Citizens volunteer to combat suicide

Whichever data set you look at, Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) place Wyoming third for suicides per capita, recording a total of 157 deaths in 2017 and listing suicide as the seventh leading cause of death that year.

Data just released by the Violence Policy Center suggests Wyoming’s ranking may be even higher, placing this state second in the nation for suicide rates, behind only Montana.

This month, the National Alliance on Mental Illness is promoting National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: a time to share resources and stories to shed light on this difficult topic. Crook County boasts a number of people who have made it their mission to spread knowledge and training that could help a person spot the signs of suicidal thoughts and ultimately save a life.

QPR training stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” and is a set of skills that can be used when you see the warning signs of a suicide crisis. QPR helps to identify and interrupt that crisis, directing the suicidal person to the care they need.

The QPR Institute describes it as an essential part of the “Chain of Survival”: recognizing the warning signs early, asking the person whether they are having suicidal thoughts and referring them to local resources, or 1-800-Suicide for evaluation and possible referral.

Community Prevention Specialist Kathy Cluff has promoted QPR for several years and continues to encourage the people of Crook County to take advantage of the free training.

Any group, such as a church, business, school or club, may host a training, she says, and trainings can then be opened to the community. Contact Cluff at Crook County Public Health or at 283-1142 to sign up as an individual or host.

Your current local QPR trainers include:

Kayleigh Gould

Suicide prevention is something everyone should consider getting involved with, says Kayleigh Gould.

“It affects all of us in some way or another. I’ve always felt compassion for those suffering from depression even if it’s just situational so, when Kathy Cluff approached me with the opportunity to become a QPR trainer, I jumped at the chance in hopes to equip every member of Crook County with the tools to recognize the possible warning signs for someone at risk of suicide and where they can refer them to get the help they need,” she says.

At some point in our lives, Gould believes that we all experience feelings of depression.

“We can all relate to feelings of depression at some point in our lives and I think we would all like to hope that if that time were to happen for one of our loved ones, not only would someone intervene and refer but take the time to just sit and listen them,” she says.

Unfortunately, she points out, it’s not always possible to be there for a loved one. Sometimes, it’s not even possible to know when that person needs our help.

“I take comfort knowing people are out there who cared enough to educate themselves on the importance of suicide prevention and what they can do to help,” she says.

“These individuals can tell my loved ones their worth to the world, remind them how loved they are and provide them with hope for the future when I’m not there to tell them myself.”

Zeta Anderson

Seeing the statistics about mental health issues and suicides among young people, particularly in Wyoming, shocked Zeta Anderson and inspired her to learn more about intervention strategies.

“I attended a Mental Health First Aid class in September 2018 and was overwhelmed by how much I did not know about these issues as well as the misconceptions I had,” she says.

“Personally seeing and dealing with the aftermath of completed suicides spurred a desire to become more educated in ways I could make a difference.”

Anderson’s goals as a trainer are three-fold: she would like to offer hope, enlighten people of the facts and myths that surround suicide and remove the stigma of talking about difficult issues.

“Education is the key to overcoming the fear of the unknown and false beliefs we hold. Every single person can benefit from QPR training and learn how to speak up and reach out, what intervention steps to take, and how to promote life,” she says.

“This is an issue that is not going to get better without a big shift in mindset and interaction of people in our communities.”

Doug Donnell

Personal experience inspired Doug Donnell to become a QPR trainer.

“Last November, Ruhel Stewart, a marvelous 15-year-old boy, took his life. He had wanted to be a

Marine after high school, and had asked me to mentor him. After his death, I felt like I needed to learn more about suicide and how to help people who were suicidal,” he says.

“My son Joshua, age 13, was also suffering from depression. I thought my study in the suicide prevention field would help me to help him.”

Donnell hopes to use his expertise to help people throughout the community recognize the warning signs of a suicidal person and get them the help they need. He believes QPR is the emotional equivalent of a first responder and encourages the community to consider attending a training session.

“If a person drops dead in a crowd, only a person trained in CPR can save their life. QPR works the same way,” he explains.

“If a person desires the skills and knowledge needed to save another person’s life, they need to learn CPR and QPR.”

Patty Dykes

Patty Dykes became interested in suicide prevention because she felt there was an obvious need for it within the community.

“I wanted to learn more so if I have the opportunity I can help,” she says.

“I decided to become a trainer because I wanted the opportunity to equip others with the knowledge the QPR training offers.”

Dykes feels that the chances of preventing a suicide increase with the number of people who are trained and able to help.

“We need to be proactive instead of reactive,” she says.