COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 | 7A
Suicide from A1
Warning signs
of suicide
I
n June of 2018, the deaths by suicide of two high-profi le celebrities
garnered substantial attention. Within days of one another, fashion
designer Kate Spade and television host and author Anthony Bourdain
took their own lives.
The deaths of Spade and Bourdain prompted many to inquire about suicide,
its causes and if there are any signs that might help them identify if a loved
one is having suicidal thoughts. According to the American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention, no single thing causes suicide. The AFSP notes
that suicide is most often a byproduct of the convergence of stressors
and health issues that, when coupled, create a sense of hopelessness and
despair.
Depression and anxiety are two conditions most commonly associated with
suicide. But the AFSP notes that most people who have been diagnosed
with these conditions and actively manage them go on to engage in
life. Undiagnosed depression and anxiety, as well as undiagnosed or
unaddressed substance abuse, increase a person’s risk for suicide.
That’s why it’s so important for men, women and young people to learn
to recognize warning signs for suicide and put themselves in position to
promptly address their own issues or those of a loved one.
Speech
The AFSP notes that people who take their own lives may speak about
doing so prior to committing suicide. People should seek help if they or a
loved one talks about feeling hopeless, having no reason to live or being a
burden to others. People who speak of feeling trapped or feeling unbearable
pain also may be exhibiting warning signs of suicide.
Behavior
Behavior, especially behavior that can be linked to a painful event, loss
or change, is another potential indicator that a person is having suicidal
thoughts. Such behaviors include:
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs
• Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods
• Withdrawing from activities
• Isolating from family and friends
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Visiting or calling people to say goodbye
• Giving away prized possessions
• Aggression
• Fatigue
Mood
Mood also is a potential indicator that a person might be having suicidal
thoughts. In addition to depression and anxiety, people who are considering
taking their own lives may exhibit a loss of interest in things they once
enjoyed. Irritability, humiliation, agitation/anger, and relief/sudden
improvement are other moods the AFSP notes may be warning signs for
suicide.
The deaths of two highly regarded celebrities brought suicide to the
forefront in
2018. Taking time to understand suicide and its warning signs can help
people
prevent tragedies. More information is available at www.afsp.org.
People who are in crisis or suspect a loved one may be in crisis are
COTTAGE GROVE POLICE
400 E. Main Street
Cottage Grove
Emergencies Only: 9-1-1
Non Emergencies: (541) 942-9145
NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY FIRE EMS
531 S. Cedar St
Drain, OR
541-836-2282
OAK TREE COUNSELING
Child Th erapist 12 +under
(541) 623-0535
CRISIS HELP National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800.273.8255
To contact the Crisis Text Line, text TALK to 741741.
Cottage Grove, a city with
double the suicide rate of
Lane County.
“We see a higher correla-
tion of suicidal rates be-
tween people who feel so-
cial isolation versus people
who feel community con-
nection,” said South Lane
Mental Health Executive
Director Damien Sands.
“Community connection
is that place in which a
person feels engaged, sup-
ported and nurtured with-
in their community.”
A strong network can go
a long way for people in
need of mental health care
services and in turn reduce
the risk factors which may
lead to suicide. Much can
be done therapeutically at
the crossroads of suicide
ideation and mental health
services, however fi nding
solutions to each challenge
is not necessarily weighted
upon a singular organiza-
tion or service.
“Access to good thera-
py is a cornerstone of be-
ing able to get support,”
Sands said, “but it’s also
these other critical areas
— employment, housing,
faith-based support — it’s
just community connec-
tion. It’s fi nding something
within the community that
binds you.”
Considering the range
of factors which play into
suicide risk and mental
health, a robust system of
care is one which can cast
a wide net and have the
tools to address a variety of
problems from depression
to drug abuse to post-trau-
matic stress.
A Network of Care
South Lane Mental
Health serves what Sands
estimates to be between 15
to 20 percent of the region-
al population. Th e non-
profi t off ers a broad variety
of services, particularly for
people who are facing re-
source challenges such as
income or housing.
“I refer to it as more of
a safety net provider,” said
Sands. “Where we are
uniquely focused is help-
ing those who are strug-
gling with some kind of
substance abuse, helping
the person who’s recently
gone through some sort
of tragic loss, being in a
school setting to be able to
give access to kids. … So
the idea is about creating
those access points in dif-
ferent arenas.”
Programs at the non-
profi t run the gamut of
general counseling, crisis
services, case manage-
ment, medication manage-
ment, recovery services,
supported housing and
youth counseling.
With the understand-
ing that not all who need
help will willingly show up
on the doorstep, the non-
profi t is also proactive in
its approach by employing
eff orts such as outreach
on the street and staying
engaged with other local
entities.
One of those entities
is the South Lane School
District.
“It’s a very unique thing,”
said Sands. “A lot of school
districts don’t have this,
but we are embedded
within the school system.”
South Lane Mental
Health counselors main-
tain a presence through-
out the district, working
with everyone from high
school seniors down to
kindergartners. Counsel-
ing may take the form of
group therapy or one-on-
one meetings, providing
youths with easier acces-
sibility to problem solving.
Th ough South Lane
Mental Health appeals to a
variety of needs, S a n d s
emphasized that the broad
scope of elements which
play into one’s stability
cannot be addressed by a
single entity — it requires
a combined eff ort.
“We are not a solution,”
he said. “We are part of
the solution.”
More such solutions may
be on the way as an up-
coming peer-led support
program by the National
Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI) in Lane Coun-
ty seeks to provide group
discussion-based services
to the Cottage Grove area.
NAMI has recently part-
nered with South Lane
Mental Health to return
services to Cottage Grove.
“NAMI is a great exam-
ple of client-based advoca-
cy,” said Sands. “Folks who
experience mental health
conditions can then have
a voice for themselves and
sort of speak up and build
peer-to-peer
relation-
ships.”
NAMI’s peer-led ser-
vices are conducted by
two facilitators who guide
groups of between four
to 15 members through a
discussion of issues they
choose to address. Th e fa-
cilitators of support groups
are not mental health pro-
fessionals, but individuals
who have self-identifi ed
as living in recovery with
mental illness.
“We’re trying to get
the word out that we’re
looking for individuals
to facilitate our peer pro-
gramming, whether that’s
a support group or an ed-
ucation class,” said Jennifer
MacLean, executive direc-
tor of NAMI Lane County.
“All the programs are peer-
led and free and confi den-
tial.”
NAMI’s outreach into
Cottage Grove will provide
people with resources and
referrals, but will not in-
clude diagnosing, medica-
tion or case management.
“We just had one in-
dividual trained, so now
we’re looking for a part-
ner for her, so that way we
can get, ideally, a weekly
support group for Cottage
Grove,” said MacLean.
For youth in the com-
munity, a support group of
peers already exists at Cot-
tage Grove’s Looking Glass
branch as part of its rural
program.
Looking Glass provides
assistance for youths in
the community who face
challenges related to edu-
cational defi cits, behavior-
al health issues, drug ad-
diction and homelessness.
Th e center aims to provide
a space for youths to feel
safe or just have someone
to talk to.
Amanda Hampton, pro-
gram supervisor of the
Looking Glass rural pro-
gram, acknowledges that
the nonprofi t sees its share
of youth struggling with
housing.
“Th e research shows that
homeless youth are more
likely to take their own
life than their peers who
are living at home with
a roof over their heads,”
said Hampton. “On top of
that, the LGBTQ+ is more
likely to be homeless and
that population of people
experiencing
homeless-
ness are also more likely to
take their own lives than
peers who don’t identify as
LGBTQ+.”
Th e process of parsing
out which avenues of aid
would best serve some-
one who walks through
the door largely depends
on the individual’s stated
needs.
“We are addressing
mental health concerns in
clients when it’s something
that they have identifi ed as
a goal,” Hampton said.
Th e nonprofi t off ers ser-
vice linkages to other pro-
grams in the community
which address particular
issues, serving as a guiding
mechanism for the correct
channel toward recovery
while providing counsel-
ing of its own.
Two Looking Glass
counselors from Eugene
off er services in Cottage
Grove, one a licensed clin-
ical social worker and the
other a licensed marriage
and family therapist.
Looking Glass also tries
to measure risk by identi-
fying adverse childhood
experiences such as pover-
ty or domestic abuse.
“I think a lot of the youth
we work with at the Look-
ing Glass rural program
are just trying to get their
basic needs met,” Hamp-
ton said. “Th ey’re in that
survival mode.”
Meeting these basic
needs can be a signifi cant
hindrance toward seeking
mental health services.
“If we can provide food,
provide a warm place, pro-
vide warm clothes, pro-
vide a place of acceptance
and belonging … then
we can focus on getting
back to school,” Hampton
said. “We can then focus
on seeking mental health
counseling or whatever
that looks like to help with
PTSD or some of those
adverse childhood experi-
ences.”
For some, basic needs
include getting an ID or
signing up for health in-
surance. Looking Glass
helps with those processes
as well.
“We’re really just try-
ing to help break down
and eliminate – or at least
decrease – the amount of
barriers that people are
experiencing,” said Hamp-
ton.
Th ere are limitations to
the organization’s services,
however.
“We are not diagnosing
people,” Hampton said.
“But we have protocols if
someone came to us and
said, ‘I am suicidal.’”
Th e nonprofi t is not
equipped, though, to deal
with more severe mental
health cases, such as a cli-
ent mentioning that they
hear voices.
For such cases, Cottage
Grove does have access
to PeaceHealth Medical
Group’s Early Assessment
and Support Alliance
(EASA) program out of
Eugene, a resource which
identifi es and off ers sup-
port to young people who
are at risk of developing
psychosis or are experi-
encing early signs of psy-
chosis.
Lorraine McKenzie is
a licensed clinical social
worker and a team leader
with EASA.
“Our program has
multi-faceted
services
and is designed to address
each individual’s needs,”
she said. “We hope to be
preventative and capture
young people before they
have that fi rst episode.”
EASA’s target is young
adults ages 12 to 24 and
off ers a transition program
which can last up to two
years. Among its range
of services, the program
helps participants create
structure in their social,
occupational and private
lives. Th e program will
also send workers into ru-
ral communities as part of
its outreach.
“We believe that recov-
ery is achievable by all of
our participants and that
each individual can be
empowered to develop
goals that refl ect their own
concept of recovery,” said
McKenzie.
Th e collective aid pro-
vided by Cottage Grove’s
programs and services
spreads across a wide land-
scape of needs. Even the
Cottage Grove Police De-
partment serves its own
role in connecting individ-
uals with that aid.
“I think it’s fair to say
that we have people in our
community that we con-
tact on a regular basis,”
said Cottage Grove Police
See CARE 11A