Suicide is a false choice
CHRONICLE / "My son did not choose to die. His brain was on the run with highs and lows and taking
antidepressants increased these dangerous fluctuations. "
antidepressants increased these dangerous fluctuations. "
Marlene Gauthier's guy, Olivier, was 19 years old.He would have 26.
Since then, Marlene has been charging a full charge for Quebec to seriously tackle the ninth leading cause of death in the country. Every year, just over 1000 Quebeckers take their lives, nearly 30,000 pass by, and the vast majority have asked for help before.
It is on this help that we must work.
First, awareness. On her website www.olipourlavie.com , Marlène makes a striking comparison, the awareness budget of the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company was $ 6 million in 2017, and that for the prevention of suicide in 2016 ... of 35,000 $.
Three times fewer people die on the road.
The other point, and it should be in place for a long time, is quick access to services, the quick word is the most important. Mental health professionals still need to take the alarm bells of those who knock on their doors seriously, which is not always the case.
By dint of turning in circles between the revolving doors, some end up not coming to hit it.
You have to change that.
In Time magazine on November 4, a report is devoted to the solutions to counter suicide, not only they exist, but in addition they are simple. And when we apply them, they make a huge difference.
Time gives the example of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, which in 2001 set the goal of achieving zero suicide - yes, yes, zero - goal achieved eight years later. After two years, the suicide rate had already dropped by 75%, including establishing a tight protocol immediately after hospitalization, knowing that this period is one of the most critical.
Marlene also stresses the importance of everyone being in the loop, as health professionals talk to their loved ones. "About 80% of people [who have suicidal ideation] consult and most psychologists do not contact anyone, which goes against their code of ethics. And, like loved ones, nurses are a resource that is too often ignored. "
The idea is to make a care triangle with the person, carers and relatives, as a triple therapy for mental health.
And the starting point is often the cabinet. "Survivors often say," It's a psychiatrist or a doctor who just saved
me after being walked around for months in the system. ""
Who set foot in the revolving door.
In theory, this collaboration should already be the norm. "We have been talking about it in Quebec since 1990. There are a few clinicians and some CIUSSS who have integrated this practice, but it is far from being the case everywhere. As stated in the [suicide action] strategy, protocols and standards of integrated care need to be put in place. And respected. [...] But here in Quebec, most do not follow mental health action plans or guidelines,
and there is no evaluation and follow-up. "
In September, the Protecteur du Citoyen blamed a youth center worker to whom a girl had confided before committing the irreparable. No one was made aware, not even his father, who discovered that his daughter had suicidal thoughts in a letter he found.
"Other contacts should have been notified. It has not been done, "said the protector.
We could have short-circuited his fatal plans, argues Marlene. "It is proved that when you take the person out of their thoughts when they are about to commit an act, their active thoughts will calm down. But, it is certain that it is temporary and that intense suicidal thoughts
are the sign of a disease that must be well diagnosed and properly treated. "
The role of the relatives, when they are made aware, is to listen, to reach out, or a pole.
That can make all the difference, as was written by Hélène *, the depression-affected health professional I told you about on Monday. In a message she wrote to her relatives, she said, "Know also that distress diminishes when it is named and heard. If a loved one worries you, dare to ask questions, dare to invite him for a coffee. Because even if he refuses [he will surely do], he will have the hope to know that there is an open door for him if he changes his mind. When suffering suffocates us, even small hope is sometimes enough to give us the courage to move on. "
Suicide is a fatal gesture.
Not a fatality.
* Fictitious name
You need help? 1-866-APPELLE (277-3553)
Since then, Marlene has been charging a full charge for Quebec to seriously tackle the ninth leading cause of death in the country. Every year, just over 1000 Quebeckers take their lives, nearly 30,000 pass by, and the vast majority have asked for help before.
It is on this help that we must work.
First, awareness. On her website www.olipourlavie.com , Marlène makes a striking comparison, the awareness budget of the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company was $ 6 million in 2017, and that for the prevention of suicide in 2016 ... of 35,000 $.
Three times fewer people die on the road.
The other point, and it should be in place for a long time, is quick access to services, the quick word is the most important. Mental health professionals still need to take the alarm bells of those who knock on their doors seriously, which is not always the case.
By dint of turning in circles between the revolving doors, some end up not coming to hit it.
You have to change that.
In Time magazine on November 4, a report is devoted to the solutions to counter suicide, not only they exist, but in addition they are simple. And when we apply them, they make a huge difference.
Time gives the example of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, which in 2001 set the goal of achieving zero suicide - yes, yes, zero - goal achieved eight years later. After two years, the suicide rate had already dropped by 75%, including establishing a tight protocol immediately after hospitalization, knowing that this period is one of the most critical.
Marlene also stresses the importance of everyone being in the loop, as health professionals talk to their loved ones. "About 80% of people [who have suicidal ideation] consult and most psychologists do not contact anyone, which goes against their code of ethics. And, like loved ones, nurses are a resource that is too often ignored. "
The idea is to make a care triangle with the person, carers and relatives, as a triple therapy for mental health.
And the starting point is often the cabinet. "Survivors often say," It's a psychiatrist or a doctor who just saved
me after being walked around for months in the system. ""
Who set foot in the revolving door.
In theory, this collaboration should already be the norm. "We have been talking about it in Quebec since 1990. There are a few clinicians and some CIUSSS who have integrated this practice, but it is far from being the case everywhere. As stated in the [suicide action] strategy, protocols and standards of integrated care need to be put in place. And respected. [...] But here in Quebec, most do not follow mental health action plans or guidelines,
and there is no evaluation and follow-up. "
In September, the Protecteur du Citoyen blamed a youth center worker to whom a girl had confided before committing the irreparable. No one was made aware, not even his father, who discovered that his daughter had suicidal thoughts in a letter he found.
"Other contacts should have been notified. It has not been done, "said the protector.
We could have short-circuited his fatal plans, argues Marlene. "It is proved that when you take the person out of their thoughts when they are about to commit an act, their active thoughts will calm down. But, it is certain that it is temporary and that intense suicidal thoughts
are the sign of a disease that must be well diagnosed and properly treated. "
The role of the relatives, when they are made aware, is to listen, to reach out, or a pole.
That can make all the difference, as was written by Hélène *, the depression-affected health professional I told you about on Monday. In a message she wrote to her relatives, she said, "Know also that distress diminishes when it is named and heard. If a loved one worries you, dare to ask questions, dare to invite him for a coffee. Because even if he refuses [he will surely do], he will have the hope to know that there is an open door for him if he changes his mind. When suffering suffocates us, even small hope is sometimes enough to give us the courage to move on. "
Suicide is a fatal gesture.
Not a fatality.
* Fictitious name
You need help? 1-866-APPELLE (277-3553)
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