Monday, October 12, the CU Boulder Psychology Club held a private screening of the film, “LIV” followed by a suicide prevention discussion lead by Tess Kunik, founder of The Liv Project, and Film Consultant and Therapist, Susan Caso. 

“I think youth suicide prevention and mental health awareness should always be at the forefront of daily living, but it’s been especially important during the pandemic as students struggle to find stability in school, work, home life, etc. when things are constantly changing,” President of the Psychology Club, Shu Lee said. 

The film, “LIV” is a cinematic representation detailing the life of a young girl named, Liv living in the digital age while struggling with OCD, anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia. Liv’s story as a struggling young adult that loved to sing and perform, who went on to attend the University of Northern Colorado, is a story, unfortunately, many know too well. To the general public, it appeared Liv was leading a life similar to most freshmen girls. However, living in a party culture eventually instilled a self-medicating coping mechanism within Liv. This led to her taking her own life in early January of 2019.

Partaking in grave conversations regarding mental health issues and suicidal thoughts take a whole lot of bravery, and not just on the victim’s end. Kunik, Liv’s older sister, believes using the word “suicide” in conversation with someone suffering from detrimental thoughts takes the weight off the victim’s shoulders. There may be fear inside us all when having these conversations, but this isn’t an excuse to not talk about it. 

“I think this fear is fueling the issue,” Kunik said. Simply inquiring with friends and other loved ones about their current mental wellbeing can give them the platform needed to open up. 

Caso believes there is relief in our bravery as allies. “And when we actually say the word[suicide], it’s a relief because they don’t have to say it themselves first,” Caso said. 

Kunik bravely took it upon herself with the help of her mother, Honey Beuf to start having these serious conversations on a larger scale. Kunik founded The Liv Project an organization that works to promote suicide prevention through private “LIV” film screenings, discussion panels, and addressing mental health questions among the general public. 

These panel discussions give students the ability to be open and express their concerns and questions with professionals, one being, Caso. 

During Monday’s panel, students inquired about people who joke about their mental state, how to approach serious conversations when concerned about a friend’s mental wellbeing, and substance abuse. 

Drinking, often being a staple of college culture, can be a gateway to self-medicating for many young people. As a depressant, alcohol is used to numb out one’s feelings. “Alcohol and drug use is an ineffective way to solve a problem or deal with feeling overwhelmed,” Caso said. This is way of coping is especially prevalent in today’s pandemic.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in less than one week during June, 40.9% of adults aged 18 years or older in the U.S. reported having one or more adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. 13.3% of people started to increase substance use to cope with stressors and other emotions. 10.7% of people had even seriously considered suicide within the last 30 days.

Luckily, Kunik and the other board members from The Liv Project have developed a card game to initiate these fearless conversations before substance abuse or other mental health concerns can arise. 

The game appropriately called, “The Game That Goes There” has three types of questions. Leading with green cards, for easy ice breaker conversation starters, leading into yellow cards, that dive deeper into one’s personal history and feelings. The game then continues onto the red cards that are the most contemplative questions. 

Gamifying fearless conversations make it easier for players to open up and relate to one another. “These are such thought-provoking questions that are really hard to answer. Being able to put a spin on it where there is some levity, just encourages comfort in people to share.” 

Psychology Club President, Shu Lee was best friends with Liv in high school. After seeing the cinematic testimony to Liv’s life, she knew how powerful it was and had to share it with her peers. She is proud to be working alongside The Liv Project while raising awareness for suicide prevention through her work as an individual and in the Psychology Club. Lee said she’d like to invite Kunik and Caso back to hold another private screening, discussion panel, and maybe even a round or two of “The Game That Goes There.”