For National Suicide Prevention Week, one doctor shares preventative actions

×

Expand

Via Flickr/Nic Dayton

As this is National Suicide Prevention Week, St. Louis Magazine spoke to Dr. Kyle John, medical director of mental health at Mercy Virtual, about why he thinks suicide rates have increased and possible warning signs.

According to a report by the CDC released earlier this year, suicide rates increased nationwide between 1999 and 2016. In Missouri, the rate increased by 36 percent, while Illinois’ increase was by 23 percent.

In St. Louis County, between 2011 and 2015, suicide was the third most common cause of death for people between 18 and 24 years of age. Suicide was the sixth most common cause of death for children under 18. It ranked fifth as the cause of death for adults between 18 and 64.

Dr. John says the increase has many causes but highlighted three.

1. Limited access to mental health treatment. Seeking mental health care is still heavily stigmatized. When we do experience psychological issues, we often don’t tell anyone and don’t know where to turn.  And, if we do decide to see a mental health professional, “the wait time can be 3-12 months,” Dr. John says. “For a child psychiatrist, it can be 6-12 months.” Why? Because as a society, we tend to treat mental health differently from physical health. “We have a plethora of people not receiving care for basic mental health issues that should be available.”
2. Stress. We are expected to have high productivity at work and “keep up with the Joneses” with our families. Additionally, events such as natural disasters, break-ups, loss of jobs, and chronic illnesses will happen to us, causing even more stress.    
3. Social Media. We are constantly connected through social media, and it exposes us to mass shootings and natural disasters in real time. “Kids and teenagers are particularly vulnerable, because they don’t yet have the life experience or developmental level to process these horrific news events," says John. If adults are not helping them process, kids tend to assume that a disaster of the same magnitude is likely to happen to them at any moment. “This then impacts their mental and physical health.”

John urges people to pay attention to those around them. These are some signs that might signify someone needs help, but they are, of course, different case by case:

1. Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves.
2. Having a detailed plan. If someone says they plan to kill themselves later that day, this is someone who needs to go to the emergency room.
3. Talking about feeling hopeless, not having a reason to live, or as if they are a burden. Expressing that they are in unbearable emotional pain.
4. Giving away valued possessions because they “don’t want or need them.”
5. Saying their goodbyes, whether by posting on social media or contacting people.
6. Showing signs of depression, including loss of energy or interest in activities they used to enjoy; changes in appetite resulting and weight loss or gain; changes in sleep (either sleeping too much or too little); self-loathing (“I’m no good. I’m a terrible person”); difficulties concentrating.
7. Complaining of physical manifestations of depression, such as stomachaches and headaches.
8. Seeming irritable or angry. This is a bit more common in adolescents.

John suggests several ways to combat the rise in suicide:

1. Mental health care should be available in every primary care physician’s office, he says. If basic care does not work, then primary care physicians can then refer patients to a specialist. The American Academy of Pediatrics just recently instituted new recommendations for screening kids and adolescents for depression at their annual Well Child Check. For example, Mercy is standardizing their screenings for their 11- to 21-year-olds. 
2. We need to find better ways to connect people who need help with mental health care providers or substance use treatment centers.
3. We must discuss suicide with sensitivity, not as a taboo topic, but also not to sensationalize it.
4. We need to destigmatize mental health by having productive conversations about it.
5. If there are firearms in the home, they must be secured. 
6. Kids should be encouraged to join community activities: sport teams, after-school jobs, or church groups. This is where they can observe adults modeling good coping strategies, problem-solving skills, and conflict resolution. 
7. Everyone should have the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255, as a contact in their phone. 

“Suicide is preventable. We can’t always predict it, but we know what the risk factors are and how to identify folks, and we have good interventions if we make them accessible and available to folks,” John says. “We just have to make up our minds that we want to do better.” 

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-St. Louis chapter at 314-962-4670, or the Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis at 314-449-6713.