EDITORIAL: Frank talk needed to help improve Oklahoma suicide statistics

Aug. 23--IN her job with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Savannah Kalman talks a lot about suicide. If only more Oklahomans would do the same.

Like so many mental health-related issues, suicide takes a big toll in Oklahoma but it remains a topic that most prefer not to acknowledge. In paid obituaries that run each day in The Oklahoman and other newspapers, families regularly include the cause of death for their loved one -- unless the cause is suicide.

The reason is that a stigma remains attached to death by suicide. Too many families are ashamed to say their son or daughter or parent took their own life.

Yet as Kalman pointed out in a recent interview with Oklahoma Watch, "Common wisdom says that all blame falls on the individual and it is his or her total personal responsibility. That is completely false. We're trying to change the conversation."

The need to do so is great. In Oklahoma, 731 people died by suicide in 2014, according to the state medical examiner's office. A year earlier, Oklahoma's suicide rate ranked 13th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of those who died by suicide last year, three-fourths were men. Kalman said that in the past decade, close to 80 percent of suicides were carried out by males. The biggest drivers? Depression is No. 1, followed by problems with partners, mental health issues and physical health issues.

Last week, The Oklahoman reported on the death by suicide of Rich Edwards, who suffered from depression after losing his hands in a fire in 2006. Edwards' wife, Cindy, said her husband "fought a good, long hard fight over 9 1/2 years but he could not rise above his depression." She said, "It was incredibly challenging. ... You just can't always tell by the smile on someone's face."

Many men are reluctant to go to the doctor even for such things as routine physical exams. Getting men to seek help if they're having problems such as depression creates a great challenge for Kalman as she and the mental health agency work to reduce Oklahoma's suicide numbers. "The idea of going to specialty appointments for more care just isn't going to happen," Kalman says.

Consequently, she said, creative solutions are needed to reach those who need help. But the truth is that everyday Oklahomans have the ability to help turn the tide. Mental health professionals tout a system called QPR -- question, persuade, refer.

Following through on QPR takes a dose of courage, because the first step is to ask the other person if they are thinking of killing themselves. That's a tough thing to ask, no matter how close one person is to the other. But asking it could help save a life.

The second step is to persuade the person that there are other alternatives. Finally, to refer the person to a health professional. As to the last step, there are help lines available to call: 211 is a hotline manned by Oklahoma HeartLine. Two suicide prevention hotlines are (800)-SUICIDE (784-2433) and (800) 273-TALK (8255).

There are signs that some progress is being made in the work to prevent suicides in Oklahoma. Through the years, more and more schools have been willing to host programs facilitated by HeartLine and other mental health groups that educate students and parents about warning signs and ways to help or get help. Just last month, a group of Oklahoma City comedians held a benefit to raise money and awareness about suicide prevention. One of the comedians once tried to commit suicide; he now talks openly about his experiences.

These are good steps. Many more are needed, however, in Oklahoma's long and challenging fight to improve its mental health outcomes.

___

(c)2015 The Oklahoman

Visit The Oklahoman at www.newsok.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.