‘Behind the Blue’: Reducing stigma, sharing resources for suicide prevention

This article and podcast discuss suicide, which may be difficult and distressing for some to listen to. A number of resources are available in the last section of this story.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 10, 2025) — When it opened last summer, UK HealthCare’s EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing) unit filled a huge need for central Kentucky — access to immediate, emergent care for those experiencing a mental health crisis. The first and only EmPATH unit in Kentucky, its services were immediately popular — and it also revealed a sobering statistic.

“We served about 5,000 people in our first year,” said Marc Woods, chief nursing officer for Eastern State Hospital and one of the leaders of EmPATH. “And of those 5,000, about two-thirds were suicidal or having thoughts of suicide… We have a local affirmation that this is an issue we have that is prevalent and that we need to manage.”

We lose nearly 800 Kentuckians every year to suicide, and the rate of suicide in the Commonwealth is higher than the national average — 17.5 per 100,000 people compared to 14.2 per 100,000 nationally. Additionally, suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.

It’s a difficult topic for many to discuss. But speaking openly about this issue is a start toward making a difference in those statistics, said Lindsey Jasinski, chief administrative officer for Eastern State Hospital and co-leader of EmPATH.

“It’s hushed, and it’s tucked away,” Jasinski said. “But we have to talk about this topic. It’s a preventable cause of death if folks can get access to care and intervention with specialists. What’s important to remember, too, is that this could be any of us — it could be our family members, it could be our friends. Many times we don’t know unless we ask those questions specifically to understand what’s going on with someone.”

In this episode of “Behind the Blue,” Woods and Jasinski discuss suicide prevention and treatment — from what you can do as a concerned friend or family member to the resources available in the community. Below are highlights from the conversation, and you can listen to the full episode through either of the media players at the top of the page.

 

Suicidal thoughts vs. actions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, roughly 12.8 million Americans said they had serious thoughts about suicide, and around 1.5 million suicide attempts were reported.

Though there is a large gap between ideation and those who acted on that ideation, having suicidal thoughts is still a sign that someone needs help and shouldn’t be dismissed — either by the person having the thoughts, or to another person they may have expressed those thoughts to.

“It’s important to recognize that thoughts of suicide are a solution to a problem, and that problem is usually feeling hopeless or feeling like you can’t escape a difficult situation,” Jasinski said. “So when we respond to those things, we think, ‘How do we build coping skills?’ I also think it’s important to normalize some of those thoughts. They’re signaling to you that you’re struggling, and you want to be able to cope with this situation differently.”

It might be easy — and potentially, more comfortable — to dismiss someone who has spoken of their suicidal thoughts as a “cry for attention” and not get involved. But that’s not the right mindset to have, said Woods.

“Whether they’re truly suicidal or not shouldn’t even enter our minds,” he said. “It’s not up to us to make those decisions… and none of us would ever want to be on the wrong end of that decision, right? I think any time somebody is making comments or statements like that, it’s a cry out for help in some way.”

So how can you feel more prepared to help someone who is having suicidal thoughts? It begins with QPR training.

 

Question, Persuade, Refer

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — three steps anyone can learn to help save someone from suicide. QPR training allows individuals to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis, interrupt that crisis and direct that person to proper care.

“It’s like CPR — we’re trained on how to respond in an emergency,” Jasinski said. “What QPR teaches is how to listen, how to validate and how to ask questions.”

Being direct — the question element of QPR — is important. A common misconception is that speaking about suicide leads to suicide or “puts the idea in someone’s head.” Getting straight to the point, without attempting to soften language or sound dismissive, gives the person the opportunity to open up.

“It’s important to be able to ask the question, ‘Are you feeling like hurting yourself?’” Jasinski said. “’Do you have thoughts of wanting to die?’ Those kinds of questions, those are hard to ask someone. But it can actually be very normalizing and validating to give someone the space to say, ‘Yeah.’”

Once a conversation like this is initiated, Woods and Jasinski both emphasize that it’s not the listener’s role to provide help — but rather to persuade the person to seek help and refer them to available resources.

“A lot of times people don’t ask because they’ll say, ‘I don’t know what to do if the person says yes,’” said Jasinski. “If the person says yes, your role is not to provide services to them. It’s to connect them with services. It’s to call or text 988 or to get them to EmPATH. It’s to call someone who can help get them connected with a therapist or somebody else that can get them those services.”

Another key element to this is ensuring that the person’s environment is safe — and that could mean temporarily removing potentially dangerous items from their reach, including sharp objects, firearms, medications and more. That’s another difficult discussion to have, but QPR training can help people navigate it.

“There have been a ton of Kentuckians so far who have taken this course,” Woods said. “And they almost always come out saying they’re so glad they took it. They feel more comfortable, and they can also imagine themselves being more confident to say exactly what Lindsey said.”

As mentioned previously, suicide is particularly prevalent in the 10-34 age range, and the college experience can be overwhelming for many students, especially if they’re far from home or without their usual support system. With the new school year in full swing and a record number of freshman on the University of Kentucky campus, QPR training can help students have the confidence and skills to recognize when their peers need help, Woods said.

“It’s having that training and that bravery to able to say to your roommate, ‘How are you doing? I’m noticing this… what are your thoughts like?’” he said. “It’s another variable into your mental health and overall health.”

 

‘It doesn’t feel like a burden — I want to be able to help this person.’

Seeking help can be an uncomfortable experience — and often, someone in crisis will try to dismiss their own feelings by saying they don’t want to be a burden on someone else. Woods and Jasinski both want people to understand that mental health professionals are there to help, and that you’re not being a burden by taking care of your own health.

“As a therapist myself, to sit with someone in a room when they’re in one of their most vulnerable states is an honor in some ways,” Jasinski said. “It doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a shared, vulnerable space where that person can say, ‘Here’s what I’m struggling with.’ And it’s such a human experience to struggle with things. Everybody does.”

And a key element of EmPATH is the peer support specialists who work alongside clinicians. Woods recalled a patient he once worked with who told him, “You don’t know what I’m going through.”

“I have 30 years of experience, I should be able to work this out… but it was true. What he was going through, I couldn’t say anything about that,” Woods said. “But our peer support specialist walked up behind me and said, ‘He can’t, but I can. I have gone through what you’re going through. Let me tell you my experience so I can help you through yours.’ And that’s what makes EmPATH special.”

At the end of the day, mental health care is just health care, and no one should be afraid to seek help — just like you shouldn’t be afraid to go to a doctor for a cancer screening or to get antibiotics for an infection.

“I want to be able to help this person,” Jasinski said. “I want them to develop coping skills. I want to help them live a life they find fulfilling. It’s an honor to be able to do that.”

 

Resources are available — here’s where to start

UK HealthCare's EmPATH unit (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) is an emergency unit dedicated to the treatment of patients experiencing a mental health crisis. Located on the campus of Eastern State Hospital at 1354 Bull Lea Road in Lexington, EmPATH has a separate, dedicated entrance from the hospital. This unit is open 24/7, 365 days a year and is designed to provide immediate access to mental health care and resources. Referrals are not needed to come to EmPATH.

You can also call or text 988, the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, to speak with a trained counselor — free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.

At UK, students have access to several mental health services, including the UK Counseling Center, UK Behavioral Health Services and more. Learn more about student-specific services here.

In Lexington, the New Vista Crisis Response Team offers rapid support to assess adults and children experiencing a mental health crisis. Available 24/7, 365 days a year, the team can respond wherever needed in the community to provide immediate assistance. Call 1-800-928-8000 for help.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers resources and has a number of affiliates in Kentucky — here’s an interactive map of locations and contact information.

UK Cooperative Extension Service has a representative in every county in Kentucky, and they can be a good start to find local resources in your community. Through their connection with UK, they can also reach out to other resources in the university to access additional services. An interactive map of UK Extension offices can be found here.  

And for Kentuckians, free QPR training (Question, Persuade, Refer) is available at kyqpr.ukhc.org — a one-hour course that could help you save a life.

 

About “Behind the Blue”

“Behind the Blue” is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

“Behind the Blue” is a joint production of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Transcripts for this or other episodes of “Behind the Blue” can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover how the University of Kentucky is advancing our Commonwealth, click here.