By Cristina Janney
Newton Kansan
Harvey County’s suicide rate is almost double the national average.
The national average for suicide is 10.9 suicides per 100,000 people per year, according to the latest statistics complied by the National Institutes of Mental Health.
That means Harvey County should average about 3.6 suicides per year.
Between 2006 and 2009, there were 26 suicides in Harvey County. That equals about 6.5 suicides per year.
A group of concerned residents have organized to form the Harvey County Suicide Coalition to try to determine why the suicide rate has increased in Newton and to take steps to prevent others from taking their own lives.
As a part of that endeavor, the group is honoring this week as Suicide Prevention Week.
The coalition and Newton Medical Center have invited psychologist Jason Deselms of the Robert J. Dole Medical Center in Wichita to lead a forum on suicide at 7 p.m. Thursday in the north dinning room of Newton Medical Center.
Deselms said he hopes to convey to the audience it does not take special training to help people who may be struggling with thoughts of harming themselves.
He will discuss warning signs and what strategies friends and families can use to help their loved ones. He also will discuss resources concerned loved ones might use to help someone who might be considering suicide.
Deselms said stigma is a big barrier to people getting the mental-health treatment they need to deal with suicidal thoughts.
“Some people consider it a personal weakness,” Deselms said. “I have vets who don’t consider (mental illness) as a physical illness. They see themselves as damaged or it being a weakness. We need to break through these barriers.”
Deselms said the awareness the coalition is trying to bring to the issue of suicide will be key in dealing with this serious public health concern, Deselms said.
“They need to be on the look out to intervene early and not be afraid to step in a talk about it,” he said. “You can’ be afraid you are going to make someone mad. People don’t take action, and they hope something will change with the individual. But the longer it goes on, the worse it gets until they get to a crisis point.”
After Deselms talk, the floor will be opened to questions.
In addition to the forum, 5,000 yellow ribbon cards will be handed out to residents of Harvey County as a suicide prevention campaign sponsored by the coalition.
The cards have on them numbers to call if an individual is needing help dealing with suicidal thoughts.
The concept for the yellow ribbon cards, which has spread nationwide, was created by the Emme family who lost their son Michael to suicide in 1994.
The idea is that a person can hand one of the yellow ribbon cards to a trusted friend, family, teacher or pastor, and the recipient of the card would know without words that person is struggling with suicidal thoughts, said Jason Reynolds, a member of the coalition.
National organizers of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign estimate more than 40,000 calls to suicide hotlines have been made thanks to yellow ribbon cards, Reynolds said.
The Yellow Ribbon Campaign will continue Sept. 17 to 19 with a softball tournament, which will end with a balloon release on Sept. 19.
Attached to the balloons will be yellow ribbon cards, Reynolds said.
Funds raised through the softball tournament will be used to fund future suicide prevention events.
“We want people to talk about it — the effects it has on all our lives,” Reynolds said of suicide. “We keep it bottled up. We don’t feel comfortable about talking about it. We want to reverse the stigma.”
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By Cristina Janney
Newton Kansan
Harvey County’s suicide rate is almost double the national average.
The national average for suicide is 10.9 suicides per 100,000 people per year, according to the latest statistics complied by the National Institutes of Mental Health.
That means Harvey County should average about 3.6 suicides per year.
Between 2006 and 2009, there were 26 suicides in Harvey County. That equals about 6.5 suicides per year.
A group of concerned residents have organized to form the Harvey County Suicide Coalition to try to determine why the suicide rate has increased in Newton and to take steps to prevent others from taking their own lives.
As a part of that endeavor, the group is honoring this week as Suicide Prevention Week.
The coalition and Newton Medical Center have invited psychologist Jason Deselms of the Robert J. Dole Medical Center in Wichita to lead a forum on suicide at 7 p.m. Thursday in the north dinning room of Newton Medical Center.
Deselms said he hopes to convey to the audience it does not take special training to help people who may be struggling with thoughts of harming themselves.
He will discuss warning signs and what strategies friends and families can use to help their loved ones. He also will discuss resources concerned loved ones might use to help someone who might be considering suicide.
Deselms said stigma is a big barrier to people getting the mental-health treatment they need to deal with suicidal thoughts.
“Some people consider it a personal weakness,” Deselms said. “I have vets who don’t consider (mental illness) as a physical illness. They see themselves as damaged or it being a weakness. We need to break through these barriers.”
Deselms said the awareness the coalition is trying to bring to the issue of suicide will be key in dealing with this serious public health concern, Deselms said.
“They need to be on the look out to intervene early and not be afraid to step in a talk about it,” he said. “You can’ be afraid you are going to make someone mad. People don’t take action, and they hope something will change with the individual. But the longer it goes on, the worse it gets until they get to a crisis point.”
After Deselms talk, the floor will be opened to questions.
In addition to the forum, 5,000 yellow ribbon cards will be handed out to residents of Harvey County as a suicide prevention campaign sponsored by the coalition.
The cards have on them numbers to call if an individual is needing help dealing with suicidal thoughts.
The concept for the yellow ribbon cards, which has spread nationwide, was created by the Emme family who lost their son Michael to suicide in 1994.
The idea is that a person can hand one of the yellow ribbon cards to a trusted friend, family, teacher or pastor, and the recipient of the card would know without words that person is struggling with suicidal thoughts, said Jason Reynolds, a member of the coalition.
National organizers of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign estimate more than 40,000 calls to suicide hotlines have been made thanks to yellow ribbon cards, Reynolds said.
The Yellow Ribbon Campaign will continue Sept. 17 to 19 with a softball tournament, which will end with a balloon release on Sept. 19.
Attached to the balloons will be yellow ribbon cards, Reynolds said.
Funds raised through the softball tournament will be used to fund future suicide prevention events.
“We want people to talk about it — the effects it has on all our lives,” Reynolds said of suicide. “We keep it bottled up. We don’t feel comfortable about talking about it. We want to reverse the stigma.”
