Utah Gov. Cox references own suicide ideation as a youth, asks those who need help to seek it

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox couldn't help but seem distracted as he started his press conference Thursday, shifting quickly from his planned opening statement to speak about a recent suicide.

In a state with the sixth-worst rate of suicides in the U.S., the issue is always top-of-mind, Cox said.

"We know that mental health problems have been exacerbated over the last several years before Covid but especially coming out of the pandemic," he said, urging Utahns to consider seeking help if they need it and to take proactive steps to see if friends and loved ones might need help.

"You are not broken," he said. "There is nothing unfixable about you. We need you and we need you here so please reach out and get help."

Cox has written and spoken publicly for several years about his own experiences with suicide ideation as a youth when his parents' divorce and bullying contributed to what he has called "dark thoughts." As a lieutenant governor, he led a state task force assigned to study the issue and find ways to make improvements.

On Wednesday, when it was announced that John English, a popular blogger and podcaster whose work on state politics, the Utah Jazz and other topics led him to frequent interactions with Cox, had died, Cox joined a loud chorus among prominent Utahns mourning the loss.

"It's been a rough day for lots of people I know and care about on this app," Cox wrote on Twitter. "Please know I love you guys. If you are struggling at all, please reach out. Call 9-8-8. message me. I'm hoping we can all be a little kinder. More forgiving. More grace. More love."

Cox asked all Utahns to fight suicide by asking people a simple question: Have you thought about suicide, and if so, have you thought about it recently?

"That's kind of a scary question to ask, and sometimes we think if we talk about it, it might put ideas in someone's head, but the research very clear that that is not true," he said.

Cox also promoted the new 988 health crisis line set up earlier this summer as the counterpart for 911 on mental health services. Trained crisis groups and counselors will be available 24/7, with all of them being based in their local areas.

Utah's U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton proposed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act in 2020. After passing through the Senate and the House, it was signed into law by former President Donald Trump.

“Suicide is a tragic issue that hits home for everyone,” Stewart said in a prepared statement. “It is a top ten cause of death nationwide — as well as in my own home state — and the pandemic only intensified the problem. But the new 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention Lifeline can reverse this trend. This is a historic opportunity to ensure the growing number of people in crisis can get the help they need."

In southwestern Utah, the 988 phone line connects to local crisis centers like the Intermountain Healthcare Access Center in St. George.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Cox encourages Utahns to do more to help prevent suicide