Tag: suicide

This College Student Is a Leader in the Fight Against Teen Suicide

Posted on by Anthony Smith

Eight days before Chloe Sorensen won a Young Leader award from Young Minds Advocacy for her work as a suicide prevention advocate, she lost another friend to suicide. For Sorensen, this wasn’t anything new. Sorensen is a recent graduate of Palo Alto’s Henry M. Gunn High School, the Silicon Valley school that made headlines for a spate of suicides in 2009. During Sorensen’s sophomore year alone, four teenagers committed suicide in her school district: one Gunn alum, two current students, and one student who attended crosstown rival Palo Alto High School.

Like others in the community, Sorensen felt waves of shock after each suicide cluster. On-campus grief support helped her to process her emotions. Unfortunately, suicide clusters — defined as three or more suicides in close proximity to each other — have occurred with increasing frequency in Palo Alto, where the rate is four times the national average. But before they began happening at her school, suicide was more or less an abstract concept. “I had a few friends who dealt with mental health conditions, but never dealt with suicide,” Sorensen said. “As a 15 year old, that was a really difficult thing to process because I didn’t understand what was happening. But the way I dealt with that grief, shock and initial pain was by channeling it into something more positive.”

Initially, that meant leaning on existing relationships with family and friends to grieve, and coming up with ways to advocate for mental health at Gunn. Sorensen started the Student Wellness Committee to encourage students to be more aware of their mental health, including a referral system where her peers could refer friends anonymously for in-school counseling. Another successful initiative: Youth Empowerment Seminars, where students learn stress-relief techniques such as mindfulness and breathing exercises.

Soon enough, Sorensen found herself immersed in the mental health advocacy space at the district level, a role that she’s quick to admit “snowballed” over time. After addressing the school board about pressures outside of school that often affect a student’s mental health — and being quoted in local papers as a student advocate and leader in the community — she was approached by national media outlets like NPR and The New York Times. “It was startling, but it was also hard to sit still with the feelings,” said Sorensen. “I’d much rather go out there, do something, and try to make a difference.”

Thanks to people like Sorensen, the past few years have seen progress regarding mental health awareness. In July, Oregon became one of the first states to allow students to be absent from school for a physical or mental illness, joining Utah and Minnesota in a growing movement that tells students it’s okay to admit when they’re struggling. “It’s important for schools to acknowledge that mental health is a critical component of student well-being, [but] it also plays an enormous role in success at school,” said Patrick Gardner, president and founder of Young Minds Advocacy. “It’s a positive step to empower students to act in their own best interest, and not feel they would be penalized for staying home if they believe that’s best for them.”

Not that today’s teens have any shortage of reasons for self-care: In addition to trauma triggered by mass shootings, the current political climate and the omni-present reality of climate change, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34. In Oregon, it is the state’s second leading cause of death in the same age group. Says Gardner: “Colleges historically haven’t been very good at addressing the mental health needs of their students, and universities typically haven’t been forthcoming in trying to sort that out.”

Gardner founded Young Minds Advocacy in 2012 while working at the National Center for Youth Law, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to helping low-income children achieve their potential. Today, Young Minds works to motivate local communities to address the number one issue facing young people and their families: unmet mental health needs.

While the group’s approach involves a blend of policy research, advocacy, impact litigation and strategic communications, one of its most important functions is providing a platform for teens to have a voice in advocating for mental health. “[Treating illness] as something only a doctor can give you a prescription for is the medical model of dealing with mental health, which has been so problematic in the United States,” Gardner said. “In Oregon, they talk about mental and behavioral health, which is a much broader concept and much more useful and actionable to children and families.”

In many states, students must be 18 to receive treatment without parental consent, which is one reason students are mobilizing to take mental health into their own hands. Though Sorensen wasn’t familiar with Young Minds Advocacy at the time, Gardner’s daughter Annabelle, communications director at Young Minds, contacted her in 2016 about receiving an award for community advocacy after learning about Sorensen’s work in the Palo Alto community.

Now a student at Stanford, Sorensen spends much of her time working with the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing on the launch of Allcove, a network of youth mental health centers in Santa Clara County geared toward youth 12 to 25 years of age. In addition to onsite mental health services, basic primary care, wellness services and the educational/career support offered at each center, young people can access a variety of support services without parental consent, including treatment for early psychosis and substance abuse counseling. Sorensen also founded Youth United for Responsible Media Representation, a group of students working to reduce suicide contagion by training the media not to sensationalize coverage in the aftermath of tragedy.

Despite all the work she’s done to raise youth awareness around mental health, Sorensen recognizes how fortunate she is to live in a community where mental health isn’t swept under the rug. She also remains humble about the awards she’s received for her work. “I almost didn’t want to go to that [Young Minds Advocacy] awards ceremony: I didn’t know anyone, and it kind of felt shitty to get an award for suicide prevention when my friend just died,” Sorensen said. “But it reaffirmed that this work is important. The role that Young Minds played in my life was to help me find my voice. They really stood behind me and elevated me at a time I needed that support.”

To learn more about how the Young Minds Advocacy group empowers youth advocates, click here.

More: Confronting Suicide With A Little Manly Humor 

How to Talk to Teenagers About Suicide

Posted on by robbie

In the aftermath of two high-profile suicides and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that showed suicide rates have risen 25 percent since 1999, the question is more urgent than ever: How do you talk about suicide with someone who is severely depressed?
The problem is particularly pronounced among young people, with suicide the second leading cause of death in 2015 for those between the ages of 10 and 24. A recent study published by the Journal of Pediatrics found that one in five California teens actively think about killing themselves, leading public health professionals to advocate treating suicide as a systemic problem rather than a personal one.  
“Instead of changing individuals, we have the ability to take a public health approach and treat settings by bringing fixes and resources to groups,” says study co-author Ron Avi Astor, a professor at University of Southern California’s School of Social Work. He found that the percentage of students who thought about suicide ranged from the low single digits to upward of 70 percent, and depended largely on the school setting.  
Until there’s a greater societal shift, however, what’s the best way to reach someone who’s thinking of suicide? We asked Astor for advice on identifying, and confronting, young people who may be harboring suicidal thoughts.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SAY THE ‘S’ WORD

A big myth is that by talking about suicide with someone, you are planting the seed or promoting the action. That’s false.
“It’s important to know you can’t trigger suicidal thinking just by asking about it,” Allen Doederlein of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, recently told The New York Times.
Astor agrees — especially when it comes to teenagers, who are remarkably open, he says. He notes that teens who have thought about suicide will likely be honest about it. Specifically, he says, “you want to know if they’ve thought about how to do it — if they haven’t given much thought about it versus thinking about … a time and a place.”
The more detailed they are, the more urgent it is to get them help.
“It’s very difficult to ask, but if the person has made attempts — even if they’re not strong attempts — all those factors bump it up.”

DON’T GUILT THEM INTO LIVING

When trying to convince someone not to take their life, a common go-to is to mention all the people they’d be leaving behind. “Just think of your family,” you might be tempted to say. But try to resist that urge.
“It’s important not to make someone’s suicidality about yourself or others. They’re the person who’s hurting, so the focus needs to be on their feelings, their thoughts, and finding them help,” wrote suicide survivor Sian Ferguson.
Guilting people by mentioning who would miss them only exacerbates the problem. Instead, experts recommend simply telling them how much you care about them and showing empathy by acknowledging the truth of their situation. Express to them that, yes, right now sucks, and what they’re feeling is real.

REACH OUT TO THEIR FRIENDS, TOO

In his research, Astor found that someone’s friends often have a better idea of what is going on with them than their parents or teachers do.
To that end, Astor suggests speaking with the friends of someone you think might be at risk. Oftentimes, he says, they are also harboring suicidal ideation in a type of groupthink and can help shed light on underlying issues.

HELP THEM GET HELP

If you know a teenager is, in fact, having suicidal thoughts, seek help immediately.
The Society for Prevention of Teen Suicide recommends first seeing a pediatrician, who can refer you to a mental health professional, and the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that “pediatricians are, and will continue to be, an important first source for parents who are worried about their child’s behavioral problems.”
When trying to get someone to agree to see a therapist or psychiatrist, don’t try and force them, say experts. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be blunt and level with them.
“Try to make the optimistic assumption that if you could speak directly, though tactfully, and with care, then that might bring relief,” said Stephen Seligman, a clinical psychiatry professor at the University of California.

SHOW UP AND BE PRESENT

The best advice many experts give, though, is just to show up, ask questions and listen carefully to their response.
There is a lot to say about opening up the conversation and letting someone else — even angsty teens — know that things can get better with the right help.

—

For more information on how to help your teen or to speak to a specialist, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255. For more tips on speaking to your teen about suicide, visit the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide.

Could This Be the Next ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

Posted on by robbie

Last month, a burglar broke into veteran Andrew Myers’s Seattle house. But as the security camera footage in the YouTube video “Mr. Wrong House – Robber Meets Paratrooper” shows, Myers tackled the robber, punched him and held him until police arrived. The story spread across the country, and the video has been viewed almost 4 million times.
“Part of the reason it became a national story is, gratuitously thanking veterans makes people feel good about themselves,” Myers tells KIRO Radio. “That’s my opinion as a soldier watching civilians. It makes people feel patriotic. It’s like warm apple pie to see veteran justice. Another element to it is, people love instant karma. It really seems like these low-level home invasions are a much bigger deal than I realized. So many of these comments are people with similar experiences.”
When some suggested Myers should try to profit from his new fame, he rejected the idea. But then he got to thinking about a grave problem facing veterans — the suicide rate of 22 deaths a day — and decided his video might be able to help. After all, he knew what it was like to have long lasting effects from military service.
Myers served in Afghanistan as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. When he returned home, he began to experience symptoms of PTSD. He soon contacted Paws and Stripes, an organization that provides service dogs to veterans with PTSD, and was matched with Hunter, an Australian shepherd. Myers instantly felt better with Hunter by his side. “I was 100 percent different person within two days of having the dog. I was like, ‘I need you.'”
So Myers set up a website, MrWrongHouse.com, where he invites people to take a donation challenge which involves uploading a black-and-white photo of themselves with their arms extended in a “come at me, bro” gesture that he makes in the security camera footage, making a donation to Paws and Stripes and nominating three other individuals to participate.
“Go on the porch, do the wingspan pose, take a black and white picture, and challenge your friends to do the same,” he says. “Keep the challenge going long enough to hit that viral-ity that will raise enough money to make a difference.”
After viewing the “Mr. Wrong House” video, our guess is many people will be inclined to do what Myers tells them to do.
MORE: After Losing Her Marine Son to PTSD, This Mom’s Mission is to Save Other Veterans

After Losing Her Marine Son to PTSD, This Mom’s Mission Is to Save the Lives of Other Veterans

Posted on by robbie

Wendy Meyers’ son Brandon wanted one thing in life: To be a Marine.

Once he graduated from high school in Plainfield, Illinois, Brandon immediately enlisted and soon deployed to Iraq for nine months. He briefly returned home and then returned to Iraq for 19 months.

When he came home a second time, in 2012, Meyers knew something was deeply wrong with her son. “My husband woke up one night and heard him on the roof,” she told Fox 17, “He went out and talked to him, and he was doing sniper duty in the middle of the night on our roof. He never left Iraq.”

Brandon sought help from the VA, who judged him 70 percent disabled due to PTSD. The VA prescribed him medication and gave him counseling via teleconference. Still, things weren’t improving. Meyers said that Brandon told her, “When he died, just scatter his dust back in Iraq, because that’s where he died anyway.”
Sadly, Brandon took his own life in June 2013, becoming one of the estimated 22 veterans a day who commit suicide.
Meyers has turned her grief into a new mission. She aims to start a charity called Bubba’s Dogs for Warriors, which will provide service animals to veterans suffering from PTSD — a treatment she thinks might have helped her son better than the therapy he did receive. “We have lost more men and women to suicide than the wars themselves from start to today,” she told Brad Edwards of CBS 2 Chicago. “We can help. Every penny and dollar we give can save a life. They have done this for us. Let’s not forget.”
Meyers launched a GoFundMe campaign with the target of raising $30,000 to fund two service animals. So far, she’s collected more than $7,000. On the page Meyers writes, “We’ve poured our broken hearts into research and found the highest degree of treatment success can come in the form of a constant companion — a dog, a service dog. Training these PTSD dogs is expensive, up to $15,000 each. In our son’s memory, we’d like to save lives.” She notes that service animals are not covered by the VA, which is why so many nonprofits are stepping up to provide them.
Brandon achieved his goal of becoming a Marine; now, his mother works toward her mission of helping her late son’s comrades. If you’re interested in helping Meyers hit her target, click here.
MORE: This Service Dog Has A Mission Beyond Helping Just One Vet
 
 

Can a Safety Net Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge Save Lives?

Posted on by robbie

It’s an iconic image for San Francisco, and arguably for the entire state of California, but the Golden Gate Bridge is also a magnet for suicides. Suspended 220 feet over the channel that connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean, its allure as a deadly jumping-off point has had people begging for a suicide barrier for 60 years.
This year, those pleas reached a fever pitch. A record 46 people jumped to their deaths from the bridge in 2013, and another 118 were stopped before they could. These numbers give the Golden Gate Bridge the dubious distinction as one of the most popular suicide destinations in the world, along with the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Unlike those international landmarks, the Golden Gate’s orange-red span lacks a suicide barrier. But as soon as this May, that could change. The New York Times reported this week that directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District are expected to approve construction of a steel mesh net 20 feet below the California landmark’s sidewalk.
So what finally changed San Francisco’s trademark “live and let live” philosophy (which so well applies to other aspects of city life) this year? For one, suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge are trending younger. That means there are more parents taking up arms against the bridge’s seemingly easy exit strategy. For another, the numbers just keep growing: The Bridge Rail Foundation, an advocacy group that publicizes annual bridge statistics and encourages a growing number of bereaved parents to tell their stories, counts 1,600 suicides since the bridge was built in 1937.
These days, there is a suicide or an attempt almost every other day off of the bridge. As advocacy groups like the Bridge Rail Foundation made their case more and more clear, the city finally took note. And their actions will likely have a positive impact. While critics of the plan point out that suicidal people will find another way to die if a mesh net foils their attempt, many experts note that suicidal impulses are usually ephemeral. The obstacle of a net may be just enough to change their minds.
“Scientific evidence says a barrier reduces suicides, because thoughts of suicide are transient,” Eve R. Meyer, executive director of San Francisco Suicide Prevention, told the Times. For years, she said, when she raised the issue of a barrier before the board, she was shunned. Now, her voice is finally being heard.
And as for those that worry a net or barrier will mar the bridge’s beauty, those concerns will likely be unfounded. According to the recent designs, the barrier will be invisible from most angles.

Hundreds Trek the Boston Marathon Route to Raise Suicide Awareness

Posted on by robbie

Running a marathon takes a lot of courage and commitment. And so does marching the same distance while carrying a 50 pound backpack.
On March 29, hundreds of people did just that along the 26.2 mile Boston marathon route to raise awareness about the disturbingly high suicide rate among veterans. Sadly, an average of 22 veterans a day kill themselves, and the marchers are determined to reduce that number. Some turned the trek into a “ruck march” — carrying heavy backpacks like those servicemen and women wear, while others wore tutus and one accountant wore a gas mask, according to Todd Wallack of the Boston Globe.
Carlos Arredondo, the cowboy-hatted good samaritan who sprang into action to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing last year, was on hand to support the marchers. His son Alexander was a Marine killed in Iraq in 2004, and his son Brian committed suicide in 2011. The cause is “very close to our hearts and our family,” he told Wallack.
Participants set a goal to raise $75,000 for Active Heroes, a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit building a retreat for veterans and their families (the same charity one father and son team are hiking the Appalachian trail to support). Michelle Lyons, who served in Afghanistan, told Wallack that for veterans, “There is so much help out there — they just don’t know how to get to it.” As for the suicide rate among veterans, she said, “Hopefully we can bring that number down to zero.”
With the determination of these marathon marchers, veterans’ despair should be turned into hope.
MORE: This Father and Son are Hitting the Trail to Prevent Veteran Suicide 
 

This Incredible Man Walked 34,000 Miles to Raise Awareness About Depression and Suicide

Posted on by robbie

For Steve Fugate, life is all about the journey — literally.
Walking more than 34,000 miles, Fugate has successfully crossed the continental United States seven times to raise awareness about depression and suicide. The 67-year-old’s message is simple, and it’s scrawled across a sign he always carries with him: LOVE LIFE.
That’s the message he wishes he could have imparted on his children. His son committed suicide in 1999. His daughter, who suffered from MS, succumbed to an accidental drug overdose just a few years later. “When I lost my son, I forgot about all other plans I had,” Fugate said in a short film for Korduroy TV. “So I walk.”
MORE: ManTherapy: Confronting Suicide With a Little Manly Humor
Fugate’s LOVE LIFE Walk started shortly after his son’s death. During each cross-country trek, he tells himself that this is the last one. Yet, he keeps going. Last March, he left his hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, on his eighth adventure. His fans — thousands of them — keep up with his journey via Facebook. “I love Facebook. I go on there and it’s a way for me to get to more than just who I meet on the road,” Fugate says. “And it’s also a way for me to let people know that life is not what these newscasters have grabbed from all over the world to scare the living crap out of you. It’s a way for me to show people that random acts of kindness to happen to me on a daily basis — sometimes numerous in one day.”
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Indeed, it’s the kindness of others and the desire to find what he’s looking for (whatever that may be) — “I’ll know when I get it,” he says — that persuades him to keep walking. He’s walked through rain, hail, snow and sleet. He’s climbed mountains and been stalked by a mountain lion. He’s set up camp near tracks left by a grizzly bear. Five times, he’s struggled to cross the desert, each time proclaiming that he will never do it again. Yet he keeps going. “My creed is to mend the broken heart while still beating,” Fugate says. “I’m forced to keep walking with this LOVE LIFE sign because every once in awhile someone stops and they need it.”
But he’s not just healing others through his walks. He’s healing himself, as well. “I call what I do trail therapy,” he says. “It’s just like every other trail. It goes both ways. This isn’t just for others. This is for me too.”
MORE: Improving American Health Begins with These Three Numbers

ManTherapy: Confronting Suicide With a Little Manly Humor

Posted on by robbie

The poster on the door to the office of Colorado’s suicide prevention chief reads, “Give your mind the same attention you give your penis.”
For most men, that’s a lot of attention.
For Jarrod Hindman, it could be the answer to a serious problem that has for years nagged Colorado and many western states, where mental health services are scarce: What’s the best way to help suicidal men get the mental health care they need? Hindman is hoping the key lies in something almost never associated with suicide — jokes
Hindman took over the state’s suicide prevention office in 2006. He noticed that it wasn’t spending much time, money or marketing on the problem of men and suicide. And yet the statistics were troubling: Men are nearly four times as likely to commit suicide as women. In 2009, men made up 79 percent of the nearly 40,000 people who died by suicide in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MORE: Improving American Health Begins with These Three Numbers

In Colorado especially — along with the rest of the so-called “Suicide Belt” of the American West — the problem of suicide is dire. In 2012, the rate reached an all-time high of 19.7 suicides per 100,000 people in Colorado, a nearly 16 percent increase over the year before, according to the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment. Compare that with the rate for the U.S. overall: 12.4 suicides per 100,000 people. Among men in Colorado, the rate was higher still, at 30.62 suicides per 100,000 people.
Hindman was struck by another jarring statistic: Compared with women, men have far lower rates of depression, a major risk factor for suicide.
But that fact, he realized, didn’t mean fewer men than women were depressed. Data has repeatedly suggested that men are just as vulnerable as women to depression. So because fewer men were being diagnosed as depressed, it likely meant that they were not going to mental health professionals to get the diagnosis.
A few years later, Hindman met the founder of a marketing firm at a symposium. They arranged a meeting and hatched the idea for what would become “ManTherapy” — a website that brings therapy to men who wouldn’t seek it otherwise, and in the process, makes jokes about testicles.
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Go to the ManTherapy.org homepage and a video of a thickly mustached Dr. Rich Mahogany, man therapist (“not a real therapist”), greets you with one of a few random greetings. “Did you know that men have feelings too?” he might say. “No, not just the hippies.”
Dr. Mahogany addresses visitors from a wood-paneled office befitting Ron Swanson, complete with a moosehead on the wall and a sign for a music group called Richard and the Balls. On the site, there’s a primer on depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, titled Gentlemental Health 101: Kryptonite for the Manliest of Male Minds, plus lots of resources to connect men with therapy (“Because contrary to popular belief, men can’t fix everything themselves”), support groups (“You don’t need to go it alone, cowboy”) and the like.
ManTherapy.org ran into some opposition at first. For obvious reasons, suicide is a sensitive subject, and it’s not easy to joke about it. Some of the mental health professionals partnering with the state bristled, worried that the site would steer men away from their services. If even more depressed men went without treatment, it could lead to more suicide, they said, and increase the rate of other depression-related problems like weakened relationships, poor job performance, alcoholism, insomnia, heart disease and dementia.
The skeptics found that their fears were mostly unfounded. Since July 2012, when the website launched, 300,000 people have visited it. And some of the men who have been helped by the site have let the state know; hundreds of anonymous users have emailed positive comments, which Hindman shared with NationSwell. One visitor to ManTherapy wrote that “it was a safe place to me.” Another said that it “helps me see I’m not the only one going through my problems and I’m not less of a man for getting help and lets me know there is a life after this.”
Dr. Alan Berman, the director of the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C., says men are “socialized” to be strong rather than emotional, and not to seek help or admit they have a problem. “It’s a tremendous barrier to overcome,” he says.
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There won’t be a way to determine the true impact of ManTherapy on suicide rates until this year’s statistics are released in Colorado. But in a hopeful sign, other states are signing on. Wisconsin is working on a licensing agreement with Colorado’s suicide prevention office to bring the droll Dr. Mahogany to its state with specific resources added to the website for those residents. Talks are also ongoing with North and South Carolina, and a handful of western states like Arizona, New Mexico and California. Even Australia started its own national version of the site.
The western U.S. states carry a particularly heavy burden of suicide; their rates are far higher than that of the rest of the country. The reasons are complex and difficult to tease out precisely. But it doesn’t help that: a) mental health resources in rural areas are harder to come by; b) Western Americans have more of a frontier mentality about dealing with their own troubles; and c) there’s a deep-rooted gun culture in the region, increasing the potential for self-harm.
These were the factors that prompted Hindman to start ManTherapy — to bring mental health help right to the computer screen of John Wayne. Since the days when Hindman first began, things have changed quite a bit. Last year ManTherapy.org, which is funded in part by the nonprofit Carson J Spencer Foundation, was honored with a public health award for its innovation. And last July, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper sent Hindman a note to congratulate him. Underneath the typed text, the governor scribbled: “WAY TO GO and keep up the GREAT work!”
Hindman is pleased, but knows he has work to do. One of his intermediate goals is, counterintuitively, to see reported rates of male depression rise, particularly in the 25-to-54 age group targeted by ManTherapy. “That means that men are getting off their ass and going to see a professional,” he says.
MORE: Walking 921 Miles and Places 921 Ribbons to Stop Bullying and Celebrate a Life

Walking 921 Miles and Placing 921 Ribbons to Stop Bullying and Celebrate a Life

Posted on by robbie

Ronnie Kroell and Elliot Dal Pra London don’t just take a stand against bullying, they take a walk—a 921-mile walk from Chicago to New York City. They’ve brought the purple anti-bullying ribbon through Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other cities on their way to the George Washington Bridge, where Tyler Clementi committed suicide in 2010. Clementi’s death inspired the Friend Movement, which has worked to use art and media to stop bullying. This particular effort has drawn funds for their cause and certainly grabbed attention as they placed 921 ribbons along the path, one at each mile. The emotional side really emerged with Clementi’s mother Jane and brother James joining the walk for its final mile over the bridge; they were met by dozens of supporters with purple ribbons and flowers.