City holds mental health awareness forum

Aug. 21--An uptick in the number of suicides and police calls involving mental health issues in the city prompted Mayor Anne McCaffrey to organize a suicide and depression awareness panel, which was held Thursday night.

Representatives from mental health organizations in Niagara County were on hand with information, and a panel of experts spoke about the warning signs of depression and suicide and how those affected can seek help.

In the first six months of 2015, there were more suicides in the city of Lockport than in all of 2014, involving people from ages 14 to 83 years old.

Those numbers correlate with an increase in suicides across the country, Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said.

"It's not just happening in the city of Lockport. It's a nationwide issue," Eggert said.

In the last week, the Lockport Police Department has utilized Niagara County'sCrisis Services program about six or seven times in its calls, Eggert said.

Crisis Services is a 24-hour service which provides immediate mental health care in emergency situations, traveling anywhere in the county in an hour or less.

"It's important for family members to make a call and reach out for help if they see something," Eggert said. "When it comes to mental health issues, people tend to not want to talk about it, but a lot of the time we'll get to a scene involving a suicide and the family is especially distraught because they never said anything."

Warning signs that an individual is depressed and might become suicidal include changes in behavior, Niagara University psychology professor Dr. Timothy Osberg said.

"There are both obvious and subtle signs that someone has become depressed. Family members and friends need to pay attention to those signs and take them seriously if there's a change in behavior," Osberg said.

Signs can include weight gain or loss, describing fantasies about or talking about suicide, increased substance abuse and affected sleep patterns.

With his students, Osberg keeps an eye out for students who have sudden decreases in productivity or attentiveness.

"If a student is suddenly showing up late to lectures or falling asleep in class, it might be indicative of a bigger problem than just being bored in a class," Osberg said.

Osberg said that the most important thing a person can do for a loved one who might be suffering from depression is to listen.

"If everybody had someone who they could talk to and they really listened, all mental health professionals would be out of a job," Osberg said. "Listening and suspending judgement is the most important thing you can do for someone who is suffering with depression."

Also joining the panel were mental health professionals who have lived through battles with depression, including suicide attempts.

"There was a point where nothing seemed to help," said Shannon Klose, a group facilitator and wellness counselor for Healthy Minds of WNY. She was speaking of her battle with depression, which resulted in being taken to the hospital after she ingested a large number of painkillers.

"Now I realize that there is a possibility for wellness and for things to get better," Klose said.

She urged the audience to remember that suicide does not discriminate by age.

"It can affect anyone," Klose said. "There needs to be more awareness in the community that it is a real problem, and that there's places you can go to get help."

Among the community resources for mental health in Niagara County are Eastern Niagara Hospital, the Mental Health Association of Niagara County, Northpointe Council, Inc., Horizons Health Services, the Niagara County Department of Mental Health, Independent Living and Healthy Minds of Western New York, and the Buffalo Psychiatric Center.

Crisis Services of Niagara County works closely with local law enforcement, program supervisor James Swift said.

"We can be called directly, or 911 calls can be sent to us," Swift said. "We often arrive with law enforcement, bringing along licensed professionals to talk to individuals with problems."

Law enforcement plays a large role in mental health awareness in the county, although not in the traditional sense, Eggert said.

"I think traditionally, people think of police as enforcers, the people who lock up bad guys," Eggert said. "I think in the last three or four years, there has been a shift to law enforcement providing more of a guardian role."

Family members and friends shouldn't be hesitant to call law enforcement for fear of their loved one being arrested, Eggert said.

"We're here to help," Eggert said.

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