PIERRE, SD – Suicide prevention officials in South Dakota are reminding residents facing a mental health crisis that there are resources available, after the state released alarming statistics this month.
The health ministry said that in the first quarter of this year, 59 South Dakotas died by suicide. This compares to 28 over the same period last year. It also allows the state to surpass last year’s total of 186.
Sheri Nelson, director of suicide prevention for the state’s 211 helpline, said in 2020 that many people were feeling an increased sense of mental stress caused by the pandemic, prompting them to rally around. others.
She said that for some, that feeling might be different this year.
“As things open up, they get a ‘I’m living this alone’ feeling again,” Nelson explained.
Nationally, health experts noted similar observations of people supporting each other last year, with Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention data showing nearly 6% drop in US suicides
In South Dakota, the Telephone support center provides 24 hour crisis support throughout the year. It also offers training in the field of prevention.
While going through a global crisis can create greater awareness, Nelson noted that lingering effects can still be felt. She pointed to past events, such as the SARS epidemic or the 2008 financial crisis, when there had been an increase in suicides among certain demographic groups.
“There has been this increase in suicides,” Nelson said. “But the main thing is to let people know that there is help available to them and that they don’t have to go through it alone.”
She added that there still need to be conversations to remove any remaining stigma around someone going through a mental health crisis. Before the 2019 pandemic, South Dakota had the eighth highest suicide rate in the United States.
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CHARLESTON, West Virginia – The deteriorating mental health of K-12 students across the country over the past year and a half has alarmed health professionals. Experts say West Virginia could use federal funding to help meet student needs, at a time when the new coronavirus crisis shows no signs of abating.
Tamicah Owens is a summer associate researcher at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and a doctoral candidate in educational theory and practice at West Virginia University. She said the state will receive more than $ 761 million to make sure they can reopen safely and meet the needs of students.
“So school districts, for example, could hire more teachers,” Owens said. “They could hire counselors, they could hire nurses, they could also hire additional social workers, psychologists, and school counselors.”
Owens explained that the majority of the funds will go to local school boards who will make decisions on how to use the money. But she said they must receive public input from educators and parents on their proposed plans.
Owens said she believes the funding represents an important opportunity for West Virginia to address some of the long-standing needs and challenges of its education system.
“This is the first thing that needs to happen,” Owens said, “is that parents, students and teachers need to be able to give their opinion on what they need specifically to help solve these problems.”
She also highlighted the large disparities in income and poverty in the state based on race, noting that blacks in West Virginia are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as white residents.
She said the economic pressure created by the pandemic means students of color face greater challenges, and said the funding should be used in ways that help tackle long-standing inequalities.
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ROCHESTER, NY – East September Suicide Prevention Month, and New Yorkers are urged to use available training sessions on how to respond to emotional crises, especially as the pandemic continues to affect mental health.
Samantha Colson, director of training and programs for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Rochester, said that in recent years New York State has struggled to fund “Mental health first aid“, they are therefore offered at low cost or free of charge to the public and in schools.
She thinks it is imperative that young people receive this kind of training.
“Just some basic training on mental health, mental illness and how to support a friend who may be struggling,” Colson explained. And that support should include, ‘I’m here for you, I hear you, but now we have to go to a trusted adult who can really help you get the help you need. “”
Colson added that hotlines, like 211 or 311, can directly connect New Yorkers to mental health care, and the National Crisis Hotline is at 800-273-TALK.
Suicide is one of the main causes of death in people aged 10 to 34, just behind unintentional injuries, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Colson noted that one of the most common reasons people give for not seeking support is the stigma surrounding mental health issues, even though
one in five American adults suffers from a mental illness. She said helping someone with an emotional crisis starts with small steps.
“I would tell this assistant to breathe first, because it can feel overwhelming when someone forces this on you,” Colson advised. “And do your best to center yourself and really listen, without being judgmental, to this person who shares his experience and shares his struggle.”
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LINCOLN, Neb. – As young Nebraska adults leave home for college, psychologists offer advice on how to avoid falling into common “thinking traps” that can make the transition more difficult.
Dr Megan Hayes, clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said a common trap is “doom and gloom,” where people focus on the worst possible outcome of a situation.
If students have difficulty making new friends, they can assume that they will feel lonely for the next four years. Hayes suggested that one way out of the trap is to focus on past experience.
“Maybe other situations where they were afraid to meet people, maybe they were just starting high school or college, or if they were going to a camp,” Hayes explained. “‘Maybe I thought that before in the past, then everything went well, and I made some really good friends back then.'”
Cognitive distortions, or “thought traps,” may not be rational, but Hayes pointed out that such thoughts can significantly affect the way a person feels and behaves.
She advised that it’s important to pay attention to negative thoughts, challenge them, and think about how you might cope if the worst-case scenario does happen. For example, if it’s difficult to meet new friends, you might consider leaning on friends back home for a while.
Another common trap is ‘mind reading’. Hayes noted that assuming someone thinks of you in a negative light can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, when the other person resumes your defensive behavior.
She recommended that if you’re not sure what someone else is thinking, it’s important to at least recognize that there are other possibilities.
“It’s not about swinging the pendulum across the spectrum and using toxic positivity,” Hayes pointed out. “It’s about leveling the rules of the game, leveling the scales, having more balanced thinking.”
Hayes added that there is a tendency to believe that thoughts are completely rational and true at the time, when in reality they are just thoughts. Instead of defending a negative thought, she encouraged people to pierce her logic and ask, “Why wouldn’t that be true? “
Hayes pointed out that being aware of and questioning unnecessary thoughts can be a useful tool for people of all ages.
“Cognitive behavioral strategies are a way to increase your mental toughness, your ability to withstand difficult circumstances,” Hayes concluded.
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