October 19, 2011
Fortiani» CObaertiei
Page 19
Suicides on the Rise
continued
fro m page 11
drastically exceed the number of
homicides throughout the state,
where 670individual’s deaths were
a result of suicide, compared to the
91 lives taken from homicide last
year.
These numbers don’t even begin
to include the number of loved ones
impacted and the non-fatal attempts
by residents, which came to 7,370 in
Oregon in 2010, according to the
state’s non-violent death report.
“The big thing here is preven
tion,” said Parker.
In the past year, Portland Fire and
Rescue has responded to 55 calls of
individuals attempting to kill them
selves by jumping off Portland’s
bridges— a total that is up by 39
calls from the previous year.
“I think people need to know
there is help out there,” said Colin
Mcgladrey, who has worked with
Fire and Rescue for eight-years.
Nick Weichal, a fellow first re
sponder, agreed.
Both men are part of the team at
Fire Station 21 that responds to the
calls when someone chooses to
jump from a bridge in Portland. At
Waterfront Park last Thursday, they
both stood at the site where their
team attempted to save the life of the
women who drove her car into the
river.
"It seems like it happens more
and more often,” said Weichal. “Not
only does it have an impact on fam
ily members, but it does on first
responders also because we have
to deal with it in our own way.”
He said, however, by opening
Fire Station 21, first responders have
been able to increase the number of
rescues they have made on the
Willamette river.
According to Leslie Storm, the
director of the Oregon Partnership
hotline, the organization received a
high increase of calls to the help line
last year. She said the increase in
calls can be attributed to the number
of individuals facing debt and eco
nomic hardshi p, which has exasper
ated the number of suicides through
out the country.
“They really feel like they’ve run
out of options,” she said.
Storm, along with fire and rescue
crews, Portland Police officers, and
residents who have been impacted
by suicides within their personal
lives, joined together to send the
message of hope and prevention at
the waterfront site where the woman
took her life.
Storm, who talks with individuals
everyday about what to do when
suicide comes into the picture, named
off several warning signs to know
when someone might be thinking of
taking their own lives. "Please take
them seriously,” she urged the crowd.
“Ask about it, listen and be patient.”
Storm said there are two myths
that surround an individual’s at
tempts to call out for help that too
often cause misconception. One
myth, she said, is that people who
talk about suicide won’t go through
with it. Another is that by talking
with someone about suicide, it will
give them the idea to kill themselves.
She said, however, these beliefs
are simply not true. “The stigma.
shame, secrecy and myths surround-
ing suicide unfortunately keep
people from getting the help they
need,” she said.
According to Oregon Partner
ship, the leading causes o f suicide
are untreated depression and other
untreated mental health disorders.
T he c a lls to the O reg o n
Partnership’s Suicide Lifeline went
from nearly 11,000 in 2008 to over
19,000 in 2010 as the economic re
cession took hold.
Although there isn’t one deter
mining factor to why people feel
compelled to take their own lives,
Parker said there is a dire need to talk
about the underlying mental health
issues within the country. “By its
very definition, they can’t see other
options,” he said. “By talking about
it, it is preventable.”
For more information about ser
vices offered by Oregon Partner
ship, visit orpartnership.org or call
503-244-5211.
To reach the 24-hour suicide life
line, call 800-273-TALK.
‘Our Families’
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 11
Khalil Edwards and his mother Antionette Edwards are featured in Basic Rights Oregon’s educa
tion campaign featuring local African American families. The goal is to spread awareness on the
struggles faced by people o f color who are also lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
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American, and Asian and Pacific Is
lander communities to create three
videos that feature first-hand ac
counts for the campaign.
“The videos highlight that fami
lies come in all shapes, sizes, sexuali
ties and id en tities,” said Jeana
Frazzini, executive director for the
organization. “Our diversity makes
for a strong and vibrant community.”
The ‘Our Families’ project also
includes a newspaper ad, which fo
cuses on a statement of support
signed by over 40 straight commu
nity leaders from various communi
ties of color.
The statement expresses that
LGBTQ families of color are part of
the fabric of the community, and com
munities are strongest when all fami
lies have the resources, respect and
love they need to thrive.
According to Emily S. Ryan, an
other member of the Our Families
project, the campaign is a collabora
tion of perspectives with a single fo
cus to highlight community member’s
shared experiences. “Not a lot of orga
nizations are focusing on these inter
secting identities,” she said. “And most
are not focusing on educating straight
people of color communities.”
She hopes the project will help
people acknowledge and cherish the
depth of an individual’s identity, as
well as the intensity of experiences
layered in being an LGBTQ person of
color when creating policies and ser
vices in the future.
“The education campaign of Our
Families is sharing eye-opening sto
ries that have the power behind them
to foster lasting change in both the
straight people of color community
and white LGBTQ community,” she
said.
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