According to data from the CDC, in 2024 48,824 Americans committed suicide and 2.9 million Americans attempted suicide- that is 133 suicides averaging per day.

In 2024, Logan Price, a former Sedro-Woolley High School student and son of Stacy Price, a Physical Education (PE) teacher at Sedro-Woolley High School, decided to take his own life. 

“Logan was a very caring person with a lot of energy. He liked to entertain people and bring them together,” said Price. Logan was very involved in ASB and drama, Price says he owned his own professional wrestling company and put on shows. 

 “We knew he struggled with his mental health and had been taking steps to work on it through counseling and medication,” said Price.

Price says his loss is something that she can’t really describe. “I miss talking to him. We always had great conversations about many topics.” 

According to Alyssa Saupe, a counselor at Sedro-Woolley High School, there are some “telltale” signs of someone who is thinking about attempting suicide. 

“Changes in behavior can be an indicator, like acting more withdrawn or if there’s unusual shifts in attendance or grades, ” says Saupe.  “Students might also come to our attention because someone who cares about them has noticed something concerning”

She says common warning signs can include changes in eating or sleeping habits, loss of interest in activities, withdrawing from friends or family, engaging in risky behaviors, expressing hopelessness or talking about suicide.

Cadyn Vance-Thorneycroft, a senior at Sedro-Woolley High School, says that she found support during times of crisis. 

“I found support from friends from them feeling similar, which made me feel less alone, and I found support from staff from them caring about my feelings and trying to do what they thought was right to help me,” said Vance-Thornycroft, who opened up about her struggles with people not taking her seriously. 

“My mother was the only one who took me seriously and she cared for me. I remember one time I self harmed so badly she sat me on the floor and wrapped me in bandages. She was the only one who truly cared at times.”

Vance-Thorneycroft, wants to remind anyone who is currently struggling with mental health, that it gets better, you just have to push through it with the support.

One of those support systems is Victoria “Tori” Weber, a mental health therapist who serves the Sedro-Woolley School District. 

In Sedro-Woolley School District, students are referred to Weber, with their consent, by a school counselor. School counselors may know the students themselves and refer from what they know, or they may get information from parents, teachers, other staff members, or even community members about a student that may need additional support.

“If someone you know seems ‘off,’ this might be a sign they’re struggling,” said Weber

Some signs are usually sudden changes in behaviors, concerning drawings or notes, making comments about how the world would be better off without them, seeming uninterested in things they used to be interested in, anger or aggression, seeming sad, and showing signs that someone is not okay as an individual or as the person. 

“Sometimes, there are just things going on in someone’s life that we can’t control,” said Weber. 

This could be divorce, death of a loved one/pet, past experiences, limited access to regular food, and any number of things.

Another thing is stress in general. Weber mentions that breaking bigger overwhelming items into smaller pieces or writing things out (for example journaling, to-do lists, etc.) can be really helpful.

“Don’t avoid the things that feel overwhelming – if you keep putting off the pile of homework, not only is the pile going to get bigger, but so will the overwhelm,” said Weber

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances,  people have been starting to use AI for mental health support. 

“Please don’t rely on AI for mental health support,” said Weber “Human connection is a powerful healing tool, and it is one of the best tools mental health professionals have to support our clients.”

911 dispatchers are trained to try and deescalate the situation by remaining calm. If a caller is in imminent danger, the call will be entered at a higher priority.

“We remain calm. We attempt to get the chief complaint of what is occurring, where it’s occurring and who needs to respond,” said a local Skagit 911 dispatcher. “We enter a call for service and advise the necessary field units to provide help.”

A common misconception is being afraid to call 911 as they are worried they, or the person involved, may get arrested. “Our primary goals are to provide help and make sure everyone is safe,” said the dispatcher.

If a caller requests to speak with a crisis line, and there is no immediate threat, they will transfer them to a service such as 988. 

Jill Sprouse, is the advisor for Cubs Advocating for Mental Health & Prevention (CAMP).  Sprouse brings her therapy dog Aspin. She says CAMP does different things, depending on what the youth want to do, and this group, this year, wanted to focus on mental health and suicide prevention.  

“This group, this year,  is really about increasing the feeling of belonging and that people don’t feel alone. And so the CAMP club has really decided to focus on kindness and inclusion,” said Sprouse. 

Now, if you’re feeling suicidal or know someone who is, don’t be afraid to reach out for help to a trusted adult. There are resources out there for you. You can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. By either calling or texting 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org