Pitt Partners for Health continues its weekly columns to observe May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This week, we will focus on depression and suicide.
Here are some chilling facts:
- 7 million people or 7.2% of the population experience major depression
- Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for persons ages 10 to 34.
- 2 million people experience a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder
Depression
Depression is a common mental health disorder seen in children, adolescents, and adults. Symptoms can include:
- Sadness, feeling empty, and feeling anxious
- Feeling hopeless
- Feeling helpless
- Feeling worthless
- Feeling guilty
- Irritability, feeling cranky or moody
- Excessive worrying
- Change in appetite – you may gain weight or lose weight
- Change in sleep – trouble falling asleep, waking in middle of the night or sleeping too much
- Trouble concentrating and making decisions
- Decrease or increase in normal pleasurable activities
- Decreased energy
- Isolation
- Poor work or school performance
- Thoughts of suicide
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach, digestive issues, and others
Depression is not just feeling blue for a couple of days and it goes away. Depression is long lasting and gets in the way of everyday life. It disrupts your life. Depression is a medical condition. If not treated, it can have serious effects on you and your family.
Depression is treatable and treatment works. A primary treatment is psychotherapy or “talk” therapy. Others are medication and brain stimulation therapies. Sometimes a combination of these treatments is needed. With treatment, individuals can get better and lead productive lives.
Becoming educated about depression is important. Support groups can help with education. They are easy to join and free. Support groups also help you connect to others so you don’t feel so alone.
Suicide
It is hard to talk about suicide. It is sad, uncomfortable, disturbing, and scary. Many of us know someone who died by suicide or attempted suicide.
What are the warning signs that someone is thinking about suicide? Warning signs are behaviors that include:
- Talking about wanting to die
- Great guilt or shame
- Feeling like you are a burden to others
- Feeling empty, hopeless, trapped, with no reason to live
- Feeling extremely sad, agitated, full of rage or more anxious
- Having unbearable emotional or physical pain
- Having changes in eating or sleeping
- Using alcohol or drugs more often
- Having extreme mood swings
- Engaging in dangerous or risky behaviors
- Making a plan to die or researching ways to die
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Giving away important items and saying goodbye to loved ones
What can you do to help someone thinking about suicide? The National Institute of Mental Health recommends 5 steps:
Ask – Ask the person “are you thinking about killing yourself?”. This does not lead to an increase in suicide but has been shown to decrease suicide.
Keep Them Safe – Reduce access to lethal items or places.
Be There – Listen carefully. Accept the person’s feelings. Research suggests that talking about suicide may reduce suicidal thoughts.
Help Them Connect – Help the person connect with someone he or she trusts. It might be a family member, friend, spiritual advisor, or mental health professional. Have the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number with you. (1-800-273-8255).
Stay Connected – Follow up and stay in touch after a crisis.
If you or a loved one is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please seek help. The following resources can help:
REAL Crisis Center
24-hour Help line: 252-758-4357
www.realcrisis.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Trillium Health Resources
24-hour Access to Care Line: 1-877-685-2415
www.trilliumhealthresources.org
Integrated Family Services
24-hour Mobile Crisis Team: 1-866-437-1821
www.integratedfamilyservices.net
ECU Psychiatry Outpatient Center
252-744-1406
https://home3/mylouise/public_html/pph.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/psychiatry/outpatient.cfm?mod
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
www.nami.org
1-800-273-825
Pitt County NAMI
252-902-6462 or 252-531-3693
Mental Health Association of Eastern Carolina
www.mhaec.org
Pitt Partners for Health (PPH) is a community health improvement partnership with representatives from local churches, businesses, communities, the hospital, health department and other human service agencies. The partnership mission is to improve the population health of Pitt County through coalition building and partnership. PPH meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month in community locations throughout the county. If you have questions or for more information, please contact Tiera Beale (tiera.beale@vidanthealth.com)
910-590-2312 ms. jackson