Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Thoughts on Suicide

The tragic suicide yesterday of Mark Madoff gives me cause to reflect and advocate. This was once again a terrible and unnecessary tragedy. I have also just completed, "Myths about Suicide" written by Dr. Thomas Joiner from Florida State University. It is a must read for anybody wanting to understand suicide.

Every year over a million people worldwide commit suicide. The most recent statistics in the U.S. indicate over 34,000 suicides occurred in that year. The most recent statistics from Montana in 2008 indicate 202 Montanans took their own lives. Montana annually has, if not the highest, one of the highest suicides rates in the nation. A suicide attempt occurs every minute of each day and a person dies from taking their life every 16-18 minutes in the U.S.

Dr. Thomas Joiner: "We need to get it in our heads that suicide is not easy, painless, cowardly, selfish, vengeful, self-masterful, or rash; that is not caused by breast augmentation, medicines, "slow" methods like smoking, or anorexia, or, as some psychoanalysts thought, things like masturbation; that it is partly genetic and influenced by mental disorders, themselves often agonizing; and that it is preventable and treatable. And once we get that into our heads at last, we need to let it lead our hearts."

" And so I am prepared to defend the view that 100 percent of suicides are characterized by the combination of learned fearlessness, perceived burdensomeness, and profound alienation from others, and that these factors, in turn, arise from underlying mental disorders, mostly of the full-blown type, but sometimes of the partial syndrome variety. As discussed in other sections of the book, people can have these conditions, especially depression, and not be psychotic or deluded, and certainly in the case of people with terminal illnesses, people can have subsyndromal depression that most of us can readily understand, sympathize, and even identify with. But none of this changes the fact, in my view, that mental disorders represent the matrix from which serious suicidal behavior emerges."

It is simple, but yet so difficult to reduce suicide. If 10-15% of individuals living with serious mental illness (mental disorders) end their lives by committing suicide, we must better treat mental illnesses. We must end the discrimination and stigma individuals living with serious mental illnesses and their families endure. Its all about EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION! We all must develop an understanding of serious mental illness and also develop caring, compassion for those who live with these illnesses.

As we say in NAMI, it is the responsibly of families, friends and mental health professionals to keep our family member alive until they can obtain effective, evidenced-based treatment.

Dr. Gary Mihelish, President
NAMI-Helena

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tips for Coping with the Holidays

TIPS FOR COPING WITH THE HOLIDAYS

from NAMI Connections

  • Stay close to family and friends who understand your illness.
  • Take your medications as prescribed. Be sure to get the sleep you need.
  • Celebrate the holidays in ways that are comfortable for you.
  • The holiday season does not stop feelings of sadness and loneliness. Give yourself permission to work through these feelings.
  • Don’t compare this season with previous ones. Enjoy all the little things you have now.
  • Talk about the stress you feel with family and friends.
  • Keep expectations manageable. Plan your work and work your plan.
  • Set a budget and stick with it. Many items that you can give do not cost money – a phone call to a friend may mean more.
  • Do something nice for someone else. Do something nice for yourself.
  • Stay out of department stores.
  • Play your favorite non-holiday music.

Happy holidays from NAMI Montana