Voices For Suicide Prevention

Scott Light
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health

The suicide crisis in Ohio and in America has no boundaries and neither will our conversations. We'll talk openly about the how, the why and the solutions to suicide prevention. This vital conversation is brought to you by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation as we'll highlight experts, counselors, clinicians, advocates and ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the name of saving lives.

  1. 10h ago

    Why Older Adults Face Higher Suicide Risks and the New Toolkit to Start the Conversation

    Older adults have the highest suicide rates in the United States, and we still don’t treat that fact with the urgency it deserves. We sit down with Dr. Jessica Haberman (VA psychologist), Lisa Castro, and Tim Leonard from the Ohio Department of Aging to name what too often goes unsaid: depression is not a normal part of aging, and “they’ve lived a full life” is not an excuse to look away. We dig into the biggest suicide risk factors for older adults and older Ohioans, including social isolation and loneliness, grief and life transitions like retirement, substance use, and the heavy toll of chronic medical conditions and chronic pain. We also talk about older veteran suicide risk, why lethal means safety matters, and how the COVID era intensified isolation and reduced people’s sense of trust. Then we get practical with the newly released, Ohio Older Adult Toolkit:  https://www.ohiospf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Identifying-and-Reducing-Suicide-Risk-in-Older-Ohioans-Pages1.pdf . It provides resources, conversation starters, advocacy and education.   We break down what warning signs can look like in real life, how to start the hard conversation and why “practicing the pause” helps someone open up. We also share how providers, aging services professionals, and everyday community spaces like senior centers, libraries, faith communities, and caregiver networks can build connection, and make it easier to reach help. If you want concrete next steps and a clear path from concern to action, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who supports older adults, and leave a review so more people can find these suicide prevention tools.

  2. Jun 10

    Yale and OSU Collab To Bring Suicide Specific Care To More People

    A phone app that helps cut suicide attempts by more than half sounds like science fiction until you hear the data and the design choices behind it. We sit down with Dr. Seth Feuerstein (Yale School of Medicine) to talk about OTX202, a clinician-supported suicide prevention app developed in collaboration with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.  It's built to deliver suicide-specific therapy skills after hospitalization and other high-risk periods. We walk through why proven suicide interventions often fail to reach people who need them most.  We also dig into stigma and the “why would they do that?” trap, using a striking medical analogy: suicidal crisis as an arrhythmia-like state of the brain.  Dangerous?  Yes.  Treatable?  Yes.  Finally, we get practical about implementation and where artificial intelligence may fit next, with ethics and safety front and center. If you care about mental health, digital therapeutics, and evidence-based suicide prevention, subscribe, share this episode with someone who works in care, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

  3. May 20

    Putting Black Girls at Promise Through Community Support

    If you’ve ever wondered why some mental health programs actually stick while others fade after a single event, this conversation is for you and your organization. We’re joined by Fran Frazier of the Black Girl Rising Research Project and Rebecca Jones, Child and Adolescent Services Director with the Mental Health Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County.  This episode is centered on what it takes to support African American girls with honesty, rigor, and care. We start with the reality many Black girls face in Ohio: higher exposure to trauma, community violence, instability, and chronic stress. Then we move to what doesn’t get enough airtime in suicide prevention and youth mental health work: resilience, leadership, and the power of being taken seriously. Fran shares how decades of research and listening shaped a girl-led model that replaces lectures with facilitation.  Rebecca walks us through what it looks like to bring Black Girl Rising into a new community with fidelity, including Love Letters to Black Girls, mother-daughter conversations, and the long-game goal of growing girls grow into ambassadors.  Subscribe, share this with someone who cares about youth wellbeing, and leave a review so more listeners can find these suicide prevention conversations.

  4. Apr 21

    What If Calm Is A Warning Sign:  Autism and Suicide Prevention

    Autistic people are at higher risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, yet too many support systems still treat autism and mental health as separate worlds. Stepanie and Scott sit down with Lisa Morgan, an autistic adult and founder of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Work Group, and Dr. Brenna Maddox, a clinical psychologist and co-chair of the work group, to talk about what that gap looks like in real life and how to close it. We unpack how language preferences differ, why a strengths-based view of autism matters, and how the social model and neurodiversity-affirming care can replace the harmful idea that autistic people need to be 'fixed'. Then we go straight at the misconceptions that can increase suicide risk, including the dangerous habit of skipping suicide risk questions just because someone is autistic. We also explore a theme we hear again and again: invalidation. Not being believed can be constant, and it can push suicidal ideation higher.  Our conversation is very practical too. Some warning signs can look different for autistic people, including intense internal crisis paired with a calm exterior, and alexithymia that makes emotions hard to name. We point listeners to autism-specific crisis support resources, including guidance for using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and tools like a reasons-for-living worksheet that can help even when therapy is hard to access. If you care about autism suicide prevention, share this conversation, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more people can find these resources when they need them most.

  5. Mar 23

    When Infection Hijacks The Mind: PANS and PANDAS Explained

    Overnight personality changes are every parent’s nightmare, especially when the symptoms don’t fit a neat box. Scott and Stephanie are joined by Gabriella True, President and founding Board Member of Aspire, to explain PANS and PANDAS in plain language and with hard-earned honesty.  Gabriella brings professional advocacy plus lived experience as a mom of twins impacted by PANS and as someone who has dealt with PANS/PANDAS symptoms herself. We dig into what makes pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome so alarming: sudden OCD, restricted eating, and complex tics that can arrive with severe separation anxiety, rage, urinary changes, and mood swings. We talk about why some kids don’t show “typical” infection signs, how strep and other triggers can set off a neuroimmune response, and why calling these shifts “symptoms” instead of “behavior” can change how families and clinicians respond. Gabriella also walks us through today’s treatment framework including infectious triggers and reducing inflammation alongside careful psychiatric support.  The conversation doesn’t skip the hardest part: suicide risk, the reality of hospitalization, and the urgent need for coordinated medical and mental health care. If this helps you put words to what you’re seeing at home, share it with someone who needs it, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review so more families can find these resources when time matters most.

  6. Feb 13

    How One Woman Turned Two Decades of Anxiety and Depression Into a Mission to Break Stigma

    A raw, generous conversation with iHeart radio personality and OSPF ambassador Sol Tsonis that transforms stigma into strategy and rock bottom into a starting line. Sol takes us into the moments that shaped her mental health journey—from early depression and anxiety in her teens to the deliberate, imperfect climb toward stability. We talk about the turning points that matter: choosing a short course of medication as a bridge, returning to therapy until the fit clicked, and cleaning up friendships and habits that kept her stuck. Sol reframes self-care as maintenance, not luxury—movement to burn off stress, gratitude to anchor attention, and scheduled “me time”.   She pairs heart with data, reminding us that activity, social connection, and rest are directly tied to longer, healthier lives. Sol also pulls back the curtain on social media’s highlight reel and the comparison traps that steal joy. Her fix is useful honesty: practical tips on seasonal depression, phone limits, and micro-habits that turn scrolling into learning.  If you’re struggling silently, you’ll hear a clear path forward: tell one trusted person, try therapy even when you’re “fine,” and choose one daily practice that protects your spark. If this conversation gives you hope or a next step, share it with someone you love and subscribe for more real talk on mental health and suicide prevention.

  7. Jan 21

    Local Voices Together Create National Impact on Suicide Prevention

    A dinner conversation sparked a movement. We sit down with leaders from SAVE and Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation CEO Tony Coder to share how the National Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network (NSPAN) is helping small and mid-sized nonprofits combine their strengths, talents and passions! The idea is simple but ambitious: when community groups connect and collaborate, proven strategies scale faster, funding pathways open, and lives are saved. We talk through the four pillars that guide the work—education and training, advocacy, lethal means safety, and support for suicide loss survivors—and why they matter now. The data is shifting: while some demographics improve, suicide risk is climbing among women, preteens, and rural communities tied to a struggling agricultural economy.  Technology looms large in this conversation too. Social media can harm, yet responsible AI and digital tools may help identify risk and connect people to care sooner. The keys are safeguards and smart design paired with human support. We also spotlight 988—the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—and the surprising awareness gap among young workers. If you lead or support a suicide prevention nonprofit, or if you’re a community member who wants to help, this is your invite to lean in. Learn how to join NSPAN, collaborate on funding and advocacy, and carry solutions across county and state lines. Subscribe, share this episode with a local organization, and leave a review to help more people find these stories to hopefully, save more lives.

  8. 12/05/2025

    A Farmer Shares Why Mental Health Matters In Agriculture

    The heart of Ohio agriculture beats inside family trucks, quiet cab rides, and long rows that hold equal parts pride and pressure. We sit with first‑generation farmer Nathan Brown to trace the real story behind the harvest: the money paid up front, the machinery that breaks at the worst time, and weather that never reads the plan. Nathan shares how he scaled from 25 acres to 2,000, why conservation practices ground his work, and what it took to exit cattle during a drought without losing hope or identity. The conversation turns to mental health where the stakes are human and immediate. Nathan names the stigma farmers face, the belief they must fix everything alone, and the danger of silent struggle. He offers a toolkit built on lived experience: “get your five” trusted contacts, call to vent before rumination takes over, step away for a few hours to reset, and treat counseling like any other professional service.   You’ll hear why subtle signals on a farm speak volumes and how persistence can save a life. We also explore the wider system: market swings, policy shocks, and public narratives that misread modern farming. Nathan outlines simple ways organizations can help, from short mental health segments at ag events to creating real on‑ramps for new producers.  If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone in agriculture, and leave a review to help more farmers and families find practical support and hopeful stories. Your voice helps break stigma and builds a safer, stronger farm community.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The suicide crisis in Ohio and in America has no boundaries and neither will our conversations. We'll talk openly about the how, the why and the solutions to suicide prevention. This vital conversation is brought to you by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation as we'll highlight experts, counselors, clinicians, advocates and ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the name of saving lives.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Light
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Voices For Suicide Prevention
  • Show Website
    Voices For Suicide Prevention

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