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The Weekly Spark – Week of November 5, 2009

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SPRC Research to Practice Webinar - Tuesday November 17th from 3:00pm - 4:30pm EST
Peggy West of SPRC will present the Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Rural Primary Care. This Toolkit, a collaborative project of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE), Mental Health Program contains the information and tools needed to implement state-of-the-art suicide prevention practices in primary care settings. Although the tools are designed with the rural practice in mind, most are quite suitable for use in non-rural settings as well. The Toolkit includes sections on educating clinicians and office staff and developing mental health partnerships, as well as patient management tools and patient education tools.

For more information http://www.surveymonkey.com/R2P-PCToolkit-Registration

The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources (JCR) Annual Behavioral Health Conference – November 17-18, 2009 in Chicago, IL
Health care reform is at the forefront of the national health care agenda, and the model of care for the 21st century is not yet certain. The JCR will provide participants with in-depth information on the current state of behavioral health care services during the sixth Annual Behavioral Health Care Conference, “Hope in Uncertain Times.” The conference is intended to provide a diverse but focused forum of topics to help behavioral health providers improve the health and welfare of their clients.

For more information http://www.jcrinc.com/Conferences-and-Seminars/Annual-Behavioral-Health-Care-Conference/1523/

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RESEARCH SUMMARIES:

A population-based panel study of suicides in Stockholm, 1991-1999.
Hedstrom, P., Liu, K., & Nordvik, M. (2008). Social Forces 87(2), 713-740.

A longitudinal study in Sweden revealed that men exposed to a suicide in the workplace were 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than men who were not exposed. The study also found that men exposed to the suicide of a family member were 8.3 times more likely to die by suicide than other men. The authors concluded that despite the higher risk associated with exposure in the family, the larger numbers of men exposed to a suicide in the workplace demonstrates the importance of workplace suicide prevention efforts. The study authors used a unique database assembled from a group of administrative registers to create a sample of all adults who lived and worked in the greater Stockholm metropolitan area at some point during the years 1991-1999 (n = 1,195,098). Each individual was observed over an average of 5.6 years within this period. Person-year (rather than person) was used as the unit of analysis to compensate for the fact that each individual was observed over a different length of time. Data analysis revealed that men and women who were exposed to suicide in the family experienced an eight- to ninefold increase in suicide risk. Men exposed to a suicide in the family were 8.3 times more likely to die by suicide than men who were not exposed. Men exposed to a suicide in a workplace of fewer than 100 employees were 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than other men. There was no significant increase in risk for men exposed to a suicide in workplaces of more than 100 employees and no significant increase in risk for women exposed to a suicide in the workplace. The authors hypothesized that the difference in suicide risk between large and small workplaces might disappear if the analysis were based on the smaller units in which people actually work rather than on the total number of employees in a company, since proximity impacts the consequences of exposure. The authors also speculated that the variation in workplace risk between men and women may be a consequence of differences in each sex’s attachment to the workplace. Swedish women who work also have primary responsibility for the household and childcare. Their self-identity may not be as dependent on the workplace as that of Swedish men. The data analysis revealed that, on average, a suicide in a family exposed 2.9 people, while a suicide in a workplace of under 100 employees exposed 15.3 people. The authors pointed out that most national suicide prevention strategies fail to pay attention to suicide exposure in the workplace. They concluded that the elevated risk caused by exposure to a suicide in the workplace and the large numbers of people exposed to suicides in the workplace argued that suicide prevention efforts focusing on the workplace are at least as important as those focused on the family.
Link to Abstract

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NEWS HEADLINES:

National News

Suicide: When pastors’ silent suffering turns tragic , USA Today, Oct. 29, 2009
Pastors serve the needs of their congregations, yet many do not reach out for help themselves when experiencing a personal crisis or problems with anxiety or depression. Members of the clergy face a number of stressors that can lead to psychological distress, including: demanding jobs that may require them to be available to congregants at any time; strained church budgets; and a lack of social supports, which may lead to isolation and loneliness. In addition to social stigma associated with mental illness, pastors may experience a “spiritual taboo”; in other words, they may be reluctant to seek help because they believe that feeling depressed or having thoughts of suicide signifies a lack of spiritual faith. As this article explains, the problem of depression and suicide among the clergy has been brought to the fore by several suicides and suicide attempts among Baptist pastors within the last few years.
Link to Article

State and Tribal News

Massachusetts :  Transgender suicide prevention program launching in MA, Bay Windows , Oct. 29, 2009
A new organization called the Transgender Suicide Prevention Working Group plans to provide education and training to help prevent suicide among transgender people in Massachusetts. With help from the state Department of Public Health, the group has produced brochures on transgender suicide for healthcare providers and for members of the transgender community.
Link to Article

Spark Extra! Read or download the transgender suicide prevention brochures http://www.masstpc.org/publications/suicideprevention.shtml

Wisconsin :  Youth suicides concern officials, The Green Bay Press Gazette, Nov. 1, 2009
In Wisconsin’s Green Bay School District, educators are supporting a student-led approach to teaching about suicide and suicide prevention. According to a local school social worker, “[The students] seem to be more engaged…when their peers are presenting, versus when we present the information.” Data gathered after last year’s pilot at Preble High School showed that students learned a lot about suicide prevention from the program, which is expanding into the other three high schools in the district this year.
Link to Article

International News

Ireland:  PSNI chief “shocked” by picture, BBC News, Nov. 2, 2009
The Press Complaints Commission (UK) has received at least 70 complaints related to a front page newspaper photo of a man who had taken his own life. The editor of the northern edition of Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper has defended his decision to print the photo of a man’s body hanging from a bridge. However, critics argue that publication of the photo violated media reporting guidelines and could be distressing for readers who had lost a loved one to suicide.
Link to Article

Spark Extra! Read Ireland’s Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide and Self-Harm http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/mediaguidelines71009.pdf

Israel:  Stopping suicide before the attempt, Haaretz, Oct. 28, 2009
Israel’s first suicide prevention program is launching this month as a pilot project focusing on at-risk groups in three municipalities. Goals for the first year and a half include establishing cooperation with suicide prevention organizations and reducing suicides by 10 to 15 percent, beginning with at-risk groups such as the elderly, Ethiopian immigrants, and Arab youth. The Health Ministry also intends to create a reliable database to track suicides; work with community gatekeepers and medical staff to help them learn to identify signs of distress and refer people appropriately; and work to identify at-risk students, such as non-heterosexual youth.
Link to Article

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

SAMHSA accepting applications for up to $2.67 million for Youth Mental Health Services
Deadline:   Nov. 25, 2009
Amount: $2.67 million for 42 grants of up to $60,000 each
Eligible Applicants: Domestic public and private nonprofit entities, including faith-based entities, tribal family organizations, and family run non-profit organizations in States where there is currently not a funded Statewide Family Network.
Agency/Department: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Summary: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for up to $2.67 million for 42 grants of up to $60,000 each. The purpose of the cooperative agreements is to enhance state capacity and infrastructure to serve the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families.
For detailed information go to:
http://samhsa.gov/grants/2010/SM-10-003.aspx

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About the Weekly Spark

The Weekly Spark contains announcements and information about suicide, suicide prevention and mental health issues. We offer brief summaries of national, state and international news; analyses of relevant research findings; descriptions of funding opportunities, and links to additional resources. The Weekly Spark is written and edited by SPRC staff. Every effort is made to offer relevant and timely information with links to the original content as available.

We welcome your suggestions at info@sprc.org. In general, the Weekly Spark does not include editorials, opinion pieces or information on local events. Events may be listed in the SPRC Calendar http://www.sprc.org/featured_resources/trainingandevents/calendar/index.asp

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