Archive for Mental Illness
Suicide prevention: Push back the darkness, let in the light
Posted by: | Comments“No one is sure why Alaska’s suicide rate has risen for four straight years and is the nation’s highest. Alaska can round up the usual suspects — alcohol and drug abuse, hopelessness, isolation, poverty, wretched family lives, lack of opportunity, sexual abuse, biological factors, culture, history, racism — but we still won’t have all the answers. We do have some answers, however. And as Susan Soule, mental health consultant and former director of the state’s suicide prevention program, points out, we know the important questions.”
“Soule quoted the late Edwin Schneidman, the father of suicide prevention, who said the work boiled down to two questions:
‘Where do you hurt? How may I help you?’ ”
Part 4 Prevalence of Suicide in Montana – Montana’s Unique Characteristics
Posted by: | CommentsSuicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents.
A fourth reason listed by State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf is:
Montana’s Unique Characteristics
• Much of Montana epitomizes geographical isolation, accentuated by the harsh winter climate.
• Since the arrival of the earliest white settlers, there has been an ingrained social culture that has accepted suicide as a part of life in Montana.
• Montana’s rate of suicide has proven resistant to improvement from previous prevention efforts.
• There is a lack of availability and access to mental health services in many areas in the state, in part due to the state’s remoteness.
• There is a prevalent and proud “western” culture and attitude among the Caucasian majority in Montana – ‘we can take care of ourselves.’
• Frequently, there is access to firearms that are not properly stored.
• There is a lack of transportation services for some people that inhibits their ability to seek or receive help.
• There is a lack of communication infrastructure (phones, cellular service, and Internet access) in some areas, including American Indian reservations, frontier and rural areas.
• Montana ranks high in alcohol and substance abuse when compared to other states in the U.S
This is the last of 4 posts. To see the other’s please visit the archives.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents.
A third reason listed by State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf is:
Lack of mental health providers and treatment facilities
• There is a shortage of inpatient mental health treatment facilities. The availability of this vital resource is diminishing with the closure of inpatient psychiatric beds.
• There is a severe lack of appropriate comprehensive outpatient services.
• There is insufficient integration of traditional and culturally specific interventions
• Montana has a severe shortage of psychiatrists, especially child and adolescent psychiatrists
• There is a lack of physicians capable of providing appropriate psychiatric medication treatments
• There is a lack of post intervention services
This is the third of 4 posts. To see the other’s please visit the archives.
Part 1 – Prevalance of Suicide in Montana – Lack of statewide coordination
Posted by: | CommentsSuicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents.
Lack of statewide coordination
• Systems collaboration between tribal entities, counties and state government, especially for adolescent and young adult populations are inadequate.
• Coordination between community levels and state systems is inadequate. Local communities may not know about initiatives in other parts of the state or in state government. State government agencies are often not aware of prevention efforts related to suicide in other agencies.
• Development of suicide prevention strategies often occurs without the involvement of youth in the planning process.
• Screening for mental illness and suicide does not consistently occur in public schools, juvenile justice systems, or other child-serving agencies. Screening is inconsistent in the medical community
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
