Local teen aims to bring suicide awareness to community

For the past 30 years, Montana has ranked among the top five states with the highest rates of suicide in all age groups.

According to the 2015 "Suicide Prevention in Montana Legislative Update," in 2013, there were 231 suicides in Montana for a rate of 22.8 per 100,000 people compared to a national rate of around 13 per 100,000 people.

A local teenager plans to change the lives of others concerning this issue by bringing suicide awareness to the community.

Hannah Pepprock, 17, a Havre High School senior and president of the school's Key Club, said that she is organizing a suicide awareness week at HHS.

Pepprock is still planning this event and is seeking a speaker to talk about the subject. She is also planning to bring in counselors and provide things such as ribbons and wristbands for the school.

"We're hoping to have something impactful each day," she said. "At the same time we're looking at educating our kids and our teachers on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and depression."

Pepprock said the goal for this project is to raise awareness of suicide, self-harm and depression. She hopes this will become an annual event.

"We have a lot of students that don't really know where to go or don't know when to go get help. I think we also have a lot of teachers that don't really know when's an appropriate time to refer a student to a counselor," she added.

Pepprock is looking to hold this event February or May, however the actual dates are not set in stone at this time.

"This will happen before I graduate," she said. "I think suicide is sort of a stigma, especially in a small town - and it shouldn't be. People shouldn't be afraid to talk about it."

Pepprock also said that she hopes this event will branch out into the community and that funding this project is proving difficult.

Amber Spring, chair of the Havre-Hill County Mental Health Local Advisory Council said that her group is partnering up with Pepprock's project.

Spring said that she has been guiding Pepprock through the organizing process.

"Awareness is a huge prevention mechanism when it comes to suicide," she said.

Spring added that resources will be made available during the course of the week.

"This can be a difficult subject to talk about," she added.

For more information on this project, contact HHS's Key Club advisor, John Ita at 265-6731.