To highlight and raise awareness from the voices of youth themselves, on what needs to be done to help prevent youth suicide, the Oregon-based Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention is launching the “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention.” The “Create Resilience” contest invites Oregon youth ages 13 to 21- years-old to share creatively their ideas on how to improve youth mental health. Entries are accepted May 1 through August 1 at the “Create Resilience” Web page.
“Create Resilience” asks “what can be done?” to counter the most recent data available (2022) indicating suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the USA. Over 49,000 people died by suicide with one suicide death every 11 minutes. That same year in Oregon, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death for ages five-years-old to 24-years-old. In 2023 (most recent data available), suicide was Oregon’s eighth leading cause of death. These are deaths that did not have to be. Help is clearly needed.
The Hold on Campaign for Suicide Prevention uses the power of art to educate, connect, express, and heal. The Campaign’s founder/director, Diane Kaufman, MD, is a poet, artist, humanism-in-medicine awardee, internationally award-winning lyricist, and retired child psychiatrist. She is a suicide attempt and suicide loss survivor with Bipolar II Disorder.
The “Create Resilience” Art Contest was inspired by the essay, “If My Words Could Make a Difference,” which Dr. Kaufman wrote after she’d learned of her young adult patient’s near suicide attempt that was kept secret from years prior. The Oregon Council for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry awarded a grant to establish the “Create Resilience” Art Contest.
Communicating via the expressive arts is a way to safely release thoughts and feelings. Art making and art experiencing can help regulate emotions and has neurotransmitter effect on cortisol, serotonin, and dopamine helping to manifest a relaxed and positive mood. Music is a universal language and being available 24/7 can help bring healing messages and comfort to those who are in emotional distress. Writing poems and stories, creating artwork, listening to music and creating our own songs can be powerful medicine for the aching heart, mind, and spirit. Through art we can communicate with ourselves and others.
“We all one day will die but suicide is a death that did not have to be. Silence, shame, and stigma surrounding mental health needs to be eradicated and reaching out for help needs to be encouraged and praised,” said Dr. Kaufman. “We need to increase youth and adult awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline because it helps save lives.”
Suicide can be prevented with effective interventions such as calls to crisis lines, therapy, medication, support groups, help from family and/or friends, practicing emotional regulation skills, and limiting access to lethal means. Creating time and distance between a suicidal thought and acting on that thought is vital to suicide prevention. It is imperative to “hold on” and not succumb to suicide’s lie that death is the only answer.
The “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention” is an inspiring way to help save lives.
If teachers or mental health providers would want their youth to participate in the contest, there are how-to guidelines on the website. Contest entries, however, can be submitted by individual youth and do not require participation of a school or mental health setting. Winners will receive cash awards.
About The Hold On Campaign:
The Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention is an Oregon-based non-profit fiscally sponsored by From The Heart Productions. Its founder, Dr. Diane Kaufman, is dedicated to helping save lives by using the power of art to educate, connect, express, and heal. The Campaign’s services include community outreach, inspiring presentations on creativity & mental health, arts & healing workshops, visual art, song, and film creations for suicide prevention, and “Gifts of Hope” offerings such as suicide prevention bracelets, pins, stickers, and artwork.