As we recognize National Suicide Prevention Day, I reflect on the old proverb, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." This statement is a reflection of the most destructive force in our world today -- stigma.
Imagine you are in a car accident and you break your arm. Most of us would not hesitate to seek medical attention. Your arm would be casted, and within months the arm would be healed. Now imagine if stigma was attached to that broken arm. A person who experienced a broken arm was weak, nonfunctional and crazy. Would you share the situation with friends or co-workers? What if you did share it and they told you it was just in your head? You just needed to be stronger and overcome it. What if people started to gossip about your broken arm? Knowing this could happen, how willing would you be to seek help?
People who experience mental illness and contemplate suicide live with this stigma every day. The stigma prevents a person from sharing their suicidal ideations or their struggles with mental health. Alaska has the highest rate of suicide per capita in the country. Our rate is nearly twice the national average. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, approximately 90 percent of individuals who complete suicide were concurrently experiencing a mental illness, which is most often depression.
A significant contributor to mental illness is adverse childhood experiences. These adversities are known as adverse childhood experiences. ACEs are stressful or traumatic experiences, including abuse, neglect and a range of household dysfunction such as witnessing domestic violence, or growing up with substance abuse, mental illness, parental discord, or crime in the home. When children are exposed to chronic stressful events, neurodevelopment can be disrupted. Societal impacts of trauma are major and lifelong. It impairs a child's physical, social and intellectual development resulting in increased risk, poor performance in school, mental health problems, suicide, substance abuse, problems with the law and serious long-term health problems. The financial toll is equally staggering. Costs include health care, mental health, child welfare system, law enforcement/judicial system, lost work productivity, crime, and the list goes on.
One of the nation's foremost experts in this area and a fellow Alaskan, Dr. Linda Chamberlain, says, "Early adverse childhood experiences dramatically increase the risk for suicidal behavior. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of suicide attempts among adults were attributable to ACEs, and 80 percent of suicide attempts during childhood/adolescence were attributed to ACEs. Unless we prevent trauma and ensure individuals have the resilience to overcome it, we will continue to struggle with this devastating issue."
Suicide is a community issue. We all must play a role to see a change in the current trend. One of the first steps we can take is to begin breaking down the stigma associated with mental illness and ACEs. To prevent suicide, we all need to understand how childhood, cultural and community adversities impact brain architecture and behavior, how to prevent those adversities, and how to build resilience in individuals and communities.
The next step is breaking the silence. So often we are scared to talk about issues, like suicide, because it may encourage the behavior versus deterring it. Talking about suicide does not plant an idea in a person's head to end their life. Instead, openly talking about suicide in a nonjudgmental way most likely will prevent suicide. By being open, we create the space for conversation and sharing. In addition, it shows we care, which can help ease the shame and secrecy surrounding mental illness and suicide.
Finally, take personal action and become aware of suicide warning signs and appropriate things to do and say when having a conversation. If these warning signs appear, take time to stop, listen, and give that person an opportunity to express what they are going through.
For more information go to www.dhss.alaska.gov/suicideprevention.
Trevor Storrs is the executive director of the Alaska Children's Trust (ACT), the lead statewide agency in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.