.
In a statement, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services said, “every loss by suicide is tragic,” and outlined their plan for more solutions.
“Under Governor DeWine’s leadership, and with the support of the General Assembly, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is focused on building one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide strategies focusing on suicide prevention,” a spokesperson for OhioMHAS said.
Those initiatives include Ohio’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, that, since launching in July 2022 has responded to nearly 340,000 calls, texts, and chats. They also outline prevention programs that they are working on building up prevention efforts focused on groups that are considered at high-risk of suicide. They include:
Meanwhile, families who have lost loved ones to suicide are continuing to put their efforts into advocacy as well. Rife said he has hope for the future.
“If people do feel comfortable asking for help, then maybe, just maybe, the Ohio Suicide Prevention or Foundation ends up working its way out of business someday,” Rife said.
This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know needs support now, call, text or chat the 988 Lifeline.
Donna and Jeff Heck carry their daughter Dani’s obituary with them.
“We are part of the club that nobody wanted to be in,” Donna Heck said. “Part of the club that lost someone that we love and treasure to suicide. … The one thing that we learned the most is suicide does not care about your gender, your race, your political or religious beliefs or your socioeconomic status.”
Their daughter Dani took her life in February 2019. She was 33 and had a lifelong battle with depression.
“She was accomplished and bold and beautiful and successful,” Donna said. “Everything a parent would want, except she was fighting demons within with depression,” Donna said. “…We have learned that just because someone’s smiling, it doesn’t mean we’re okay.”
The Hecks were one of four families who shared their story about their loved one who died by suicide during an Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation press conference Tuesday morning at the Statehouse. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and Tuesday was World Suicide Prevention Day.
The number of Ohioans who died by suicide increased by 2% in 2022, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
There were 1,797 suicide deaths in Ohio in 2022 — the 13th-leading cause of death in Ohio, according to ODH’s Suicide Demographics and Trends 2022 report.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline moved to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline two years ago. Since then Ohio 19’s call centers have responded to nearly 340,000 calls, texts and chats — an average of more than 14,000 contacts each month.
Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 10-14 and 20-34 that year. Men accounted for 80% of Ohio suicide deaths, according to the ODH report.
Dave Rife shared about his son Matthew during the press conference.
“He was very charismatic, and everybody loved him,” he said. “He was just a very vibrant and outgoing person. On the inside, he was fighting a fight that very few people knew about.”
Matthew died on July 8, 2019.
“I lost my son to depression,” Rife said. “My hope is that we all come together to fight and break the stigma around mental health, because, let’s face it, mental health is nothing more than disease. It’s a disease of the brain, if we treat it as a disease, there should be no stigma around people should feel comfortable asking for help.”
Chris Grant lost her daughter Jayda to suicide on May 30, 2022. Her daughter was 20. Jayda was hospitalized for depression and anxiety, but her family did not receive any kind of support when she was discharged.
“I think that is one issue that needs to be addressed,” Grant said. “I think young people who are struggling with mental illness need support. … I don’t believe my daughter wanted to take her life, but I believe that the illness that she suffered was making it that much harder for her to live.”
Sandy Williams lost her father Jerry to suicide two days before his 75th birthday.
“Too often, when an older person is suffering from any kind of mental illness, it’s written off,” she said. “It’s just a sign of aging.”
She was 53 when her dad died.
“I still needed my dad and he should still be here today to be made a positive impact,” she said.
Men 75 and older has the highest rate of suicide deaths, according to the ODH report.
Jeff Heck wishes Ohio had more places that offered help after someone makes an attempt at their own life or experiences a mental health challenge.
“If you break a hip, if you have a cardiac event or a stroke, you go to rehab,” he said. “We don’t have that for mental health.”
A mental health rehabilitation center in Toledo called Dani’s Place was named in honor of his daughter Dani.
Athens has the Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, a clinic designed for people discharged from psychiatric hospitals who could use inpatient care. It opened in September 2018.
“We need one in every single community in Ohio and across the country,” Jeff said.
The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is asking lawmakers to put it out of business.
Executive Director Tony Coder and several suicide loss survivors expressed that goal at a Statehouse press conference Tuesday highlighting what they called “a club no one wants to be in.”
“The system is so far behind,” Coder said of the state’s efforts to combat suicide.
Timed to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, the event comes during a spending cycle in which lawmakers funneled new resources into the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline but refrained from establishing a permanent funding source.
Between that and on-the-ground prevention and treatment options advocates say are lacking, plenty of policy work lies ahead for the foundation heading into both the lame duck period and the approaching Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget cycle.
“I’m grateful to Gov. DeWine for putting so much funding into mental health over the last few years,” Coder said. “But this next budget is going to be rough and we’re going to be really active in making sure our community mental health centers, that our hospitals, the folks who are doing the work out there really do get the resources they need to start approaching this problem.”
About 720,000 people die by suicide each year worldwide, Coder said, citing the World Health Organization. Nearly 50,000 of those are from the United States, giving the nation the 31st highest suicide rate out of the 183 countries measured. In Ohio, the Department of Health reported 1,797 lives lost to suicide in 2022 – or five a day.
At the same time, officials have deemed the initial years of the 988 hotline a success as it has grown from 7,000 calls and texts a month at the outset to 20,000 as of this summer, Coder said.
Lawmakers pumped a combined $46.5 million into the hotline in the current budget (HB 33 Tracked). As to permanent funding options, Coder said he continues to urge policymakers to dip into recreational marijuana tax revenue for that purpose, which he acknowledged remains a “contentious subject” between the two chambers. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, July 16, 2024)
The foundation also maintains its support for a 25-cent fee on phone bills – similar to 911’s existing 40-cent fee – to support the hotline.
Coder said the hotline’s performance remains impressive considering nearly two-thirds of Ohioans do not know the resource exists.
“We need to make sure, just like 911, everybody knows…that folks have access to care when they need it,” Coder said.
Coder was flanked by family members who have lost loved ones to suicide, driving the statistics home. They included Donna and Jeff Heck, who lost their daughter at age 33 after a lifelong battle with depression.
“How many people can carry their daughter’s obituary?” Donna asked. “It’s horrible.”
“Jeff and I learned so many things and a few of the things that we have learned is just because someone’s smiling it doesn’t mean they’re OK.”
Sandy Williams, describing the death of her father shortly before his 75th birthday, said it is not just parents being impacted. In Ohio, 80% of those who die by suicide are men, with those above 75 years old making up the highest number.
Chris Grant, who lost her 20-year-old daughter in 2022, said she felt ill-equipped to support Jada after she was released from a hospital for depression and anxiety.
“When she was discharged, sadly, our family, we were not given any sort of support,” she said. “We were not asked to a part of her care or aftercare and for me I think that is one issue that needs to be addressed.”
“Young people who are struggling with mental illness – they need advocates, they need support,” she said. “I would hope that being here today will somehow help OSPF and our legislators address ways that we can continue to support our young people and help them find a hope that they’re so desperately needed.”
Multiple speakers emphasized that one cannot judge someone’s inner struggles by their outward appearance. Dave Rife, president of the foundation’s board of directors, said his son, Matthew, was “a very vibrant and outgoing person,” but that his smile hid the turmoil inside.
“Mental health is nothing more than a disease,” Rife said. “If we treat it as a disease…people should feel comfortable asking for help and if people do feel comfortable asking for help then maybe, just maybe, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation ends up working its way out of business some day.”
Suicide is a public health crisis. If you or anyone you know is in crisis, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988. More information can be found here.
After Donna Heck’s daughter Dani, then 33, died by suicide more than five years ago after a lifelong battle with her mental health, Heck said she started carrying Dani’s obituary with her wherever she went.
“We are part of the club that nobody wanted to be part of, the club that lost someone that we love and treasure to suicide,” Heck said. “Suicide does not care about your gender, your race, your political or religious beliefs or your socioeconomic status.”
Ohio Department of Health data from 2022 showed the state lost about five Ohioans to suicide every single day. The state’s suicide rate rose from 2020 to 2022, with men accounting for 80% of all state suicide deaths.
Men 75 and older died by suicide at the highest rate, according to the data. Sandy Williams knows the statistic well. A framed photo of her beaming father, Jerry, sat next to her on a Statehouse podium as she delivered remarks Tuesday morning.
“It’s not seen as a tragedy, the way it’s seen when an 18-year-old dies,” Williams said. “I am here to tell you that it is a tragedy. Even at 53, I still needed my dad, and he should still be here today.”
Williams, the Hecks and other current and former members of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation used Tuesday—which marked World Suicide Day—to advocate against an issue they argue doesn’t discriminate.
Under Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration, advocates have largely lauded increased appropriations to mental health resources. But the foundation’s call for action came with concerns that those resources will get fewer funds the next budget cycle
“This next budget is going to be rough and we’re going to be really active in making sure that our community mental health centers, that our hospitals, that folks who are doing the work out there really do get the resources they need,” said Tony Coder, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation executive director.
He’s watching economic trends now, he said, months ahead of the next budget cycle—which will start in early 2025. Coronavirus relief money ran dry already.
“Usually, social services are the first thing to get cut,” Coder said in an interview after.
Coder wants to see the state fund mental health rehabilitation facilities in communities and secure a permanent funding source for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or 988, among his other priorities.
By Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation
In my role, I attend funerals for Ohioans who have died by suicide. One of them was a young woman, and after her death, her family felt a lack of support. Her mother shared with me that when her other daughter died of cancer, the community rallied around the family, providing meals, offering to clean the house, and helping with her other children’s activities. However, when her daughter died by suicide, there was no similar outpouring of support. She felt hurt, realizing later that people didn’t know how to talk about suicide. This lack of support and hesitancy to talk about death by suicide is a common experience for families who have lost someone to suicide, which can lead to feelings of isolation and guilt. Suicide is a complex issue without a singular cause.
September marks National Suicide Prevention Month, a time not only for raising awareness but also for making real changes in how we approach mental health and suicide. We have a unique opportunity to enhance our understanding of these complex issues, promote open dialogue, and break down the stigma that often prevents effective intervention.
Suicide continues to be a significant public health issue in our nation and our state. In Ohio, we lose five people to suicide every day. While recent statistics from the Ohio Department of Health show a drop in youth deaths by suicides in 2022, we continue to see alarming rates among men and at-risk populations like our senior citizens. We must look beyond the numbers and recognize the complex contributing risk factors to address this.
Education is our first line of defense. We must talk about suicide and create an environment that provides meaningful support for those who are facing a mental health crisis or who are struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideations. By avoiding discussions about suicide, we are creating obstacles for those who need access to help.
Our focus should also extend to the various community initiatives designed to prevent suicide and support recovery. Many schools have implemented comprehensive programs, including Sources of Strength Ohio and Be Present Ohio: The Online Experience, to educate students and staff about mental health and create a supportive environment. These initiatives are instrumental in early identification and intervention, potentially saving lives and fostering resilience among young people
We must address the needs of individuals who have attempted suicide or families and friends grieving a loss. Post-suicide recovery plans should be robust and compassionate, offering continuous support rather than a one-time intervention. One example of this is L.O.S.S. Teams, which are trained to respond to those left behind after a suspected suicide loss. L.O.S.S. team members, many of whom are fellow loss survivors, provide practical support and a connection to resources. Most importantly, they plant seeds of hope.
Access to professional mental health services is critical, and promoting awareness of these resources can help individuals seek the support they need. Ohio’s 988 crisis hotline is indispensable for providing immediate support. Ensuring its continuous availability demands committed funding.
Suicide Prevention Month is not just a time for reflection but a call to action. By working together—schools, state leaders, local organizations, healthcare providers, and individuals—we can foster a culture where mental health is openly discussed, and everyone feels empowered to seek help. Reducing stigma, increasing education, removing barriers to mental health care, and having conversations are all steps toward the goal of zero deaths by suicide.
Together, we can build a more supportive, understanding, and proactive approach to mental health and suicide prevention.
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Tony Coder is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, where he leads the charge to support community-based efforts in Ohio to reduce the stigma of suicide, promote education and awareness about suicide prevention, provide training and development, and increase resources and programs that reduce the risk of lives lost to suicide.
Grant funding totaling $50,000 is available for programs supporting the prevention of older adult suicide in Ohio. The Jerry Williams Memorial Fund was established in 2023, with support from the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, to honor the memory of Jerry Williams, who lost his life to suicide at age 74. The fund is dedicated to saving the lives of older adults, a group often lost in suicide prevention outreach activities.
Eligible applicants include Ohio-based suicide prevention organizations, programs, services, and efforts targeting Ohioans 65 and older. The application deadline is August 16, 2024. More information about the fund and the application is available at https://www.jerryswalk.org/jerrywilliams-memorialfund-application.
According to statistics by the Centers for Disease Control, suicide rates are higher per capita among older adults, particularly those over 65. Historically, less attention has been paid to research and prevention efforts targeting this age group than younger populations. The Jerry Williams Memorial Fund was created to correct this oversight. The fund supports the development of creative yet practical ideas of how best to tackle stigma and reach senior adults to reduce the rising rate of suicide among them.
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For more information about the Jerry Williams Memorial Fund, contact Sandy Williams at jerrywilliamsfund@gmail.com.
Brandon is a Sports reporter who created The Mental Game podcast after his own battle with depression and suicide. He hosts emotional interviews with athletes, musicians and celebrities to help break the stigma around mental health. The Mental Game guests include movie star Terry Crews, The Office star Kate Flannery, rapper Kevin Gates and many more. His mission is to save lives with impactful conversations about depression, anxiety and mental health.
Listen to The Mental Game podcast: https://www.mentalgamepodcast.com
Man Therapy Ohio provides information about men’s mental health and suicide prevention. It does not provide crisis response or clinical services.
If you are concerned and think you or a loved one may need immediate help, please go to your local emergency department or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing “988” for 24/7, free and confidential support. We also have a list of mental health resources in Ohio on our website at www.mantherapy.org.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Columbus Division of Police said its officers are responding to mental health calls every day and it wants to make sure they are equipped to handle these situations.
More than 100 officers from Columbus and more than 20 other agencies took part in a training session Wednesday focused on responding to youth in a mental health crisis.
Mental health experts hope the officers are leaving the training able to recognize when a person is having a mental health crisis.
Matt Dorgan knows firsthand just how impactful police interaction can be during a mental health crisis.
“The day that Brianna passed away, the first officers arrived were CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) officers,” Dorgan said.
Brianna is Dorgan’s daughter. She died by suicide in December 2020 at 15 years old.
“They really helped me, you know, because now I was going through a mental health crisis,” Dorgan said. “You know, it was the beginning of December. I’m laying on the parking lot, you know, sobbing with no shoes, no shirt, sobbing away and they just kind of took me under their wing,” Dorgan said.
Dorgan has a law enforcement background and his mission now is to help law enforcement agencies like Columbus improve their interaction with people going through a mental health crisis. He founded the organization Building Bridges with Brianna to do so.
Lt. Mike Voorhis with the Columbus Division of Police said he’s noticed a shift in the way the division handles mental health in the last four years. He said dealing with a youth mental health crisis can be very different than dealing with an adult.
“You show up for a child that doesn’t want to get up and go to school. Why don’t they want to go to school, when you find out there’s something else behind that,” Voorhis said.
Voorhis leads the division’s mobile crisis response unit, a team made up of five officers and one sergeant. They work seven days a week and respond to a variety of mental health calls.
“We want to help them,” Voorhis said. “We want to get out there and help the children and help people find resources that they need. So our big goal today is to provide a lot of resources for officers so that when they go to these houses, they can provide the resources to the people in the community.”
He said they use presenters from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, ADAMH and Kaleidoscope Youth Center to give officers the tools they need.
“Oftentimes the police are the first interaction in a crisis right there at the front door, and so they set the stage for all the other interactions with that crisis specifically and then any crisis that follows in that person’s lifetime,” Karly Tennant, the director of clinical services for the Franklin County ADAMH board, said.
Local mental health organizations hope the officers leave the training knowing that what they do matters and every interaction has an impact.
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/central-ohio-officers-receive-mental-health-training
An event at the Boardman Holiday Inn focused on protecting the aging population from abuse and exploitation.
The event was put on by Direction Home of Eastern Ohio and featured speakers from a variety of organizations including Summa Health, Youngstown State University, Meridian Healthcare and the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
Breakout sessions covered a variety of topics including cognitive changes in people as they age, the impact hoarding can have on others, human trafficking of older adults, drug use in seniors and suicide prevention.
“There are so many individuals who never come forward and say that they’ve been financially, physically or sexually abused,” Cassandra Valentini, Communications Director for Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, said. “We’re really trying with this conference to hit all those different topics and educate our local community to make sure that we have folks out there who can address these concerns as they’re brought to our attention.”
Advocates also highlighted the warning signs and best practices to help out loved ones as they age.
June is Men’s Health Month
Stephanie Beougher
Communications Director
Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF)
stephanie.beougher@ohiospf.org
614.429.1528 ext. 113
Ohio, June 5, 2024 – June is Men’s Health Month. It’s an important time to shine a light on mental health, which can be a tough subject for some men to tackle. Man Therapy Ohio, a free men’s mental health resource website found at mantherapy.org, today released three common myths to address the stigma around men’s mental health.
Myth #1
Men can fix their own problems.
Fact: Men are the ultimate boot-strappers. So, it’s only natural that many of them believe they can fix their emotional, behavioral and mental problems themselves. Trying to fix mental disorders like depression and anxiety without professional assistance is like trying to heal a broken femur without a surgeon.
Myth #2
Men should keep their feelings to themselves.
Fact: Just because this myth has been instilled in male culture since the Jurassic Period, doesn’t make it true. It’s very important for guys to talk about their feelings, because keeping them bottled up only makes them worse. It’s time men start sharing their feelings with their friends and family members.
Myth #3
Asking for help is not manly.
Fact: Reaching out for professional support isn’t a weakness; it’s a sign of strength. Therapy isn’t just for people who are depressed or struggling with addiction. Therapy is for anyone who can use someone to talk to besides friends, family members or coworkers.
You can find additional resources for men, as well as support for those looking to help the men in their lives with mental health, on the Man Therapy Ohio website: https://mantherapy.org.
Man Therapy is being promoted throughout Ohio as a website for men. Once on the website, you might be invited to participate in a voluntary, and paid, survey project.
Man Therapy Ohio does not provide crisis response or clinical services. If you are concerned and think you or a loved one may need immediate help, please go to your local emergency department or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing “988” for 24/7, free and confidential support.