UK HealthCare

High School Peers Empowered to Prevent Suicide During Spread the Love-A-Thon

of

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2015) — Between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, Tates Creek High School student Sara Shehata's phone was buzzing out of control. The activity feeds of her social media accounts were clogging up with unread messages and tagged posts.

Participating in the 5th Annual Spread the Love-A-Thon organized by the University of Kentucky Division of Adolescent Medicine and Stop Youth Suicide Campaign, Shehata expected to reach many of her peers with positive messages, or "lifelines." During the Love-A-Thon, lifelines were texted, tweeted, posted, emailed or spoken to peers on the phone.

But Shehata, president of the Tates Creek High School student organization that championed the event, didn't expect to get all this love in return.

"I'm having fun, and I think everyone else is too," she said.

A record 160 high school students sent out thousands of uplifting messages to peers during the hour-and-a-half Spread the Love-A-Thon on Feb. 12. The annual event aims to prevent teen suicide and depression through peer-to-peer encouragement. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in the high school age group, and many teenagers silently struggle with depression and anxiety. Dr. Hatim Omar, chair of the UK Division of Adolescent Medicine, said one kind word can help to dissolve a youth's thought of suicide.  

Ashley Whittington, a Tates Creek High School student who participated, was hastily calling all her friends in an effort to tally up the most lifelines. She said it's often hard to tell if her classmates are dealing with negative feelings.

"I don't know what they are going through at home," she said. "Sometimes my friends don't show their emotions — they just cover them up with a smile."

For the first time, UK's Division of Adolescent Medicine hosted the event at Tates Creek High School in collaboration with teacher Amanda Sewell, who directs the school's Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter. Students part of the FCCLA helped promote the event with 1,800 handcrafted invitations passed out to classrooms. The students organized a resource fair on Feb. 11 to make mental health resources available during school lunch hours. Several students from other Fayette County schools, as well as Scott County and Jessamine County schools, attended the event.

Sewell knows depression and thoughts of suicide affect students at her school. The Love-A-Thon provided a platform for teens to talk openly about the reality of suicide and realize a simple act of kindness can be a powerful form of prevention.

"Suicide has been that disease that we can't talk about," Sewell said. "For these kids, this is important. You don't have to keep it under the rug; you can talk about it, you can get help."

At the end of the event, more than 50 prizes, including a flat-screen television, were awarded to students who reached the highest number of peers through lifelines. Students also enjoyed free pizza, candy and a photo booth. The event received additional support from The Ridge Behavioral Health System.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu