Paying It Forward: Check In with Another
Paying It Forward: Check In with Another
Isolation is unhealthy. Effects unnoticed from events, genes, and stresses, yet others see something is off. Resources are available; dial 988 line for mental health and suicidal thoughts.
Paying It Forward: Check In with Another
Editor's note: This column includes information about suicide. If you or anyone you know could be struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 any time day or night or chat online at 988Lifeline.org; call the Veterans Crisis Line and Military Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255, press 1; or the Crisis Text Line provides free confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week via textmessage to people in crisis when they text 'HELLO' to 741741.
As social beings, isolation is unhealthy. Effects accumulate unnoticed from events, genes, and stresses, yet others see something is off. Resources are available, without the stigma of fifty years ago, when treatments like “Just buck up and get through it,” encouraged the sufferer to “just tough it out.”
Last April, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, called out youth mental health needs as “the defining public health crisis of our time.” In reviewing the topic, consider the emotional impact of unplanned deaths from accidents, intentional acts, drug overdoses, gun violence, general news and social media affecting mental health. The CDC published ten leading causes of death in the US; data for different ages is shown in the figure from https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/leading_causes_of_death_by_age_group_2020-508.pdf
For ages 10 through 44 the top four causes include: Unintentional injury (including drug overdose), Suicide and Homicide. I learned that addictions are aggravated by mental health stressors, leading to bad choices and abuse of legal/illegal substances to the point of considering or doing harm to another or oneself. Consider the information again from the cdc: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/
CDC facts: “Suicidal behavior also has far-reaching impact. There were 46,412 suicides among adults in 2021 (18 & over). But suicides are just the tip of the iceberg. For every suicide death, there were about:
3 hospitalizations for self-harm
8 emergency department visits related to suicide
38 self-reported suicide attempts in the past year
265 people who seriously considered suicide in the past year.”
Angie Reay, Executive Director of Student Wellness reports that MSU counselors are available 24x7 for students suffering anxiety, depression or suicidal ideation.
Perhaps 25% of all consider suicide, influenced by prior choices of others, be they family or friends. I know tomorrow is a gift to be enjoyed. I make sure to contact another friend and inquire, “How are you today?”
Need another scholarship ($750, $500, $250) for your college bound junior or senior? Consider the 4-Way Test Speech contest hosted by the Southwest and North Rotary Clubs of Wichita Falls at 6:30pm April 4th, Edgemere Church of Christ. Students flex their skills in researching and presenting a key issue by applying Rotary’s Four-Way test:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Details
https://southwestrotary.com
How Are the Children Doing? Jack Browne
Published March 31, 2024, Wichita Falls Times Record News
The rest of the story, not included in print.
Researching this story was more emotional than other topics. First, I and my family have direct experience with suicide: parent, nephew, uncle, past employees, and past business friends. As such, I fall in the 25% that consider suicide, for one cannot have experienced it so closely and not think of it. I choose life for the joy of today and for the comfort afforded by my closest family and friends.
I talked to another whose nephew “committed” suicide by cop, after an armed standoff in a home, exiting firing a gun. My heart goes out to a first responsder carrying this emotional load as well as the family, whose pain was evident from my friend’s face.
In San Antonio, I talked with an assistant principal who was the admistator who locked down Uvale High School during the May 24, 2022 shootings at Robb Elementary School. His story shared that the toll of victims far exceeds the 19 students and two teachers who died, as well as the 17 others shot that day before the attacker was killed by first responders. Food, smoking, alcholol were his initial choices to cope; thankfully his friend’s recognition of changes, physical and mental prompted a suggestion of counselling.
I also heard about others at Uvalde whose stories where overwhelming. The Justice of the Peace, responsible for signing death certificates, changed from the “gregarious overweight friend about town, to a withdrawn, stooped, introverted person”. Another, a police officer whose wife was killed in the incident, received three texts from her. Her texts detailed the shooter was in the room, she had been shot and she realized she would die. Her husband did get to speak to her, they shared their love for one another before she died on the way to the hospital.
I also heard about students, brothers, sisters other family members. My heart was numbed in consideration of all these people affected so tragically. So again, reach out to one another and be considerate. Make someone’s day better, not worse — just listen to them without sharing judgement, critism or suggesting how they should feel and act. Heal one another as best we can, for we are together in our communities.