“The first time I tried to kill myself I was 13,” Pam Nolan, a certified peer specialist, told a group of people at Slippery Rock University Friday. “I'm 66 now ... I've been dealing with depression for 56 years.”

Nolan was one of a large group of people who attended the state's Suicide Prevention Task Force public listening tour. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the initiative in May, sending a wave of state agents and others across the state, starting east and moving west to gather information on how the state could better respond to suicide and general mental health.

On Friday, they made it to Western Pennsylvania, and they are expected to complete the tour next month. The listening session took place at a college that recently dealt with several suicides.In December, a student was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a baseball field on the school's campus. And in July, Adam Zook, a senior communications major from Tyrone, died by suicide at his off-campus residence.According to state statistics, more than six times as many people died by suicide than in alcohol related car accidents, and this year, 2,030 people have died by suicide statewide.When Wolf made the announcement about the listening tour, he did it with the support of several state legislators, including Rep. Mike Schlossberg and Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.“Your voices, your stories, we want to carry forward what you share with us,” said Valerie Vicari, the state's acting deputy secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, assuring the more than a dozen people in attendance that they would be recording the public's suggestions to take back for state recommendations.Vicari was joined by representatives from various state organizations.Nolan told the group that reaching out to others for help when she is depressed is difficult because “it seems like people are afraid of suicidal people.”

Nolan suggested the formation of a peer support group made up of people who are facing similar thoughts and challenges. Like an Alcoholics Anonymous group or addiction counseling program, Nolan said having a group of people that personally understand suicidal tendencies would help those who are considering ending their lives.Nolan also said access to guns in the country makes it too easy for people to kill themselves. She suggested that there should be a three-day waiting period for people to buy guns, arguing “that would cut down on impulsive suicides.”Nolan and others suggested that peer counselors like the one Nolan mentioned should be employed in hospitals, where they could help people who may be dealing with suicidal thoughts.Patrick Kimmel, an employee with the local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said the state has the ability to significantly reduce suicides, but partisan politics prevents any meaningful legislation from becoming law.

“Bills get introduced and go to committees to die,” Kimmel said. “This is the problem with Pennsylvania politics; a committee chair can block legislation from moving forward.”Kimmel related a story about a bill that would have screened students for mental-health depression, allowing professionals to begin identifying mental health issues in students as young as 14 years old.The bill passed the state Senate in 2018 but it couldn't get out of the House Education Committee because of the chairman's disagreement with the bill.“His reasoning was it looked too much like Democratic legislation,” Kimmel said. “This is the kind of partisanship we're dealing with.”Dennis Laughery, who works with Wesley Family Services, noted that he has a teenage son and “they keep too much inside their heads, because they're surrounded by adults,”He suggested that any attempt to work with students should be headed by students' peers.Wesley Family Services is a nonprofit that provides behavioral health care services, and Laughery brought along Friday one of the minors he works with.The minor, Tess, said she began to have bipolar attacks in 2017.“There was nowhere for me to find help. This program saved my life,” Tess said. Several attendees noted that the county doesn't have enough resources and facilities devoted to mental health treatment.“This program saved my life. People need a team,” Tess said. “I'm sorry if I start to cry. I always get emotional when I talk about this. People need a team. I feel so loved; something I've near felt before. They're there just to keep you alive.”