Stateline, ContributorStateline provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy. More than 47,000 Americans died by suicide last year, a 4 percent increase over 2016. 11/30/2018 05:35 pm ET By Christine Vestal PORTLAND — For Portland resident Stephen Canova, thoughts of suicide came unexpectedly one December night. Then 20, a sophomore in college, unhappy and disconnected from his tightknit home community, he tried to kill himself. “I had no idea I had it in me,” Canova said. “I don’t remember a lot about that night. But I do know this — when I tried to kill myself, I didn’t want to die. I just wanted the pain to go away. I wanted out.” Nationwide, more than 47,000 Americans died by suicide last year, according to data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a nearly 5 percent increase over 2016, when close to 45,000 people died. And it’s a … [Read more...] about How States Are Training Professionals To Recognize Suicide Warning Signs
Warning signs of suicide
D49 plans mental health fair to help community identify signs of crisis, ‘heal’ youth
After a year fraught with tragedies, from a staff member’s slaying to the traffic deaths of three family members, Falcon School District 49, in partnership with Ellicott District 22, will hold a mental health event next month to help the community heal and address crises.“We always think of education as reading, writing, math, science ... but if our kids have other things going on emotionally, they’re not open and ready to learn,” said Kim Boyd, D-49’s community care director.“We just need to be caring for our youth and our communities in all aspects of their lives.”Several devastating losses hit the district last year in rapid-fire succession:• Richard Hammond, the district’s head of transportation, was found shot to death Feb. 14, 2017, in Denver. The homicide remains unsolved.• Rachel Dewey, an eighth-grade social studies teacher, died while skiing Pikes Peak with her family March 19, 2017.• Julia Roark, a top … [Read more...] about D49 plans mental health fair to help community identify signs of crisis, ‘heal’ youth
How to spot signs of mental illness in your kids
Mary Rose O'Leary of Eagle Rock, Calif., has shepherded three children into adulthood, and teaches art and music to middle-school students. Despite her extensive personal and professional experience with teens, she admits she's often perplexed by their behavior. Teenagers can be volatile and moody. They can test your patience, push your buttons and leave you questioning your sanity — and theirs. I'm not being flip. Mental health challenges are a serious — and growing — problem for teenagers: Teen and young-adult suicide has nearly tripled since the 1940s. The rate of 12- to 17-year-olds who struggled with clinical depression rose by 37 percent in a decade, according to a recent study. And schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders often manifest themselves in adolescence. In fact, half of all mental health conditions emerge by age 14, and three-quarters by 24, said Dr. Steven Adelsheim, director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, part of … [Read more...] about How to spot signs of mental illness in your kids
The warning signs of suicide – and how to get help
Just days after fashion icon Kate Spade died by suicide, celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain, host of the CNN travel show "Parts Unknown," was found dead in his hotel room in France at the age of 61. CNN confirmed the death, calling it a suicide. These high-profile deaths come the same week the CDC reported suicide rates in the U.S. have risen nearly 30 percent since 1999. In light of such disturbing news, many are left wondering, "What's going on?" "A lot of very smart people are looking at this and saying it's multifactorial. We don't really understand why there's such an increase," CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on "CBS This Morning." "One of the things we keep coming back to when these surprising events happen is you never know what is in somebody's head," he said. Mental illness, including depression and anxiety, is a major risk factor for suicide. But it's important to remember there isn't just one cause. The CDC report found that other … [Read more...] about The warning signs of suicide – and how to get help
Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
HUMACAO, P.R. — A social worker, Lisel Vargas, recently visited Don Gregorio at his storm-damaged home in the steep hillsides of Humacao, a city on Puerto Rico’s eastern coast near where Category 4 Hurricane Maria first made landfall last September. Gregorio, a 62-year-old former carpenter who lives alone, looked haggard. He said he had stopped taking his medication for depression more than a week earlier and hadn’t slept in four days. He was feeling anxious and nervous, he said, rubbing his bald head and fidgeting with the silver watch on his wrist. His voice monotone and barely audible, he told Vargas he had had thoughts of suicide. Indeed, the overall suicide rate in Puerto Rico increased 29 percent in 2017, with a significant jump after Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Department of Public Health reports, and that anguish is continuing. Gregorio’s descent from heartbroken but determined storm victim to this moment of despair is a path traveled … [Read more...] about Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide