Life's challenge

Life is full of ups and downs. You have to be careful not to get too far down when times are tough.

We're in the middle of National Suicide Prevention Week, which is Sept. 9-15. The focus is to raise public awareness of the warning signs of suicide, and the goal is to reduce the number of people who take their own life each year. As Mary Weston writes in a Letter to the Editor in this week's issue, Montana has the second highest rate of suicide in the country. She states that the suicide rate among teenagers and young adults, ages 15-24, in northwestern Montana is the highest in the country.

Suicide is a national public health problem.

I spent some time Monday with Dave Lange, who is a counselor at Imagine Health in Columbia Falls. Dave is also connected to the Flathead Suicide Prevention Coalition; Joan Schmidt is the program coordinator.

Dave talked about how there can be a disconnection between someone's heart and mind, which leads to a loss of hope.

He said a person's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health come into play when they encounter distress, which could lead to depression. "What we seek each day is balance," Dave said.

The emotional aspect can include sadness, a "persistent melancholy." In youth, as well as adults, it can be anger or guilt. In the spiritual sense, finding a meaning for life, relatedness, hope and forgiveness are part of the preventive picture.

Dave said that the first three years of a person's life are critical as a child copes with separation from his or her mother. That leads to the attachment issue. A boy or girl must have parental support throughout childhood. But as they enter their teen years, they are searching for an identity. They're asking themselves, "Who am I?"

The warning signs of suicide must be recognized, such as alcohol and drug abuse, sudden change in behavior, inability to sleep or sleeping nearly all the time, talking about suicide and actual suicide threats — no matter what the age of the person. In school-age children, teachers are becoming more aware of the symptoms and signs of suicide.

Depression in the elderly is common. For example, it can be a consequence of prostate cancer in men.

"Life is the more difficult choice," Dave said, "but we also have love and forgiveness and hope."

According to Dave, suicide causes extreme stress and trauma for survivors — family and friends of the victim. Dealing with the loss involves bereavement and mourning, then "redefining" your own life and your relationship with the one you have lost. It is important to tell the story of a loved one's life rather than his or her death, according to Dave. Resiliency is part of the healing process.

It is stated well in the Flathead Suicide Prevention Coalition brochure: "Life is worth living." Suicide is preventable and everyone can make a difference.

Get involved in the "Out of the Darkness Community Walk," sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The walk is Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m., starting at Depot Park in Kalispell. You can register at Web site outofthedarkness.org.

The Coalition is a collaborative effort of the Flathead City-County Health Department and the Youth Service Network. For information about suicide prevention, call the Coalition at 871-1008 or the Flathead City/County Health Department at 751-8110.

Joe Sova is managing editor of the Hungry Horse News.