They are critical subjects often shrouded in silence - mental health and suicide. Terry Britt, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication at UT Tyler, works to address the alarming increase in suicide rates. Britt discusses the steps UT Tyler is taking to prioritize student mental health and the importance of simply “being there” for people in their darkest hour, which can potentially save a life.
In a heart-rending turn of events, Britt shares how the near-suicide of his son has inspired him in this mission. In this candid conversation, Britt discusses the reasons behind escalating suicides, from economic hardships to political divisions. He confronts the persistent stigma around seeking help for suicidal thoughts and advocates for the vital need to erase the shame tethered to mental health. Britt emphasizes, “It’s OK not to be OK,” and encourages everyone to recognize that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, get help. Call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate danger or go to the nearest emergency room.
To connect with a trained crisis counselor, call or text 988. (Llame al 988 para ayuda en español.) Use Lifeline Chat online (English only). The lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
MIKE LANDESS: For UT Tyler Radio, I’m Mike Landess. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that suicide in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year. At 49,449 deaths, Texas ranks 17th in states with the highest number of suicides. UT Tyler has made student mental health and suicide awareness and prevention top priorities, and with us to discuss those efforts is assistant professor of communication, Terry Britt. Welcome.
TERRY BRITT: Thank you for having me.
LANDESS: September is Suicide Prevention Month across the country, and this is the third year that UT Tyler has offered an on-campus event. What all will it feature?
BRITT: Well, it’s really built around providing information and literature to the campus community on the suicide issue and, most importantly, what you can do for someone who may be in a very bad place mentally or emotionally and may be thinking about suicide. You can end up saving someone’s life by simply being there to listen in those moments where they’re really struggling with their mental health. The big thing is just bringing out the awareness part, of letting the university and the community at large, know that we care and that there’s someone that you can reach out to if you are having a difficult time. As I said, also sort of arming people with the knowledge they need to possibly help someone in a bad moment, but also to lead them to the proper professionals who can offer additional help. It’s really an effort to bring that awareness and information to the community, so we can hopefully save a few lives, or as many lives as we can save, from what is absolutely a horrible growing trend.
LANDESS: The issues related to the pandemic were blamed for increased mental health issues and suicides, but suicides actually increased after pandemic issues had pretty much gone away last year. Any thoughts as to why that is?
BRITT: I think it’s a multifaceted cause, if you will, or a lot of different factors behind it. The strife and the struggles that people face every day, and I’m thinking especially of the economic situation right now for many, many people, with rising food costs and inflation across the board. The political division creates a kind of hostile atmosphere that, I think, exacerbates the worry, the anxiety, the stress. All these things can add up to a point where someone may start to question, “Why, why am I going on, why am I trying?” And that’s where you start down that slippery slope of feeling like you don’t matter, or that try as you might, it’s hopeless. Feelings like that that can add up, if unchecked and unaddressed, can lead to tragedy.
LANDESS: You have a personal stake in all of this.
BRITT: Yeah, ironically, it was exactly 10 years ago this month that I came frighteningly close to losing my older son to suicide. He was going through a very bad situation. You know, he was at that point of, “I don’t know why I’m going on.” Fortunately, he realized how bad his mental state was and reached out to a friend, his best friend at the time, on his cell phone and fortunately that friend answered the phone and was there within 5 minutes to take him to a hospital. I’m so proud of him for the way he’s kind of bounced back from that low point, and as we speak, he’s actually in Chicago right now during his year of residency work. He’s a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology through Capella University, and I think he will likely be finished in 2025. So, there will be just the second-ever Dr. Britt in our family line.
LANDESS: That’s nice. Is there still the stigma of seeking help with mental health issues or suicidal thoughts that there have been in the past? Is there more awareness, post-pandemic?
BRITT: I think there’s definitely more awareness of the issue post-pandemic. There is definitely still so much stigma attached to suicide ideation and attempts and thinking or feeling like your life has reached a hopeless point. And that’s what we continue to battle against with those of us who are in the suicide prevention awareness efforts around the country and around the world. We want to let people know that really most, if not all of us, have those days when it really gets bad, and that’s just life. But for some of us, it has been very bad for a long time, and we, you know, there just seems no way out of it. But we want to help eliminate that seeking help or expressing that there is something seriously bad driving you to that point of considering suicide. We want that, we want to eliminate the shame and the bad feelings with needing help.
LANDESS: It’s OK not to be OK.
BRITT: It is OK not to be OK.
LANDESS: Our guest has been Terry Britt, assistant professor of Communication at UT Tyler. For more information, visit www.kvut.org. I’m Mike Landess for UT Tyler Radio.
(Transcripts are automatically generated and may contain phonetic spellings and other spelling and punctuation errors. Grammar errors contained in the original recording are not typically corrected.)