Group comes together at Ohio Statehouse to recognize World Suicide Prevention Day

NBC4i | By Natalie Fahmy

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:

• Be Present Ohio (ages 10-24)
• Life is Better with You Here (communities of color)
• OhioCares (veterans/military members)
• Got Your Back (Ohio’s agricultural communities)
• Life Side Ohio (firearms community)
• Man Therapy Ohio
• Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Military Members, Veterans, and their Families

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.

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