I’m going to switch gears on you all, this week.
What was that, a collective sigh of relief? After six weeks of survey talk, you’re ready to celebrate? I don’t blame you — but not so fast, friends.
I want to get serious with you for a moment. We’re now in September, which is Suicide Prevention Month. This is a cause that is deeply personal for me, as it is, I’m sure, for many of you. It’s an unfortunate happenstance that I’ve lost more than a few friends to suicide, and watched still other friends grieve the untimely deaths of their children by suicide.
Suicide rates in rural America are higher than those in urban communities, but Missouri’s rural community numbers are higher than most, according to the University of Missouri, particularly in the Ozarks and Bootheel regions. MU researches reported in 2020 the suicide rate among rural Missourians grew by 78% between 2003 and 2017. In the coming weeks, we’ll look more closely at those and related statistics and the implications they have for our local communities.
Here in Howell County, we have some wonderful resources. Our local law enforcement agencies engage in rigorous crisis intervention training and the Howell County Sheriff’s Office employs a CIT liaison to aid deputies responding to crisis calls.
Ozarks Healthcare’s Crisis Stabilization Center, a part of the health system’s Behavioral Healthcare Center, serves seven counties in south central Missouri, offering a variety of acute and long-term support resources including peer support and transportation assistance. No referral is needed and the program is voluntary, however the resource is designed for people who are in crisis, but not in immediate danger. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily on the main OZH campus, at Kentucky Avenue and Sixth Street.
There is also the 24-hour 988 crisis hotline which can be called or texted, or people can go online to 988lifeline.org for a chat option. A videophone option is also available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. People in crisis can call anonymously for themselves, or reach out to find out how to help someone else.
The website also lists some warning signs to look for that may indicate a need for intervention:
• Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves
• Looking for a way to kill themselves, like searching online or buying a gun
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Withdrawing or isolating themselves
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
• Extreme mood swings
As I said, this is a deeply personal cause to me, and I’m heartened to see so much growing awareness around the topic. In 1998, when I was a senior in high school, a young freshman died by suicide. I remember him as the sweetest boy, always smiling and clowning, but clearly he was in some pain that was too much for him to bear alone. But we didn’t talk about it back then. We all knew, but it was discussed in whispers among students while teachers did everything they could to avoid the risk of copycat cases.
I understand where they were coming from, and it’s a burden I don’t wish anyone to bear, walking that fine line between truth and responsibility in the context of a 14-year-old’s sudden and heartbreaking death. It’s my observation, though, nearly 30 years later, that saying the hard parts out loud takes away the isolation and can lessen the shame-by-proxy feeling so many survivors carry.
One opportunity to say the hard things out loud is coming up later this month, and I plan to be there. I hope you’ll join me.
The Howell County Suicide Prevention Network will host its third annual A Talk to Remember: Light a Flame for Suicide Prevention event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 26 at the West Plains Civic Center. There will be a panel discussion and an opportunity to remember those lost to suicide and connect with others who share similar experience. It’s not just a somber experience — there will be opportunities for joy, too, with face painting and games for the children and food trucks. The event will conclude with a candle lighting and memorial walk.
It’s not just an event for family members who have survived the loss of a love one to suicide, though. It’s an event for people who have survived suicide attempts or who struggle with suicidal ideation and depression, too. I can’t tell how how many people I have heard say how good it felt to be there and feel the love and support and strength surrounding them, regardless of what their own personal experiences with the subject are.
That’s why this month is so important to me. Because when we come together, we can lift each other up, and we are so much stronger together.
If you want more information about the event, or to inquire about sharing resources, email coordinator Amanda Foster at afoster@cpozarks.org.
