Spotlight on
Suicide Prevention
Mental
Health America of Licking County is continually examining new methods to
promote our goals of education, advocacy, intervention and prevention. In the spirit of furthering the mission of
MHALC, we will be spotlighting the
programs and support groups associated with this agency. It is through these programs that we strive to
integrate physical health with mental health by proclaiming, “There is no
health without mental health”. This
month’s spotlight is on Suicide Prevention.
The
Suicide Prevention Progam at MHALC is a program that focuses on nurturing the
mental health of the youth in Licking County through activities like Share the
Love, which is featured on the agency's website, http://mhalc.org. This will be an evening of encouragement and
outreach. Students are invited to bring their
electronic devices in order to reach out to friends and family to let them know
they are loved. Through this activity,
we hope to provide inspiration to others and to also teach students the value
of caring for their community. Share the
Love is an excellent approach to creating awareness in a positive and
compassionate manner.
But,
Share the Love is only one of the many functions
of the Suicide Prevention Program.
Justina Wade, Program Coordinator for Suicide Prevention, travels to
schools in Licking County daily. Justina is happy to say that, as of this year,
Suicide Prevention has reached 90% of the schools in Licking County. Throughout the month of January, Justina
organized depression screenings in Licking County high schools. The goal of
these screenings is to empower students to seek the help they need and to
reduce the number of suicide deaths. 15% of the students screened indicated they
would like to talk to someone about mental health issues and all were referred
to guidance counselors. 35% of the
students were red-flagged for depression during these screenings and were
immediately evaluated by a mental health professional. Within this group, many admitted to
contemplating or even attempting suicide.
Many times, these screenings offer students an opportunity to talk about
issues they find difficult to talk about at home.
In
addition to many school activities, Suicide Prevention at MHALC is also part of
the Licking County Suicide Prevention Coalition. This Coalition was established in 2002 with
the mission to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in Licking County and to
increase willingness to seek help. The Coalition is made up of private
citizens, staff of various social services and mental health organizations, a
deputy coroner, and school staff. This
coalition meets once each month to discuss the suicide statistics in Licking
County. A large portion of this meeting
is spent discussing better ways to educate and create awareness in this
community.
Another
educational component of Suicide Prevention that Justina coordinates is the
Gatekeeper Training Program. This training
program is provided to businesses, individuals or agencies that deal with
people on a regular basis. Based on
research, this training helps individuals understand the signs of suicide and
the proper way to proceed in getting help to the person in crisis. MHALC also partners with Mental Health &
Recovery for Licking and Knox Counties to offer Mental Health First Aid. This
is another specialized training course designed to develop skills for an
individual experiencing a mental health crisis. Please visit the MHALC website
for more information on these training programs.
According
to MHALC’s statistics, Licking County has an average of 14.5 suicides per
100,000 people, which is higher that the national average of 13 per 100,000. The time has come for this community to
become more aware and concerned about those who are struggling with mental
illnesses. Individuals who are suffering must be encouraged to seek
treatment. As a community, we need to
take steps to eradicate the stigma attached to mental illness. In the words of Penny Sitler, the Executive Director of MHALC,
“Stigma often causes people to hide their illness or the fact that a family
member is dealing with mental health issues because they’re embarrassed or
afraid of how they will be treated.” We
must be equally concerned with the mental health of our children, as the
screenings performed in the schools have shown us, they are struggling as well. It is time to understand the need to
integrate physical health and mental health, because we simply cannot continue
to nurture one and neglect the other.
Programs like Suicide Prevention are critical for our community, but we
need to be willing to do our part. Mental
Health America of Licking County urges local individuals, organizations, and
businesses to participate in the training offered by this agency.
For
more information, or for information on how to get plugged into this program,
visit the MHALC website at http://mhalc.org. Justina and all of the staff members at MHALC
are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 until 5:00 to answer any
questions regarding these important issues at (740) 522-1341.
Jill
Goddard
Development/Program
Manager
Mental
Health America of Licking County
(740)
788-0301
Justina
Wade
Suicide
Prevention Coordinator
Mental
Health America of Licking County
(740)
788-0353
