Public health officials address suicide concerns
The numbers beg the questions — what could have been done to save the lives of the seven people who have committed suicide in Wood County in 2014, the 76 who took their lives in the county from 2007 through 2013, or the unknown number of people whose suicides have been classified as accidents?
What can be done to make sure the 13 percent of Wood County adults who reported in 2012 they'd considered attempting suicide in their lifetime get the help they need and deserve?
"It's a huge myth that if you talk about suicide it will happen," said Kristie Rauter, community health planner and health promotion supervisor with the Wood County Health Department. "Talking about suicide is the only thing that will prevent it."
That's exactly what mental health and public health professionals across the state and county have been doing — sharing information about suicide and suicide prevention so people know how to recognize suicide risk factors and warning signs, know where to get help and don't feel ashamed to do so.
Suicide statistics, risk factors
Statewide between 2007 and 2011, there was an average of 724 suicides per year, and while the suicide rate remained constant during that time period, it increased during the eight years from 2004 to 2011, according to the Burden of Suicide Report, published in July by the state Department of Health Services, Medical College of Wisconsin Injury Research Center and Mental Health America of Wisconsin.
Many more people end up in the hospital emergency room after a suicide attempt, and countless suicide attempts never are reported.
Adults ages 45 to 54 had the highest suicide rates in that time period, and four out of five people who died by suicide were men. Teens, young adults and women were more likely to be hospitalized for self-inflicted injury, according to the report.
Adult males are more likely to have access to firearms, while teens and women might attempt suicide by cutting themselves or taking pills, said Marshfield Clinic psychologist Dr. Mike Schulein.
"Immediate access, particularly to firearms, doesn't give them a chance to stop themselves from having the abrupt thought that they should kill themselves," he said. "Where we tend to get confused is that if a person shot themselves, we think they must have really wanted to be dead ... but if they had survived to the next moment, they wouldn't have wanted to be dead."
Individuals in northern and western Wisconsin are more likely to commit suicide than people in other areas of the state, according to the Burden of Suicide Report. Schulein attributed this to isolation in rural areas, limited access of physical and mental health professionals and greater access to firearms.
A major warning sign of suicide, said Schulein, is a past suicide attempt such as pointing a gun at oneself while thinking about suicide or taking a nonlethal handful of pills.
Other warning signs and risk factors include sudden isolation from friends, including absence from social media accounts; an abrupt drop in school performance, which can signal other suicide risk factors such as substance abuse and depression; loss of a relationship; job loss; loss of one's home; and loss of physical health.
Challenge in seeking help
"If you suspect someone you know is considering suicide, ask them," Schulein said. "That's an expression of caring, and it might be just what the person needs to tell you ... and maybe you can get them to some help."
Unfortunately, many look on suicide as an uncomfortable subject and assume it won't happen in their social circle, he said.
Besides people's unwillingness to talk about suicide, many fear the stigma associated with reaching out for mental health services, said Stephanie Gudmansen, behavioral health long-term support division administrator for Wood County Human Services.
"I believe there have been a lot of efforts made to reduce the stigma related to mental illness and seeking treatment," she added.
Still, those who reach out might have trouble getting help. Gudmansen said some individuals have reported difficulty finding a psychiatrist and accessing mental health services in Wood County.
An additional 212 mental health care practitioners were needed across the state of Wisconsin as of April in order for the Mental Health Care Health Professional Shortage Area designation to be removed — the most of any state, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report.
While Wood County wasn't listed as an HPSA in a May 2013 report published by the Department of Health Services, many of the surrounding counties were, and individuals in the county still reported trouble accessing services.
A brighter future
The good news is more is being done from a public health perspective to reach more people who are considering suicide and to educate members of the public about their role in suicide prevention.
Public health suicide prevention efforts include school, church and work-site initiatives and suicide-prevention training sessions, such as the Question, Persuade, Refer program being made widely available. The Healthy People Wood County Mental Health Coalition has been working since 2007 to address mental health issues and prevent suicides.
"We're finally as a society realizing that this is a community issue," Rauter said. "Mental health and suicide prevention isn't just for counselors and psychiatrists. It's something we can work together on. By putting the onus on community members, we can improve everyone's lives."
Reporter Marisa Cuellar can be reached at 715-384-3131. Find her on Twitter as @cuellm34.
How to get help
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the 24/7 Crisis Intervention Hotline:
• 715-421-2345 in Wisconsin Rapids
• 715-384-5555 in Marshfield
How to help others
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training is a free hour-long suicide prevention training offered through the Wood County Health Department. For more information, email DaNita Carlson at dcarlson@co.wood.wi.us.
More information about mental health and suicide
Healthy People Wood County Mental Health Conference
• Oct. 3; registration begins at 7:15 a.m., conference 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County, 2000 W. Fifth St., Marshfield
To register, visit http://marshfield.uwc.edu/continuing-ed/conferences. The cost is $75 and includes morning snacks, lunch and materials. The deadline to register is Sept. 24.
Individuals serving work sites and youths, direct mental health service providers and anyone interested in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues is invited to attend.