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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2012)
Page4___________________________________ a'1 "' ^Jortlatth (©baeruer October io. 2012 Mental Health Crisis c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3 The Salvation Army Youth Brass Band, under the direction o f Major James Sullivan, performed during the non-profit's All About Kids dinner. This year's theme, "My Story," made for a wonderful, heart-felt evening of stories and testim o kids in need in the com m unity at n ials o f how T he S a lv atio n the Sept. 25 event, drawing over Army has positively im pacted 340 guests to the Oregon Z oo’s p e o p le fro m a v e ry y o u n g Cascade Crest Ballroom. age. Stories Pack a Punch Stories packed a punch at The Salvation Arm y's 18th annual All About Kids dinner. Over $275,000 was raised for Upholstery Cleaning • Sofa/Loveseat • Pet Stains • Flood Restorations I H f l S W K o CARPET CLEANING & STEAMER 5 0 3 - 7 0 5 - 2 5 8 7 12 Rooms + Hall I rooms $10 | each with | coupon. | S ^ 0 9 5 ! Expires 9/28/12. "] Licensed • Bonded • Insured ¡Complete House ! $CI<19 5 ! I Up to 122OOsq feet jWith coupon. 10 Years o f References Available With Free I Deodorizer | Expires 9/28/12j Carpet Cleaning Spot/Stain Removal • 24 Hour Flood Service Upholstery Cleaning • Area Rug Cleaning Dry Time 2-4 Hours • Free Estimates • Available Weekends ^You are cordiatfy invited to Sharon Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Annual Homecoming... “Celebrating 66 Years!” “ The Seed Was Planted--The Legacy Continues” Friday, October 12,2012 6:30 pm Registration / Meet & Greet With Refreshments 7:30 pm Special Program Dr. Andrea Trusty King Saturday, October 13,2012 9:30 am Registration 9:45 am Sabbath School with Guest Speaker: Pastor Royal Harrison 11:00 am Worship Experience Dr. Andrea Trusty King Special Guest Speaker: Dr. Andrea Trusty King Great Music, Heartwarming Presentations, Fond Memories, O ld & New Friends! Special Homecoming Luncheon Provided Off-site “Sadly, these calls are all too familiar to our officers,” said Pete Simpson, public information officer of the Portland Police. Since 2001, the number of police responses to suicide calls has risen by 90 percent, according to a cur rent city report on “police interac tions with persons in mental health crisis.” In the last week, among many other mental health calls, 10 people attempted suicide and three men died of self-inflected wounds. A fourth suicide was 19-year-old male who was reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol and playing "Russian Roulette," with a firearm in a garage. As the shock from suicide deaths ripple through the community, men tal health advocates are calling on people to take preventive actions. The National Alliance for Sui cide Prevention calls for strategies to reduce and de-stigmatize suicides across the country, and Portland city officials and local police are promoting Lines for Life as an alter native emergency number to 9-1-1 for people suffering a mental health crisis. “People tend to kill themselves for one of two reasons,” one— “un bearable pain” and two— “not want ing to be a burden to others,” said Lines for Life Clinical Director Leslie Storm, a veteran of 23 years in the counseling field and the last six at Lines for Life. Suicidal victims may also have a mental health disorder, a substance abuse problem, or both, she said. Lines for Life receives 18,000 to 20,000 suicide calls each * vear. “Hopefully people will call us before they call 9-1-1,” said Storm, “9-1-1 would deal with it— but, they don’t have the time. We are a great substitute because of our training and willingness to hang in there with the person.” With 24 paid staff and 130 volun teers on and off, the nonprofit suc cessfully works to de-escalate sui cidal callers about 98 percent of the time. “Suicide is preventable, said Storm, “but if somebody is deter mined to do it, they’re not going to pick up the phone and call a crisis line or dial their psychologist— they’re going to do it.” Some people determined to kill themselves pick highly lethal means like jumping off a roof or bridge because, “Its and easy cheap way to do it,” she said. “You have imme diate access. You don’t have to go three days to find a gun or pills.” October has ushered in Suicide Prevention Month with thousands of people across the country join ing an “Out of the Darkness,” cam paign to raise funds for suicide pre vention program s and increase awareness for what is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States among adults aged 18 to 65. “Suicide can happen to any body,” said Storm. She knows first h an d - her husband killed himself 25 years ago in October. After her husband’s death. Storm and her son had not only to deal with the loss of a loved one, but the another dark side of suicide— it’s stigma. “It’s hard enough on a family when someone kills themselves, they have to go deal with the shame of it as well,” said Storm. A researcher once told her, “When someone you love kills them- se lv e s, y o u r ad d ress b o o k changes” . T h at’s exactly what changes, said Storm. The people you thought would be there for you don’t know what to say. Storm says she doesn’t know how she and her son would have made it through without attending local bereavement groups and ser vices. “There were so many adults stepping in to help raise my son,” she said. For a myriad of reasons, not ev eryone chooses to seek help, but “In a perfect world everybody would,” said Storm. Lines for Lifes operates five lines with the newest being the Portland City Lifeline (800-273-8255 or 503- 972-3456). Others hotlines address suicide, alcohol and drugs, military veterans, and youth (a peer to peer line where youth have the option to text in). Trained responders follow a model to calm a suicidal person. First they try to make a connection with the individual. They ask for reasons why the person wants to die and most importantly, they ask reasons why the person wants to live. This can take prying, said Storm. Sometimes just asking simple questions like “Who will feed the cat?” and “Who will take care of your garden,” can snap distressed callers out of their decision. Storm, a self-described “idealist therapist,” says to prevent rising suicides in Oregon, we as a society need to be more aware of the people in our community. People need to learn how to rec ognize suicidal symptoms in oth ers— from people close to you to those sitting on a street bench who may be feeling ill. It’s important to say are you do ing ok? Do you need me to call somebody? Are you thinking about killing yourself? “Forget a village, it takes a city to raise a citizen,” said Storm. RSVP fo r luncheon & Pre-register for weekend by calling (503) 287-7649 W orship events w ill be h e ld at the Sharon Seventh-day A d ven tist Church 5209 N E 22nd Avenue Portland, O regon 97211 F o r m ore inform ation call: (503) 287-7649 o r visit u s a t w w w .sh a ro n sd a .n et Advertise with diversity in Call 503-288-0033 P o rtla n d ( ^hsciA Cl ads@portlandobsci \ci com
