PEATS

Parents and Educators Against Teen Suicide

Suicide is among the top 5 causes of death in 15-24-year-olds in Louisiana. In Louisiana alone, nearly 700 people take their own lives every year and it is estimated that for every death, there are 25 attempts. This number jumps to 100-200 attempts per death when looking specifically at the 15 - 24 year old age range. The Louisiana Department of Health estimates for every death roughly 135 individuals are impacted. Depression and mental health are major concerns in Louisiana youth and frankly have not been addressed properly. PEATS's mission is to further educate students, parents, and educators on the dangers and seriousness of teen depression and further expand the availability of resources within the school and community concerning mental health. Many parents are not aware their child is struggling with mental health issues, or to what extent their child is struggling. Going further, many parents even if aware have no guidance or education on how to handle the situation properly. We aim to better inform educators, parents, and fellow students how to identify indicators and provide support. Many students are not aware of the resources available to them and feel suicide is their only way out, we also seek to end this issue by educating students on suicide and providing access to services. While there are resources technically available to students, access to said resources is often blocked by hurdles such as no or limited knowledge of available resources. If you would like to show support for this cause please sign the linked petition below so that we can bring these issues forward to the proper administration and help our children by providing access to these resources and information. We hope to gain enough traction to convince Louisiana school administrators to further develop access to resources, provide information to students, and help educate employees on teen mental health. 

Roy Rancatore, MBA