Voices For Suicide Prevention

According to NAMI, 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by the age of 14.  75% by the age of 24.   This tells us many things including the vast importance of early diagnosis and the continued push to break stigmas around mental health and suicide.   The more than 70 County Suicide Prevention Coalitions statewide do exactly that every single day:  break stigmas, push for more and better mental...

Data doesn't lie.  Agriculture is Ohio's biggest industry.  $124 BILLION -plus in economic output every year.  But there's another number on which we want to focus too; according to the National Rural Health Association, farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.  In Ohio, from a 2022 survey of farmers here, 1 in 10 had an at-risk score on a dep...

March is Women's History Month and for a long time in history, women have heard things like this when it comes to pregnancy, parenthood and postpartum depression:  'Isn't being pregnant just the best?'    'It's just the baby blues, it'll go away on its own.'    'Postpartum depression will likely lead to bad parenting.'    Fact: PPD is a mental heal...

Just about every time Jordyn Peaks speaks out about her suicide attempt, she breaks stigmas, which is why we're so grateful she shared her story with us and with you for our February episode.    She's heard this in one form or another many times, 'You're on TV, you're smart, beautiful and so driven, how could you have a suicide scare?'    Truth is, anyone can.   Jordy...

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is so proud to kick off another year of 'Voices for Suicide Prevention' to break stigmas, break barriers and save lives.  We're doing it in grand fashion too with new co-host, Rachel Tilson, OSPF's Director of Development.  Rachel has a personal and powerful story to tell, and you'll hear it in this episode.   Our guest this month is...

Legendary news anchor Ron Burgundy, Parks and Rec's Ron Swanson and Man Therapy's Dr. Rich Mahogany.   What's that?   Dr. Mahogany not quite ringing a bell?   Well, it's time you met him and in this episode you will!   What do these manly men have in common besides awesome mustaches?    They're all characters meant to make us both laugh and look in the mirror.    Dr. Mahog...

Have you ever worn a cowboy hat or boots?   Ever ordered barbeque at a restaurant or hickory smoked some ribs 'low and slow' on your own?  Cowboy hats didn't originate in Texas and barbeque didn't come from the South.   All of these things and so many more originated from Latin, Spanish and Hispanic cultures in other countries.   We celebrate that in today's episode with a...

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to reflect on our efforts across the state, spread awareness, and end stigma surrounding suicide. Suicide can affect anyone – no matter their age, race, gender, or sexual orientation. And that’s important to remember, especially when you may encounter someone who is in crisis. In today’s episode, you'll hear the very real stories of survivors and...

Christine Vineis builds big things. She's done it her whole career and now she's taking on cyber addiction with her grassroots movement, Families Against Social Media Addiction. As she simply and powerfully says, 'it's not a fair fight'; from algorithms that keep us all engaged to the U.S. Surgeon General with his recent warning that there isn't enough data to even sa...

Learn the name Fatimah Kobo.   She's going places, doing big things, shaping minds and re-shaping perceptions on mental health, especially among minority populations in Ohio.   She's an Americorps Vista working with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.   The Vista program is a federal program where some 7000+ people from all backgrounds assist organizations alleviate poverty.   Fatima...

The Trevor Project has done and continues to do so much every day for LGBTQ+ youth: from research to crisis services to education to Trevor Space, this organization is there 24/7.   (They've even won an Academy Award!)   Trevor's Public Training Manager, Keygan Miller, joins this episode to talk about the state of mental health and suicide prevention for young people.  They know this stu...

It's estimated that Asian American women are the second highest suicidal demographic and yet Asian Americans are often the least likely to receive mental health resources. There are many factors that have led to this, but if there's positivity moving forward, it's this; Asian Americans -- from actors to academics, educators to every-day people -- are talking about it.  In this month...

In this episode, we talk to Tracey Vitchers, the Executive Director of 'It's On Us', whose mission is to combat sexual assault on college campuses by engaging all students, including young men, and activating the largest student organizing program of its kind in grassroots awareness and prevention. Tracey tells us how she found her calling to combat sexual violence on campus while s...

If traumatic is in the name, that can make it a subject all the more difficult to talk about.  However, we must. 1 in 4 Ohioans have or will experience a traumatic brain injury and that number is likely under-reported.   A TBI can result from a fall down the steps, playing a contact sport or being victimized by domestic violence.   But Ohio is also fortunate in that we're producing cutting ed...

Numbers and data don't lie.  Compared to White communities, African Black communities experience more suicides and known factors that lead to them like increased exposure to violence and decreased access to mental health care.   This episode is dedicated to exploring that data because behind every statistic is a person, with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.  Cassie and Scott talk wi...

2022 brought about the launch of 988, and the continuing effort to bring suicide prevention and mental health under the overall scope of everyone's health care.   Today's episode features OSPF Executive Director, Tony Coder, and new COO, Molly Mottram.  Together, they look back at strides made last year and work that continues this year.   You'll also hear new details on plans by OS...

If you read Danny Eakins resume, you'd immediately say, 'Now, that's a life of service to others.'   He rose to the rank of Major in the U.S. Military, led a tank platoon in some 300 combat missions in Iraq,  he's Governor DeWine's Team Leader for the National Governor's Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Veterans, Service Members and Families, an appointee to th...

October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month and this episode is dedicated to just that; talking about depression as the debilitating influence it can be and the myriad ways millions of people have embraced living with it, treating it and overcoming it.  Our two guests walk this walk every day in their personal and professional lives and bravely share their lived experiences wi...

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation has launched many firsts and will do so again September 29th for the first ever, Art of Healing Benefit for Suicide Prevention.  This semi-formal dinner presented by White Castle is mission driven with a purpose of breaking stigmas around suicide through the healing power of art.   In this episode, you'll meet an Ohio executive and artist who bravely sha...

 The title of this month's episode is a quote from our guest but it has nothing to do with fighting the battle of suicidology or suicide prevention.  It's fighting the battle of a 24/7 'screen world'.     We're so fortunate to have Nationwide Children's Hospital Clinical Psychologist, Dr. John Ackerman, to join and explain what is happening to those young brains that...

By no means are we saying, 'don't be nice'.   Of course not.  But for our latest episode dedicated to youth mental health , you'll hear from a man whose family name is associated with comedic genius and tragic heartbreak.   Tom Farley is also a Midwesterner through and through so you'll have to stay tuned and hear his 'Midwestern mask' comment for yourself.    To...

OSPF celebrates and honors June Pride month with special guests from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland  https://lgbtcleveland.org/ and Kaleidoscope Youth Center of Columbus https://www.kycohio.org/ .   Ohio cities and towns hosted many Pride celebrations this month but there's still so much advocacy and stigma-breaking to do as LGBTQ+ youth, especially, have much higher rates of...

We wrap up the month of May and honor its designation as Mental Health Awareness Month with 2 guests who show the world on a daily basis their strength, grace, and dedication to helping others.  Jeff Heck of 33 Forever and Denise Meine-Graham of OSPF have experienced unfathomable losses and yet they continue to offer their hands, their hearts, and their voices to suicide prevention.    In this epi...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and to honor it, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is launching a brand new and historic campaign!   It's called Life Side Ohio.   For the first time in Ohio, there's dedicated outreach to the firearms community regarding mental health and suicide prevention.   This episode features 3 terrific leaders who've been instrumental in helping OSPF...

OSU offensive lineman, Harry Miller, medically retired from the sport this month to focus on his mental health.   He told his emotional story to a worldwide audience through social media and on NBC's The Today Show.   You'll hear from Harry in his own words along with two experts:  Tyler Hudson, a PhD candidate with a master's degree in mental health counseling.  Plus, Jason Hughes,...