In response to high national youth suicide rates, psychologist Lisa Firestone will discuss suicide prevention today.

Sponsored by the Associated Students Commission on Student Well Being, the lecture titled “Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice” will be held today at 5 p.m. in Manzanita Village’s Loma Pelona Center. According to Firestone, if left unchecked, one’s inner voice can lead to violent actions and suicides.

External Coordinator Marissa Kaproff, a fourth-year psychology major, said everyone experiences self-doubt in life.

“I thought it would be really great to do an on-campus presentation in person for students because everyone can relate to having a critical inner voice and always judging yourself and the actions and things that you are doing,” Kaproff said.

Firestone, a violence and suicide expert and director of research and education at the Glendon Association — a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and training people about mental health — said students often underestimate the pivotal relationship between a person’s critical inner voice and suicide.

“The critical inner voice plays a part in influencing and directing our behavior in a lot of ways,” Firestone said. “That makes us less productive and take less changes and be less invested in things.”

According to the Glendon Association, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 to 24.

The lecture will teach participants how to recognize and conquer obstacles created by self-doubt.

“If students are struggling in any way with negative thoughts about themselves and their school or performance or relationships, this is a good way for them to get a handle on that,” Firestone said. “The idea is to help them be able to recognize it so they can overcome it and really achieve the things that they want in life.”

According to Firestone, it is often unsafe to rely exclusively on one’s inner voice when making decisions.

“My one piece of advice would be to take awareness of the coaching you may be getting in your own head,” Firestone said. “It may not be in the best interest of you to listen to them.”

Glendon Association Communications and Public Relations Director Jina Carvalho said the organization plays a pivotal role in the Santa Barbara community.

“Our mission is to save lives and help people create more meaningful lives by addressing the issues of suicide, violence and troubled relationships,” Carvalho said.