TSPN Call to Action SPAN USA LEGISLATIVE INSTITUTE FOCUSES ON PUBLIC POLICY, CONGRESSIONAL OUTREACH INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 2007 Tennessee YRBS

Transcription

1 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 APRIL 2008 TSPN Call to Action T E N N E S S E E S U I C I D E P R E V E N T I O N N E T W O R K INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 2007 Tennessee YRBS 2 Blount DBSA Chapter 2 WhoYou- Want2Be.org Suicide Risk among Uninsured Anorexic Suicidal Intent Studied Elder Mental Health Issues Overlooked TSPN Regional Calendar Advisory Council Contact Information PO BOX NASHVILLE, TN PHONE: (615) FAX: (615) TSPN@TSPN.ORG SPAN USA LEGISLATIVE INSTITUTE FOCUSES ON PUBLIC POLICY, CONGRESSIONAL OUTREACH Delegates from TSPN attended the National Suicide Prevention Legislative Institute staged by the Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA) on February in Washington, DC. This year s event was unique in that it was held in February; previous events have typically been held in the summer or fall. Additionally, it focused significantly more on advocacy, community action legislation as opposed to research, with Achieving Change through Action as this year s theme. The event s usual visits with congressional representatives were complemented by lectures on implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention on the local level, a tutorial on the federal legislative process, and a briefing on current public policy priorities. The conference included a briefing on the roles and responsibilities of SPAN USA Field Liaisons. SPAN USA is attempting to recruit one community activist or health professional for each representative of Congress to provide them with updates on suicide prevention activities and relevant developments in their districts, and in turn carry messages from Washington to local members and the national organization. Tennessee currently has eight SPAN USA Field Liaisons serving five districts. (The Field Liaison slots for Tennessee s Second, Third, Seventh, and Eighth Congressional Districts are still open; interested parties may complete an application and submit it to SPAN USA s national headquarters). During the event, the Tennessee delegation met with seven of the state s nine House representatives. Additionally, Tennessee s Love Never Dies quilt was displayed in the Russell Rotunda within the U.S. Senate chambers alongside other state Lifekeeper Memory Quilts. Above, Madge Tullis accepts this year s SPAN USA Founder s Award from Executive Director Jerry Reed. Ken and Madge Tullis are also past winners of SPAN USA s Grassroots Award. Right, a photo of several Lifekeeper Memory Quilts as displayed in the U.S. Senate s Russell Rotunda (Photo courtesy of spanusa.org). Numerous activists and contributors to the national suicide prevention campaign were honored during a series of luncheons. A luncheon on the conference s first day included an awards presentation and a keynote address from Gary Bass, Ph.D., Executive Director of the government watchdog nonprofit OMB Watch. SPAN USA honored several activists for their work on the local level; these included Ken and Madge Tullis, two of TSPN s charter members, who received this year s Founders Award. The Founder s Award is given for contributions to suicide prevention that best exemplify and carry on the vision of SPAN USA s founders. The second day s luncheon recognized this year s Allies for Action Award recipients--u.s. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), the Association of American Railroads, and Forest Pharmaceuticals. A photo gallery featuring pictures from this event will soon be available through the SPAN USA website ( Persons interested in details of the event may contact Jason Padgett, SPAN USA s Field Development Coordinator, at (202) or jpadgett@spanusa.org.

2 TSPN CALL TO ACTION RECENT YOUTH SURVEY SUGGESTS HISPANIC YOUTH AT HIGH RISK The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released by the Tennessee Department of Education suggests Hispanic youth are at extreme risk for suicidal tendencies and attempts. The Tennessee Department of Education conducts the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) during each odd-numbered year. The data is weighted and the results can be generalized to all students in Tennessee public schools in grades The results are incorporated into the national YRBS published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tennessee has participated in the YRBS since the first study in The 2007 survey marks the first report in which a statistically significant number of Hispanic students participated, allowing for the collection of viable statistics, and the results for survey questions 23 through 27, which address suicide, show rates of suicidal ideation and attempts far above the general study cohort. Nearly twice as many Hispanic respondents reported feeling a period of sadness or hopelessness for two weeks or more Feeling sad or hopeless severe enough to pull them away from their usual activities during a twelve-month period, compared with Tennessee youth overall. They were twice as likely to consider suicide as a legitimate solution to their problems and develop a suicide plan, three times more likely to attempt suicide, and nearly five times more likely to require medical attention for a suicide attempt. The 2007 Tennessee YRBS findings are consistent with numerous studies suggesting that Hispanic children and adolescents experience more mental health problems than non-hispanics. These include the 2005 national YRBS, which revealed that Hispanic youth are 6% more likely to consider attempting a suicide attempt within a 12-month period, 11.5% more likely to have made a suicide plan, and 34.5% more likely to have made a suicide attempt. (Findings from the 2007 national survey are not yet available, but will be summarized in the TSPN Call to Action as they become available.) Tennessee YRBS data going back to 1999 is maintained on the Department of Education s website. The CDC maintains data files for all prior YRBSs online as well. For further regarding Tennessee YRBS data, contact Jerry Swaim within the Department of Education at (615) or jerry.swaim@state.tn.us. OVER- ALL 2005 OVER- ALL 2007 HIS- PANIC % 26.8% 43.9% Considered suicide 18.9% 14.1% 27.4% Suicide plan 14% 10.2% 21.3% Suicide attempt 9.5% 7.4% 24% Required medical attention 2.4% 2.2% 10% NEW DBSA CHAPTER HOPEWORKS NOW MEETING IN MARYVILLE Hopeworks, the Blount County chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), provides resources and support to area residents living with these illnesses and their families. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation s leading non-profit peer-centered agency devoted to supporting individuals diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder, researching the diagnosis and treatment of these illnesses. DBSA supports over 1,000 peer-led support groups in eight countries. Hopeworks is the newest of twelve such groups in Tennessee. The Hopeworks group seeks to replicate DBSA s efforts locally, providing education about depression and bipolar disorder, support from current and former sufferers, and an opportunity to provide information and guidance for the general public. About 25 people attend each meeting on average. The (Hopeworks) name had a special significance to us, group facilitators Larry and Linda Drain write in an organizational concept letter. We wanted to let people know that hope could be a real thing and not just wishful thinking. Bipolar disorder or any mood disorder does not have to always be in the way of everything in life that matters. Larry and Linda Drain are the co-facilitators of Hopeworks, the latest DBSA support group in Tennessee, which held its first meeting in January (Photo courtesy of Mark A. Large of the Maryville Daily Times). The Drains became involved with DBSA following Mrs. Drain s diagnosis of bipolar disorder after years of misdiagnosis and failed therapies a struggle profiled in the January 7 edition of the Maryville Daily Times, the day before Hopeworks s inaugural meeting at Blount Christian Church. Undiagnosed and untreated these disorders ravage and destroy the lives of people affected as well as those who live with them and love them. We know from personal experience. For too many years hope seemed like a cruel delusion that was always being dashed for reasons that were never clearly understood, but yet seemingly always present, Mr. Drain says in a promotional piece for the group. For more information about DBSA, refer to the organizational website at For information about Hopeworks, contact Mr. Drain at (865) or hopeworks@live.com. PAGE 2

3 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 SPOTLIGHT: WHOYOUWANT2BE.ORG Centerstone s new website WhoYouWant2Be.org offers information and resources for teens, parents, and educators dealing with both everyday problems and more serious concerns, including suicide. While the site offers advice on relatively simple social engineering issues, such as goal-setting and communication skills, it also delves into more serious matters such as peer pressure, bullying, diversity, substance abuse, Internet safety, and eating disorders. Sections on suicide and self-mutilation are included. The suicide section includes an overview of the warning signs of suicide (some of which are provided) and explains that these should always be taken seriously. Common risk factors are summarized, and guidelines for helping troubled and/or suicidal persons are provided including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ( TALK). (The Crisis Line, , is also provided onsite.) The section on self-mutilation discusses types of self-injury, the motivations behind the behavior, potential medical and psychological complications, and recommendations for breaking the habit. Statistics quoted in a March 6 Cookeville Herald-Citizen profile of the site show that three-quarters of all serious mental illnesses develop before the age of 25. Even more worrisome, 90 percent of all teenage suicide attempts are never discovered by the child s parents. Teens can be very secretive about their problems. So, it is absolutely essential to find new ways to engage teens about their everyday lives, feelings, and concerns, explains Susan Gilpatrick, a wellness expert within Centerstone s Management Strategies division, in the Herald-Citizen piece. Centerstone s Prevention Services division has provided educational programs to youth and child-serving agencies throughout Middle Tennessee for almost 25 years. These include social skill instruction, violence prevention, STD and teen pregnancy prevention, and substance abuse education. Mha: UNINSURED AT GREATER RISK FOR SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION States with higher percentages of uninsured residents experience higher rates of depression and suicide, according to a study compiled by Mental Health America (MHA). States with lower suicide rates typically had more prevention and intervention resources at their disposal The findings were derived from a larger study which used federal data to rank states on rates of depression and suicide. The study, which was funded by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, was not formally published, but a copy was released to USA TODAY which published the results on November 28. While several groups have disputed the methodology used in the state rankings, the section of the study involving insurance rates is generally considered reliable. States with lower suicide rates typically had more prevention and intervention resources at their disposal specifically, greater availability of psychiatrists and higher percentages of residents receiving mental health care. Many of the state also had mental health parity laws not unlike the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act currently being considered in Congress. While the report stops short of directly linking lack of mental health care access with increased suicide and depression rates, scholars have already drawn these conclusions. (The study) suggests that having insurance and improving access to care has an impact on mental health and suicide, John Holahan, director of the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute said in the USA TODAY article. There are consequences of no mental health treatment; it can cost lives, added David Shearn, president of MHA, in the same article. The Network thanks Laura Harrill, member of the East Tennessee Advisory Council and recently retired chair of the Blount County Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Alliance, for bringing this aspect of the study to our attention. We also wish to thank the California Healthline, a publication of the California HealthCare Foundation, for providing additional information. PAGE 3

4 TSPN CALL TO ACTION STUDY ANALYZES SUICIDAL INTENT AMONG ANOREXIA PATIENTS Recent research provides unsettling new insights regarding suicide attempts by anorexia patients it suggests that suicide fatalities among this population are not necessarily connected to their weakened physical condition, but more powerful suicidal intent. Accessible and affordable psychiatric care is beyond the reach of most anorexia patients. The University of Vermont study examines nine case studies of anorexic suicide victims from Germany and the United States. In all nine cases, the victims chose unusual and occasionally extreme methods (poisoning with household cleaners, self-immolation, etc.) that would have killed even a relatively healthy individual. Furthermore, the victims all isolated themselves beforehand, cutting off contact with family, friends, and physicians apparently calculated to avoid any possible intervention. "We established that these patients' death had little to do with their low body weight. The methods that they chose could have killed anyone," says lead author Jill Holm-Denoma, a professor of clinical psychology with the University of Vermont and an internationally renowned expert on eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is the most fatal psychiatric disorder, and the primary cause of death for these patients is suicide rather than any physical complication of the disease the suicide rate among anorexic women is 57 times higher than that of women in general. Studies suggest that these people have strong urges towards selfdestructive behavior, and these latest findings support those of a 2006 report which theorizes that anorexia sufferers gradually build up a high tolerance for pain and a lessened fear of death, inclining them to more severe and less survivable methods of suicide. A summary of the findings in TIME magazine s February 28 edition notes that accessible and affordable psychiatric care is beyond the reach of most anorexia patients. According to reporter Kathleen Kingsbury, many health plans and insurance agencies will only cover brief inpatient hospitalization, if that, and they approve treatments that only help the patient gain weight without addressing the underlying psychological problems. The citation for the above study is as follows: Holm-Denoma, J.M., et al. (2008) Deaths by suicide among individuals with anorexia as arbiters between competing explanations of the anorexia suicide link. Journal of Affective Disorders 107(1-3): RESEARCHERS FIND PCPS IGNORE ELDER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES A study supported by the National Institutes for Mental Health (NIMH) finds that primary care physicians (PCPs) are unlikely to discuss mental health with elderly patients or make mental health referrals, even when the patient is severely depressed. Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center enlisted 35 area doctors to videotape their sessions with older patients, accounting for 385 sessions in all, and reviewed how much time was spent discussing various subjects. The subject of mental health came up in only 22 percent of the taped visits, with discussion running for an average of two minutes out of an average sixteen minutes for the total visit. It can be deduced, then, that the PCPs monitored spent only about 3 percent of their consultations with older patients covering mental health issues. Approaches to the subject of mental health varied widely within the PCP cohort, with doctors frequently gathering information from patients but providing incomplete recommendations, or dismissing the patient s concerns outright and never following up. The study authors noted a pattern related to the sexes of both patients and PCPs. Female patients were twice as likely to reference a mental health issue during the sessions. Situations in which both the patient and doctor were female were more likely to engender mental health discussions; scenarios with male patients and male PCPs were the least likely to cover the topic. The study follows a widely published Associated Press article that focused on the problem of elder suicide. Also, a paper published last year and summarized in the TSPN Call to Action s December 2007 edition noted a general failure on the part of primary care physicians to manage and follow up on depressed and suicidal patients, especially older adults. The citation for the current study is as follows: Tai-Seale M, et al (2007). Two-minute mental health care for elderly patients: inside primary care visits. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 55: PAGE 4

5 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 TSPN Regional Calendar No December meetings are scheduled unless otherwise marked. Dates in Islamic green indicate alternate meeting dates intended to accommodate state holidays or other previously scheduled events. East Tennessee Region monthly, 4th Tuesday, 3:30 PM Peninsula Behavioral Health, Light House (Building 1), 6800 Baum Drive, Knoxville, April 22, May 27, June 24, July 22, August 26, September 23, October 28, November 25 Memphis/Shelby County Area bi-monthly, 3rd Wednesday, 3:30 PM Family Services of the Mid-South, 2430 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, May 21, July 16, September 17, November 12 Mid-Cumberland Region monthly, 2nd Thursday, 10:30 AM Tennessee Voices for Children, 701 Bradford Avenue, Nashville, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13, December 11 Northeast Region Every 4th Tuesday, 10:30 AM Boone s Creek Christian Church, 305 Boone s Creek Road, Gray, April 22, May 27, June 24, July 22, August 26, September 23, October 28, November 25 Rural West Every 3rd Wednesday, 10:30 AM Behavioral Health Initiatives, 36C Sandstone Circle, Jackson, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17, October 15, November 19 South Central Every 1st Tuesday, 12 PM Legends of Shelbyville, 1609 North Main Street, April 1, May 6, June 3, July 1, August 5, September 2, October 7, November 5, December 2 Southeast Region Every 2nd Tuesday, 9:30 AM Bradford Health Associates, 6160 Shallowford Road, Suite 103, Chattanooga, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8, August 12, September 9, October 14, November 4, December 9 Upper Cumberland Region Every 4th Thursday, 10 AM Volunteer Behavioral Health Care Systems, 1200 Willow Avenue, Cookeville, April 24, May 22, June 26, July 24, August 28, September 25, October 23, November 20 Intra-State Department Meetings Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Third Floor Conference Room, Cordell Hull Building, 425 Fifth Avenue North, Nashville, (2:30 PM) April 8, July 8, October 14 Blount County Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Alliance Every 1st Friday, 12 PM Cafeteria Classroom, Blount Memorial Hospital, 907 East Lamar Parkway, Maryville, April 4, May 2, June 6, July 11, August 1, September 5, October 3, November 7 Giles County Suicide Prevention Task Force bi-monthly, 3rd Monday, 1:30 PM Giles County Career Center, 125 South Cedar Lane, Pulaski, May 19, July 21, September 15, November 17 Hickman County Suicide Prevention Task Force Every 4th Friday, 1:30 PM Hickman Community Hospital, Senior Care Building, 135 East Swan Street, Centerville, April 25, May 23, June 27, July 25, August 22, September 26, October 24, November 21 PAGE 5

6 Advisory Council Contact Information If you are interested in getting involved with TSPN on a local level or have other questions, contact the chairperson of your region as indicated by the map provided below: East Tennessee region Anne Young, MS, CAS (865) ayoung1@covhealth.com Memphis and Shelby County Ken Tullis, M.D. (901) kfttenn@ktullis.com Mid-Cumberland region Misty Yarbrough, BBA, BSW (615) , ext. 132 myarbrough@tnvoices.org Northeast region Harold Leonard, MA, LPC-MHSP (423) leonardhb@msha.com Rural West region Carol Burroughs, MSCPS (731) burroughsc@k12tn.net South Central region Pam Arnell (931) work angel1@surfmore.net Southeast region Tim Tatum, MA (423) tatumtim@hotmail.com Upper Cumberland region Linda Moran (931) lmoran@vbhcs.org Advisory Council Chair Sam Bernard (423) sambernard@comcast.net Executive Director Scott Ridgway, M.S. (615) sridgway@tspn.org Lauderdale Lake Obion Henry Weakley Dyer Gibson Carroll Crockett Haywood Madison Tipton Chester Henderson Benton Decatur Stewart Houston Humphreys Perry Montgomery Dickson Hickman Lewis Cheatham Maury Robertson Davidson Williamson Marshall Macon Sumner Clay Pickett Scott Claiborne Hancock Fentress Campbell Hawkins Trousdale Jackson Overton Union Smith Wilson Rutherford Bedford Cannon Putnam Morgan De Kalb Cumberland White Roane Warren Coffee Grundy Van Buren Sequatchie Bledsoe Rhea Meigs McMinn Knox Loudon Blount Monroe Anderson Grainger Hamblen Jefferson Cocke Sevier Greene Washington Unicoi Sullivan Carter Johnson Shelby Fayette Hardeman McNairy Hardin Wayne Lawrence Giles Lincoln Moore Franklin Marion Hamilton Bradley Polk