INDIANAPOLIS —If you tuned into the radio between 10 a.m. and noon Tuesday, you might have heard something different. Instead of music, conversations about mental health and suicide.
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, and RTV6's community partners at Radio One stopped the music in hopes of making an impact.
The Joe and the Radio One Morning Show is usually light-hearted, but for two hours they, along with several other Radio one station, took a break from the tunes and laughter to discuss a serious topic — mental health and suicide.
"We have so many great resources, which I don't think anyone here on 100.9, on the show, knew about right here in Indy that can help you out," Joe Pesh, host of Joe and The Radio Now Morning Show, said.
Guests from local and national organizations shared personal stories.
Click here for mental health resources.
"Being full-blooded Latina, even my culture doesn't even look at mental illness," Alice Jordan Miles, director of behavioral health and family studies at Purdue University, said.
Folks discussed training happening at health facilities to recognize signs of suicidal thoughts better and shared alarming statistics.
"15 million people report to doctors or someone that they are dealing with depression annually — and that's just in the nation," Marcus Watts, founder of 'Alone is Alive, said.
Here in Indiana, the issues are unfortunately more prominent.
"In 2018 we had 1,092 deaths, and of those 70 ... are youth," Jason Murrey, Indiana Suicide Prevention coordinator and Indiana Family and Social Services administrator, said.
"Indiana is the number one state — number one state — in all of America of youth contemplating suicide," Miles said.
The hope is that the time spent in the studio on September 10 — stopping the music — to have these conversations will encourage those in need to seek help and lead to eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide.
