Suicide

“This was a special project for us to be a part of,” Leavitt says. “It was a way to honor those people who have lost their lives to mental illness.”

On July 10, 2015, 16-year-old Cory Swapp took his own life. Here’s why Cory’s mom has been dedicated to teaching other mothers what she wished she would’ve known.

In this week's episode of This Is is the Gospel, Becky endures soul-rending pain after losing her oldest daughter, Amber, to suicide. But while going through Amber's belongings, Becky discovers her daughter had secretly been donating to an orphanage in India. Intrigued, Becky eventually makes her way to the orphanage where she begins her work helping those with a crippling disease she thought had been eradicated long ago.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in October 2020.

Elder Renlund encourages Latter-day Saints to “reach out in love and caring for those who have suicidal thoughts, who have attempted suicide, who feel marginalized in any way. We need to reach out with love and understanding. And you do that in concert with health care professionals, with ecclesiastical leaders, with friends and family support.”

Community, civic, and faith leaders gathered at the Utah State Capitol Monday to announce a public-private effort to fund a suicide prevention and awareness campaign.

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Many years ago, my wife approached me and wanted to purchase flower baskets to be placed around our home to add color and beauty. At first, I was a bit resistant when she told me the cost, but as is usual in our home, I relented and quickly appreciated them for many reasons. It became my responsibility to care for these flowers and ensure that they received the water they needed. One day, my wife made a specific request. She said, “George, please remember to water the edges of the baskets. If you don’t, the flowers will die.” Little did I know how profoundly her comments would affect me.

The first question Kristen Coltrin asks as she talks about suicide prevention with Church lay leaders is: What would you do if someone came to you with a crushed bone?

“I feel like I am constantly living in an alternate universe.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell quoted Anne Morrow Lindbergh as saying, “I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable.”

It was Aug. 31, 2009, and then 32-year-old Rob Eastman had a gun in his mouth, ready to pull the trigger and end his life. It was at that moment when a vision of his mom and infant daughter popped into his head.

“Try just saying the name ‘Jesus Christ’ in a perilous setting with one who has lost hope. Just calling upon Him by name, with reverence, can make a difference in a difficult moment," Elder Ronald A. Rasband said in a message to Church Education System Employees. "He loves us in our brightest and our darkest hours. . . . Jesus Christ is always the answer."

“For me, looking backward from the future is a remembrance of things to come,” Elder Gong said. “It is an invitation to prepare now for a future that will be here tomorrow."

For those seeking help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides suicide prevention resources at suicide.lds.org.

Suicide can be preventable, and learning what to watch for can save lives.

“We can’t save everybody, but we can save somebody,” Judi VanEperen said about her participation in the music video. “We just want to keep reaching out. We just want to save more people.”

On August 9, theChurch released a letter outlining how Church members can better "take an active role within their communities to minister to those who have thoughts of suicide or who are grieving a loss." The letter includes resources to help Latter-day Saints understand Church teachings about suicide, how to recognize warning signs, how to help someone in crisis, and how to support loved ones grieving a family member who has taken their own life.

“We hope that this LDS Foundation grant to Affirmation will aid in suicide prevention amongst LGBTQ+ Mormons throughout the world and also be an encouragement to LDS members, bishops, Young Men and Young Women presidencies, and others working with Mormon youth to take advantage of these training opportunities with us,” Affirmation President Carson Tueller said in a news release.

We don't always recognize when someone is struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. Sometimes, we may even think the opposite: that everything seems to be going their way.

After years of bullying that eventually turned into persistent depression, JaQuavious reached a moment in his life where he felt he couldn't continue to live. After calling his parents and over a dozen friends for help, no one answered his call. "The pain went from mentally to emotionally. I could feel it in my bones and it turned physically painful," JaQuavious says. "When I pleaded to God for help, I didn't honestly receive an answer right away. I felt the Spirit of God come upon me and say, 'You know what, just watch and see what I do.'" After that moment, JaQuavious began to see the grace of God work in his life.

"Suicide exists amongst every group and must be addressed; this can only be done effectively as concerned parents, teachers, counselors and legislators work across political and religious lines."

I don't think anyone ever told me the telestial kingdom specifically, but I do remember growing up with the belief that anyone who died by suicide wouldn't make it to the celestial kingdom.

Suicide—there are no words that describe the anguish that word brings to those affected by it. Unfortunately, some know that anguish all too well.

Working with a collaboration of Christan artists, Paul Cardall released music videos for a new Stone Angel album, Worth of Souls: Songs to Rescue & Restore Faith in Jesus Christ. Performed by over 10 contemporary Christian artists, the album features 13 beautiful songs to uplift and restore peace to troubled hearts.

Utah's teen suicide rate has been rising in recent years. In 2016, suicide became number one cause of death for children 10 to 17 in Utah.

The suicide rate among youth in the U.S. continues to rise—especially in Utah. How can we protect the youth in our families and wards? Here is what the experts say.

As a chair on Utah's emergency Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force, which is working closely with Church leaders, LDS Lt. Governor Spencer Cox recently opened up about his own personal experience with suicidal thoughts. His new focus on creating discussions about suicide has begun shaping the way people talk with friends and family and has changed lives. Here is just one instance he shared:

Mormon Newsroom released a report Tuesday outlining how Utah government and community leaders are coming together for teen suicide prevention. On Tuesday morning, Governor Gary Herbert invited members of the Teen Suicide Prevention Task Force to share their recommendations regarding teen suicide prevention.

Noting that youth suicides have reached a "crisis point," Elder Ronald A. Rasband announced at the Utah State Capitol Wednesday that the LDS Church is expanding its resources for local Church leaders regarding suicide prevention.

“What is changing—and what needs to change—is to help Church members respond sensitively and thoughtfully where they encounter same-sex attraction in their own families, among other Church members, or elsewhere." —Elder Dallin H. Oaks

After one of his institute students, Jeremy Downs, died by suicide early this year, Robert Elliot and his wife, Kathryn Elliott, were prompted to do something a little different—write the song "He Can Carry Me."

For National Suicide Awareness Month, many have been reaching out and opening up about their personal struggles with mental illness and suicide. Al Fox Carraway is not one of those people. She has not experienced thoughts of suicide, but still she has decided to speak out on this topic. "Even in my ignorance, I know that silence is the worst thing and I don’t want my inadequacies to stop me anymore," Carraway wrote on Instagram, sharing the following powerful message:

Editor's note: The following story discusses rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping and might be disturbing for some readers.

For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight this powerful story from LDS author Ganel-Lyn Condie.

For Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Church has published several new articles in Church magazines and updated Church leader training and suicide.lds.org. Here's one powerful message from an article they posted on Mormon Newsroom: "As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a sacred duty in our congregations and families to reach out to everyone in our communities. We can’t let youth feel isolated or unwanted."

In a powerful and emotional video, former LDS contestant on The Voice Lauryn Judd shared a moving message about suicide awareness and prevention. On YouTube, she wrote:

Thanks to the Deseret News for making us aware of this video.

From his blog to a Church video sharing his own struggle with depression and suicide, Seth Adam Smith has been a strong voice for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

“As I sat in the hospital, the realization that this is now my story settled in,” Heidi Swapp wrote on her blog shortly after her son Cory’s death. “I didn’t like this story at all. It’s not the story that I imagined for Cory, or for my family. However, I am a storyteller. I am a memory keeper, and I am a person who believes that good comes from even the worst situation, if you look for it.”

LDS artist Nadia Khristean uses her music as an avenue of advocating causes she feels strongly about. Recently, she met a dancer named Sarah who choreographs routines that promote awareness—specifically, Sarah had choreographed a powerful dance about her father's suicide.

LDS mother and blogger Heidi Swapp spoke to an audience of parents at a local fire station to address how they can help their teens when they experience a crisis in their personal lives.

In the middle of the night when no one would hear and no one would be around to stop her, Hannah decided to take her own life. But that same night, her mother awoke with a feeling her daughter needed her. "That voice is what saved my life," Hannah says in a powerful video from the Mormon Channel.

"I could feel a part of me craving a hug from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I was so ready for that kind of love. I realize now, that feeling was Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ trying to comfort me and be there for me," Ashley Richards remembers the night she attempted suicide for the last time.

I hope this brave, honest personal account written by Delisa Hargrove on Mormon Hub can help us all have more empathy and become more mindful of those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts in our families and our wards.