There has been much written and implemented around suicide prevention programs and efforts. There are many awareness events across the country like the Out of Darkness Walk. Most of these programs and events are geared towards older kids and adults. But if the idea is prevention, then shouldn't we be starting earlier? So how young is too young to talk to kids about suicide and how to prevent it? Actually, there are number of best practices that have shown the sooner a child is exposed to "socialization" programs like the Good Behvior Game, the greater the possibility they will not resort to suicide later in life. They will also be less likely to engage in illicit drug use. According to Dr Dennis Embry, PhD, a National expert children's health and safety, the following statistics were reported in Wyoming Schools Well Aware newsletter: 75% of highly aggressive male students in the Good Behavior Game first grade classrooms graduated from high school, in comparison to 40% of aggressive-disruptive boys in schools who did not use the GBG. 99% of non-GBG participants went on to use illict drugs compared with 66% of participants during the first and second grade. By ages 9-21, participants were far less likely to have needed special education services. 80% of non-participants demonstrated antisocial behaviors in later years compared to 43% of those participating in GBG. By middle school, those who played GBG in the first 2 years of elementary school were less likely to be delinquent. By the time males reach their mid teens, their risk of dying by suicide increases by more than 600%. If we can implement a program that basically vaccinates kids again suicide and other negative behaviors, it is worth some discussion in schools. Dr Nick Lalongo, PhD, GBG research co-investigator and professor at John's Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health stated "Ours may likely be the only randomized controlled study of a universal preventative intervention to follow participants from the entrance to elementary school to early adulthood and to report beneficial effects on suicidal ideation and attempts. Significance of these findings is especially noteworthy for prevention of suicide in our nation." Agencies across the nation are continuing to look at the available resources fro suicide prevention. Here are a few: Arizona based Paxis Institute has just released a newly revised version of the PAX Good Behavior Game now available by contacting Bea Ramirez @ bea@paxis.org. Additionally, the Los Angeles Unified School District has launched a website for suicide prevention that features best practices resources. Log onto http://preventsuicide.lacoe.edu/ for gate keeper training for elementary schools.
Locally, http://texassuicideprevention.org/ has many resources available for suicide prevention work.
Showing posts with label suicide and you. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suicide and you. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Happy Holidays?
Around this time of year, people can be seen joyously singing Christmas carols, happily shopping at the local malls and enjoying the season. This can be seen in movies, TV and advertisements enticing you to spend your gift giving dollars with them. In reality, this time of year is a time of increased sadness, a time of losses remembered and people who have left our lives. Many people suffer from increased depression during the holidays. Seasonal depression is very active now. The current issues with the uncertain economic forecast does not help the situation. Suicides go up during Christmas season. Crisis lines are gearing up for more activity this year than previous ones. More people are feeling isolated, uncertain and plain fearful than ever before. We are seen as a nation of plenty, a place where everyone wants to come to get a piece of the American dream. Today's reality of the "dream" is fear, economic turmoil, political dysfunction and violence. People with mental health issues are especially vulnerable to these issues as their very livelihood could be jeopardized by proposed budgetary cuts. Children will be impacted not only by their own benefits being cut but also those of their parents who may also have mental health issues. The promise of the new year is tarnished by the harsh reality of our current situation. We have record numbers out of work. We have a records numbers who have been out of work for a year or more. These people have children. They share in their parents stress, and that manifests in them through problems at school . This year, while you are out shopping, or just in route to an interview, take time to pay attention to people around you. Remember the true reason for the season is not about money or gifts. Take time to smile at people you see. Listen to what they say. If you can, please donate to a charity locally that will make sure families have a Christmas. Churches please be sure to offer your congregation the support and love they so desperately need especially during the holidays. Take time to hear if someone is hurting. Take time to sit with them and ask them if they are thinking of hurting themselves. You may be the one person who gives them the reason to go one for one more day. That one more day could be the one that turns it all around for them. You never know how big an impact you have on someone else's life; just be the change you want to see in the world. If we begin to show concern and caring for each other, we will give our kids a legacy that will serve them greatly no matter what their future holds. I know it will last much longer than an X-Box or Ipod, and the batteries will last much longer.
Monday, March 15, 2010
To Save a Life
There is a great movie still in theaters across the country which is unlike any other. It is filled with drama, emotion, some violence and great music. It touches the heart and the soul. It is To Save a Life. This major movie documents two boys who grew up together, supported each other as children, then drifted apart in middle school and virtually disappeared from each others lives in high school. The movie opens with a tragic event at school, a suicide. The rest of the film is devoted to the far reaching impact of the death of this one boy throughout the school,and the unforeseen impact on the families involved. It is beautifully filmed with great acting and reality of what teens deal with in their daily lives. It brings to clear focus the impact one person can have on a decision made in isolation by a child who feels hopeless and lost.
Suicides are rarely an act of impulse. They are carefully planned and thought about. They are orchestrated to have impact. The people who are doing the planning leave clues of what they are intending to do. Here is an example: Jennifer was not a violent child. She knew when she actually did it, it would have to be pills. Guns were too violent and would leave such a mess. So she got a bottle of gin, and a bunch of pills she had been saving from various places. She drank steadily for several hours and began to take the pills.She thought about the note she had left for her mother, her best friend and her teacher. She remembered the books, bracelet and ring she had given away which meant the world to her. They meant nothing now, in fact nothing meant anything anymore. She hoped the letters would explain the pain, the hurt that caused her to do this. She didn't mean to hurt anyone but it seemed many people were intent on hurting her. So many people had been so cruel and mean to her at her new school. There was little choice that she could see.
When she woke up, her friend was with her. Samantha had been unable to get her on the phone and had thought she was acting weird. She went to Jen's house. It was strange that no one was there. She called Jenny's mom who said she should be there, she had just talked to her a few minutes before. Samantha broke in to find her friend crying and clutching a bottle of gin and a handful of multicolored pills. She called an ambulance and rode with Jen to the hospital.
Jenny never tried to kill herself again. She spent hours talking with Samantha and her mom and some other kids about how it feels to be so invisible in the world of high school teens. She soon found there were a lot of kids who felt the same way. They blogged, they met for lunch and sat in a little circle in the courtyard. Soon the little circle became a much bigger one, because they knew what it was like to be on the outside. They made sure no one was ever on the outside of their group.
According to the American Association of Suicidology, 91 people commit suicide everyday. There are many sources of help available for someone who is thinking of suicide. You can find numbers on my blog page. But what do you do if you know someone has considered suicide? If you suspect someone is depressed or considering suicide give them the following number to call. 1-800-273-TALK. Stay with them while they make the call. If you suspect someone has taken anything,call 911. It is difficult to know what to say or do for people who are depressed. Here are a few suggestions:
1)I don't want you to die. I care about you and would miss you terribly
2)Send people who are struggling a card just to let them know you care. When someone is feeling suicidal they feel like they are expendable. If they were to die no one would care or perhaps even notice. A simple card can change that thought.
3)I am here. This lets the person know you are with them. They are important enough for you to be there for them .
4)Share a meal. Bringing a meal to someone who is too depressed to eat may be the opening to create a sense of value for that person.
5)Be good company! It is hard to be around people who are depressed. They don't have to be the life of the party but they have to be included. Never leave a depressed person alone, even if they ask you to.
Just as important as what to say or do is what not to say:
Never say I know how you feel. You don't. Even if you have been suicidal or depressed yourself everyone is different. Hearing about someone elses depression is rarely helpful.
Don't say, just snap out of it. This really discounts everything the person is feeling and adds to the impression that what they are experiencing is bad and too big of an inconvenience for you to take the time to listen.
Don't offer comparisons to a disaster. Like an earthquake or a shooting at a college. Their situation may not appear to be as bad as the one you are comparing it to, but it probably feels just as bad to them. Counting your blessings is hard if you can't see them for the fog of despair.
Don't ignore it. If someone says they are depressed or suicidal take it seriously. Ask them about it. Chances are they are not seeking attention but are crying out for help.
Don't keep secrets. Many people will confide in you and then ask you not to tell anyone. The realization that you may be the only chance this person has of getting help should weigh heavily on your heart. What if you don't tell and they die? How big a load is that for you to carry?
Suicide is real and it happens every day. Most people think of suicide long before they plan the actual act. If you think you are depressed or have been thinking about ways to kill yourself, please seek help. You are an original masterpiece that cannot be re-created. You are the only one.
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Suicides are rarely an act of impulse. They are carefully planned and thought about. They are orchestrated to have impact. The people who are doing the planning leave clues of what they are intending to do. Here is an example: Jennifer was not a violent child. She knew when she actually did it, it would have to be pills. Guns were too violent and would leave such a mess. So she got a bottle of gin, and a bunch of pills she had been saving from various places. She drank steadily for several hours and began to take the pills.She thought about the note she had left for her mother, her best friend and her teacher. She remembered the books, bracelet and ring she had given away which meant the world to her. They meant nothing now, in fact nothing meant anything anymore. She hoped the letters would explain the pain, the hurt that caused her to do this. She didn't mean to hurt anyone but it seemed many people were intent on hurting her. So many people had been so cruel and mean to her at her new school. There was little choice that she could see.
When she woke up, her friend was with her. Samantha had been unable to get her on the phone and had thought she was acting weird. She went to Jen's house. It was strange that no one was there. She called Jenny's mom who said she should be there, she had just talked to her a few minutes before. Samantha broke in to find her friend crying and clutching a bottle of gin and a handful of multicolored pills. She called an ambulance and rode with Jen to the hospital.
Jenny never tried to kill herself again. She spent hours talking with Samantha and her mom and some other kids about how it feels to be so invisible in the world of high school teens. She soon found there were a lot of kids who felt the same way. They blogged, they met for lunch and sat in a little circle in the courtyard. Soon the little circle became a much bigger one, because they knew what it was like to be on the outside. They made sure no one was ever on the outside of their group.
According to the American Association of Suicidology, 91 people commit suicide everyday. There are many sources of help available for someone who is thinking of suicide. You can find numbers on my blog page. But what do you do if you know someone has considered suicide? If you suspect someone is depressed or considering suicide give them the following number to call. 1-800-273-TALK. Stay with them while they make the call. If you suspect someone has taken anything,call 911. It is difficult to know what to say or do for people who are depressed. Here are a few suggestions:
1)I don't want you to die. I care about you and would miss you terribly
2)Send people who are struggling a card just to let them know you care. When someone is feeling suicidal they feel like they are expendable. If they were to die no one would care or perhaps even notice. A simple card can change that thought.
3)I am here. This lets the person know you are with them. They are important enough for you to be there for them .
4)Share a meal. Bringing a meal to someone who is too depressed to eat may be the opening to create a sense of value for that person.
5)Be good company! It is hard to be around people who are depressed. They don't have to be the life of the party but they have to be included. Never leave a depressed person alone, even if they ask you to.
Just as important as what to say or do is what not to say:
Never say I know how you feel. You don't. Even if you have been suicidal or depressed yourself everyone is different. Hearing about someone elses depression is rarely helpful.
Don't say, just snap out of it. This really discounts everything the person is feeling and adds to the impression that what they are experiencing is bad and too big of an inconvenience for you to take the time to listen.
Don't offer comparisons to a disaster. Like an earthquake or a shooting at a college. Their situation may not appear to be as bad as the one you are comparing it to, but it probably feels just as bad to them. Counting your blessings is hard if you can't see them for the fog of despair.
Don't ignore it. If someone says they are depressed or suicidal take it seriously. Ask them about it. Chances are they are not seeking attention but are crying out for help.
Don't keep secrets. Many people will confide in you and then ask you not to tell anyone. The realization that you may be the only chance this person has of getting help should weigh heavily on your heart. What if you don't tell and they die? How big a load is that for you to carry?
Suicide is real and it happens every day. Most people think of suicide long before they plan the actual act. If you think you are depressed or have been thinking about ways to kill yourself, please seek help. You are an original masterpiece that cannot be re-created. You are the only one.
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
When Hope Seems Far Away
Last week, a 17 year old young man felt hopeless. He solved the problem by hanging himself on the monkey bars at a local elementary school. What prompted this act was a break up with his girlfriend. This is common among teens. This young man's attempt was carried out to its fulfillment. Many more attempts are made but not successful, meaning the person survives. Teens consider suicide every day all across the country. At at suicide prevention symposium in Austin, staff from the JED Foundation stated suicide is thought of on an average of 3 times a day by college aged students. Most parents surveyed stated they do not believe their child would ever consider suicide. There is an obvious disconnect between reality and parent perception. All suicide is a tragedy in that suicides can be prevented with simple interventions anyone can do. The main one is to ask the question. It is a difficult question to ask. "Are you thinking of hurting yourself?" Imagine asking that of your 13 year old. You'll probably get "no" the first time, and maybe even the second. But what if you don't? What if the answer is "yes, I want to kill myself." Then what? It isn't always necessary to get someone to a professional that can put them into a hospital. It can be as simple as letting them talk about why they are feeling so much despair. No one wants to be considered crazy. No one wants to be considered weak. Everyone has trouble coping. This is fact. Everyone also is really good at pretending they have it all together. More people are struggling than you would believe possible. Those that can effectively handle stressors are those who feel they can talk about it with someone. They don't want solutions, they just need someone to take the time to listen, to let them know they are important enough for someone to take time for them. Sometimes, that is all it takes. At other times, we may need to go a little farther and call someone to come help. That does not mean to haul someone away against their will to a mental health hospital. That could be the absolute wrong thing to do. It does mean, get someone to stay with the person, to talk with them, listen to them or just be there with them. People talk about suicide every day. If something goes wrong, an accepted response is "just kill me now!' or "if that happens I'll just die". This is far different from a person who is actively considering killing themselves. We as fellow travelers on this road called life have a responsibility to each other to really listen. We need to listen to not only the words bu the body language and the tone. We need to be there for support and to help when we can. Suicide is a rapidly growing permanent solution to a temporary problem. I am sure the family of the teenager who chose this option to end his pain, would love to have another chance to offer other options. Never take someone in your life for granted. Let them know they are cared for and are valued every chance you get. Let people know they matter. We all need to be valued by those around us. Otherwise what is the point? For more information about preventing suicide and the warning signs go to http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
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