Despite efforts to raise awareness, suicide and mental health issues are still surrounded by shame, stigma and secrecy.
That’s why local health officials are spending the next week raising their voices and starting conversations to educate the community.
The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County will be hosting a series of events to bring awareness and help people build the skills necessary to address the issue. Starting on Saturday, the coalition and Johnson County Public Library will be hosting a series of training events aimed at helping people recognize the warning signs and risk factors of suicide.
Those efforts will culminate on Thursday, with a screening of "Suicide: The Ripple Effect." The film tells the true story of a man who survived his suicide attempt, and the ways that people could have helped him leading up to that attempt.
Together, organizers hope that more can be done to focus prevention efforts on an issue that greatly impacts Johnson County, said Kathleen Ratcliff, chairperson of the coalition.
"It reemphasizes this idea of interacting with each other and connecting with each other, whether it’s a friend or a stranger. If you see someone crying on a park bench, I should probably go ask if them if they’re doing OK," she said. "I might not be able to solve their problems, and a lot of times that’s not what’s needed. We just need to connect with each other and look out for each other."
Suicide is a rapidly growing problem in Johnson County and across all of Indiana, particularly among young people. From 2011 to 2015, it was the second leading cause of death in Indiana in people ages 15 to 24, as well as those age 25 to 34. Death by suicide was the third leading cause of death in children ages 10 to 14.
During that same time period, 1,434 Indiana residents ages 10 to 34 committed suicide, a death rate higher than the national rate for that age group.
The efforts of the Suicide Prevention Coalition coincide with National Suicide Prevention Month, conducted throughout September. But the conversations the group hopes to start with these events should be ongoing throughout the year, Ratcliff said.
"In a community where I think we don’t talk about suicide prevention and mental health enough, we felt like making a big splash. Now is when people are talking about it," she said. "We want to build those skills and that awareness, so that in October and beyond, we can continue those conversations."
The training materials for the courses, as well as the film rights for the screening of the movie, were made possible with a nearly $3,000 grant awarded to the coalition by the state of Indiana in the spring, as well as a donation to the group.
The first opportunity to educate the public comes from the Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper trainings, scheduled from Saturday to Wednesday at locations in Franklin, Greenwood, Trafalgar and the Center Grove area.
The free two-hour trainings are designed to help anyone — adults and teenagers — recognize the signs of someone who might be struggling with suicide. If they encounter someone they think may be in danger, they can question, persuade and refer them to someone who can help, Ratcliff said.
Much like CPR training is effective in helping someone having a cardiac event until trained professionals arrive, these skills can save lives, Ratcliff said.
"If I notice someone who’s not acting like themselves and I’m concerned about, then I can apply the (Question, Persuade, Refer) method and get them to the trained professional so they can get assistance," she said. "The more people we can get trained, so they feel more comfortable stepping in, we think we can save lives that way."
Whiteland Community High School will be hosting a screening of "Suicide: The Ripple Effect." The 2018 documentary tells the story of Kevin Hines, who at the age of 19 tried to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
He survived, and has devoted his life to being an advocate for mental health issues as well as a motivational speaker.
"He talks about his story, and some of the places where people could have intervened," Ratcliff said. "He talks about how he would take public transportation and there were a lot of people around when he was crying, and no one asked what was going on. He was on the bridge, and he was upset, and people interacted with him, but never asked him what was going on."
The film has a valuable message in showing how asking how a person is doing can make a difference in preventing suicide, Ratcliff said.
Because it does deal with a suicide attempt, organizers want to caution that the film can be triggering. In response, they will have a table of resources and additional individuals available to provide support to those who need it, Ratcliff said.
"We felt like this was a really good movie to show that you can come through it. You can be a very dark place, but if you need help, there are people who can help you," she said. "Then also there’s that importance that he might not have necessarily attempted that time if someone had interacted with him.
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Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper trainings
What: Two-hour training sessions helping people understand the signs and risk factors of suicide, and how to help people get help.
Who: Organized by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County
Cost: Free
Questions: Contact Kathleen Ratcliff, coalition chairperson, at [email protected]
Sessions
2 p.m. Saturday, Sheriff’s Training Center (behind Johnson County Sheriff’s Office), 1091 Hospital Road, Franklin
2 p.m. Sunday, White River library, 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood
3:30 p.m. Monday, Greenwood Community High School, LGI 1, 615 Smith Valley Road
4 p.m. Tuesday, Franklin Community High School, LGI Room, 2600 Cumberland Drive; enter through door 55
3 p.m. Wednesday, Indian Creek Middle School, Large Instructional Room, 801 S. Indian Creek Dr., Trafalgar; enter through main doors
How to sign up: Go to hope4johnsoncounty.eventbrite.com. For the White River library event, go to pageafterpage.org
"Suicide: The Ripple Effect"
What: A documentary looking at suicide attempts and the ways people can impact others’ lives through interaction.
Who: Organized by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County, with financial support from Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County and Aspire Johnson County
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday; dinner and mingling starts at 5:30.
Cost: Free, though RSVPs are requested for dinner
How to sign up: eventbrite.com/e/suicide-the-ripple-effect-tickets-70810896297
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