SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS ON THE RISE AFTER RECENT
SPIKE IN SUICIDES


Mike McCagg
ccSCOOP News

04-09-11 - Recent high profile suicides and apparent attempted suicides have once again highlighted a problem that three years ago left many in the county reeling in shock.

But this time around, the county may be in a better position to handle the situation officials said.

An informal county by those in the emergency responder community show there have been an several suicides in the county already this year, including a Germantown man who jumped from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in February and more recently the Hudson bar owner, who according to friends in other media accounts, killed himself. The latter is still being investigated by police.

A typical year in the county would see two or three suicides and at the most six, county officials have said.

But that all changed in 2008, when the county experienced a record 20 suicides and several more attempts. That unfathomable occurrence led to the creation of a task force by then mental health director Dr. Michael O’Leary, the work of which is now bearing fruit and will be of assistance at the county seeks to stop this year’s resurgence of suicides.

“The work (of a consultant that worked with the task force) will be finished in two weeks,” said Cole.

“There is a list of 15 recommendations that will be made (in that report) and to the extent that we have resources, we are going to systematically implement them,” said Cole.

Work has already begun on some of them, he said, such as working with local community groups to educate their members about mental health issues and to help address the stigma of depression and other mental disorders, especially among middle-aged men.

“There are stereotypes and notions of what treatment is that are not accurate and we are trying to address those,” Cole said.

Additionally, he said, plans are being implemented to create outpatient mental health clinics in trio of locations in the county.

Among those on the drawing board is an undetermined location in Valatie, as well as a school in Hudson and still undetermined physicians office in the county.

“It will make an impact to have decentralized services, to have resources available to where people live.  If you look at it, a third of the population of Columbia County lives within five miles of Valatie.  If we can have a clinic there, that would be significant,” he said.

Cole said his agency has also met with the Columbia Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department psychiatric staff and the hospital’s inpatient staff to “further improve admission and discharge coordinator of mental health services.”

The mental health agency head said there are no apparent common precipitators for the suicides, though they follow the typical patterns of individuals feeling isolated and who may be divorced or separated as well as the common theme of being males.

Though, he noted, more women are unfortunately turning to suicide.

He added that the economy is a “predictor” for increased cases of suicide, though it would be purely speculation to say that it was the cause of any of the suicides.

Jill Daniels, of the state Office of Mental Health, said there are no current statistics to show whether Columbia County’s recent spike in suicides is being mirrored elsewhere, but she did say situations vary widely even county to county in the state.

That’s why, Daniels said, the state looks to county mental health leaders to take the charge to responding to incidences, while her agency provides assistance and services in a supporting role.

“We offer training to develop a resilient community, provide community forums on suicide prevention and other activities that support a county’s response,” she said.


TIPS ON WHAT TO DO:

There is no stereotype for a person who commits suicide. However, there are often warning signs.

Most suicidal people give warnings. Look for symptoms of depression, which is a very treatable illness. Other signs are if a person begins putting his or her affairs in order or starts to show unusual levels of energy.

Warnings need to be taken seriously. Seventy-five percent of people of who commit suicide gave a warning to a family member or friend that wasn’t recognized until it was too late.

Be willing to listen. If you are concerned about a friend, ask the person directly, “Are you thinking about suicide?” Put it into words and talk about it—but don’t get argumentative. Listen and understand.

Engage professional help. Don’t wait for someone call for help. Seek assistance for them. Help can be found 24-hours a day at the Columbia County Mental Health Department at 828-9446.

Earlier topic coverage (Jan 2009): http://www.ccscoop.com/news/09jan/11-suicide/suicide.html