Boulder couple raises awareness of 'suicide crisis syndrome'

Key Points:

• Jordana Ash and Oliver Lignell lost their son Maddy to suicide in 2021 despite taking all the right steps to seek help, highlighting the challenges of identifying suicide risk in people without a prior mental health history.
• They are now advocating for awareness of "suicide crisis syndrome," a state of feeling trapped and hopeless that can affect individuals without long-term psychiatric illness, and are working on improved screening tools to better assess suicide risk.
• Suicide rates in Colorado have risen significantly since 2004, with the state consistently ranking among the highest nationally, especially among youth aged 15 to 19.
• Research shows that many suicide deaths occur rapidly, often within six hours of active planning, and traditional screening questions may miss those at risk who do not express suicidal thoughts openly.
• Colorado is investing in a broad suicide prevention approach focusing on resilience education, peer support, crisis response, and economic measures, recognizing that prevention requires addressing upstream social and economic factors as well as direct intervention.