Episode 24: Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to unite to promote suicide prevention awareness, share resources and stories and remember those affected by suicide. For the latest episode of South of Fine, we spoke with Meghan Goldbeck, Area Director of Louisiana and Mississippi Chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and Danita LeBlanc, a volunteer with the Louisiana Chapter of AFSP. We discuss the work AFSP is doing as part of its mission to eliminate the loss of life from suicide, share details about the Out of the Darkness Walks AFSP will be hosting across Mississippi throughout the month, and highlight warning signs that someone in your life may be considering suicide.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Rhes Low:
Welcome back to another episode of South of Fine. I'm your host as usual, Rhes Low, as our regular listeners know, our goal at South of Fine is to change the stigma around mental health care. One of the best ways that we can do this is by inviting more people to join the conversation.
If you want to help our podcast get seen by more people, who we really hope will subscribe to South of Fine, then you can rate us, click the like button, and then share episodes with your friends and loved ones. We'd really appreciate your help in that regard.
Low:
All right, so I hope everyone's ready to enjoy this show. Here we go.
Welcome to South of Fine, a podcast from my Right Track Medical Group dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental health in the South through genuine conversation about the challenges that we all face every day. For more information, please visit our web site at righttrackmedical.com/southoffine.
While we hope you enjoy listening to our podcast, please remember that this is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or for the treatment of any mental health condition. If you feel that you or someone you love is considering mental health treatment, please visit Right Track Medical's website, righttrackmedical.com, to find a helpful resource guide and a clinic near you.
Low:
All right, guys, so today, we are speaking with Meghan Goldbeck, Area Director of Louisiana and Mississippi Chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Danita LeBlanc, a Licensed clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who works with the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Services Office of Behavioral Health. Did I say something wrong?
Danita LeBlanc:
Well, it changed, because I actually just retired from there.
Low:
Oh, cool. Okay, how long ago was that?
LeBlanc:
The first time, December of 2019. The second time, June 30th of this year.
Low:
Well, congratulations. That's wonderful.
LeBlanc:
Yeah.
Low:
You also serve as a volunteer with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Is that right
LeBlanc:
I do. I'm fourth president.
Low:
Oh, cool. Super cool.
LeBlanc:
In the Louisiana Chapter.
Low:
In the Louisiana Chapter. And both of you guys are from Louisiana
LeBlanc:
Yes.
Low:
Live in Louisiana? Cool.
Meghan Goldbeck:
Yeah, I live right outside of New Orleans. I grew up in Chicago mostly, and I serve the Mississippi Chapter, as well. I work with all of our volunteers there in both states.
Low:
So, let's jump into this, guys. I really appreciate you being here. Let's talk a little bit about your organizations. What is the role of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and who do you serve? These are broad questions. Who do you serve and what's your mission?
Goldbeck:
Our mission at AFSP is really to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. We really do that through grassroots efforts and amazing volunteers across the country. Our volunteers consists of people who've lost loved ones to suicide, people who struggle with suicidal thoughts, or really anybody in the community who's interested in preventing suicide. Our work really focuses on eliminating the loss of life from suicide. We do that through program delivery, prevention education, general education around the community, and then raising funds for research, groundbreaking research, and reaching out to those who've lost somebody to suicide.
Low:
Well, what's groundbreaking research? Can you expound upon that?
Goldbeck:
Yeah, so we invest around five to six million dollars a year in research, and our researchers are looking at a few different things. That could be like bio markers in a blood sample, like something we could test in a blood sample that would identify someone who's at risk.
One of our researchers in Stanford is looking at the relationship between firearm ownership and suicide deaths. He actually presented to our chapters back in June and he was looking at the time an individual purchases a firearm, what's their risk for suicide, and in the first 10 days, it looks really, really high. That's ongoing research. But you know, we'll be interested to see kind of what comes out of that when he's completed with that. That's just some things we're looking at.
Goldbeck:
They're looking at the role of racial discrimination and inequity and suicide risk. Why certain communities may be at higher risk than others, lots of different things. I mean, our research grant program is incredibly robust. It's led by Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman in New York. Very exciting stuff we're seeing out of it.
Low:
Yeah, to say the least. That's really incredible. Danita, anything to add about the organization, and mission, and role, and such?
LeBlanc:
AFSP also does a lot of advocacy work, in terms of influencing legislation, sometimes, as well as just public information. So at least with the Louisiana Chapter, AFSP was instrumental in helping to get the Jason Flatt Act passed in Louisiana, and that requires that educators, people in the school system, get two hours of suicide prevention training a year. They also were instrumental in getting some legislation passed to put crisis line numbers on the back of student IDs, all student IDs in Louisiana.
Low:
Oh, cool.
LeBlanc:
And they've also gone back in influence some legislation about the Jason Flatt Act that provides some accountability in terms of what are schools doing with the training, what does the training consists of, what's the minimum requirements of the training? And so, some of that advocacy with legislators have helped shape some of the policy and processes in Louisiana. That happens nationally, as well, but I'm familiar with the Louisiana.
Low:
Jeez. I mean, just based upon what you guys just told me, we could probably stop talking and everybody would be highly impressed with this organization so far, from the research to getting things through the legislation or creating new legislation. Can you tell me a little bit, because I'm ignorant about Jason, did you say Flatt?
LeBlanc:
Jason Flatt Act, it's named after an individual who died by suicide, but the act requires in Louisiana that schools, teachers and personnel, be trained in, every year, two hours of suicide prevention training, and so it was named that honor the young man who died, but it's an education focus so that schools are aware of when someone might be suicidal and what schools can do to help connect them to help.
Low:
That's great. That's great. I had an immediate question, but I'm going to skip it. We'll get to it later. What drew you guys? You guys can each answer this in your own time. What drew you guys to this organization?
LeBlanc:
I'll go.
Low:
Go ahead.
LeBlanc:
I started volunteering with a crisis line when I was 19 years old, and I have been working directly and indirectly with suicide prevention for the last 40 years. When I worked for the state, I was the suicide prevention coordinator for Louisiana. And when I retired, I really wanted to stay involved with suicide prevention. And so, because I had worked for the state in the Office of Behavioral Health and had worked with the Office of Public Health, I really thought I could facilitate more interaction and synergy between the state efforts on suicide prevention and what AFSP was doing. And so, I was also drawn to the education and training aspect of AFSP's work because I'm a trainer in several different suicide prevention programs. I just thought I could pull all of it together in an integrated way by volunteering with AFSP. That's mine.
Low:
That's great. Meghan?
Goldbeck:
Yeah, so a few years ago I had taken a suicide prevention education course called Mental Health First Aid. You know, I never thought I would ever use it. And two weeks later, one of my dear friends was experiencing suicidal thoughts and I was able to get her the help that she needed because I was trained to do so, and in a really effective way. My friend's doing really great now, which is just fantastic, but that really drew me to suicide prevention efforts. Mental health in general is so stigmatized in our community. I think it is getting a lot better, but I was drawn to AFSP specifically because they really focus on making mental health a priority, in addition to suicide prevention education. I really firmly believe that it works and it can save lives.
Low:
Yeah, I agree. Yeah. You know, every single one of us, this is not a very good stat, but I know that every single person in the world is affected personally by suicide in some way. What type of impact, through the research, through counseling, through all the things that you guys do, through changing legislation, I mean, come on, what kind of impact have you guys seen personally within schools, within communities?
Goldbeck:
You know, we talked about research, and we're one of the leading private funders of research, which is just an incredible accomplishment that is really because of our volunteers. I think it comes down to the volunteer impact. I mean, we're a grassroots organization, so we really rely heavily on volunteers. As Danita mentioned, to talk about legislation, that really makes mental health a priority specifically. During the challenging last, what, 18 months, we've all experienced a lot of challenges. But through that all, we have educated thousands of people in suicide prevention trainings that we offer. We connect over 300,000 people in our Out of the Darkness walks.
And it's really about a community coming together. If you've lost a loved one to suicide or experienced suicidal thoughts, just imagine thousands of people literally rallying with you. It's incredibly moving and powerful. I think that's really fantastic. And then just general awareness about suicide prevention has really increased. You've seen really high profile individuals, Meghan Markle, I think she's a Duchess, disclose her suicidal ideation. For her to come out and say that and really increase the conversation is incredibly powerful. I really believe AFSP is a part of that. We're really telling people it's okay to not be okay, but we want to make getting mental health help a sign of strength.
Low:
Great. Can one of you guys talk a little bit more about the Out of the Darkness walk that you mentioned? I'd love to hear about that event.
Goldbeck:
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Our Out of the Darkness events are really an opportunity for folks to unite in a common effort against suicide, and recognize those who've lost a loved one or who struggle. We share hope, and stories, and resources. Our walks look different in every community. For example, in Biloxi, we're hosting a walk on September 18th. We'll have children's activities. We have a pushup challenge, lots of community resources, auctions, raffles, and of course, a walk to prevent suicide. It's our signature event to raise funds for all the research, education, and advocacy efforts that we do in the community.
Low:
Great. Good deal. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. What does this month mean to AFSP. We've kind of covered this, but we need to cover it again because, so how important is suicide awareness, and what is it, really?
LeBlanc:
I think sometimes with suicide, until it impacts you, it's kind of, "Oh, that's something that happens out there, to those people out there, not us." And once it hits you, then you realize, or start to, on how much it impacts your life and how many opportunities you may have had to be able to have things turn out differently. Having a focus on suicide prevention helps to increase awareness about what might be danger signs to look for. Awareness that it's okay to talk about suicide, you don't put the idea in someone's head if you bring it up. It instead kind of gives somebody permission to talk about it when you bring it up first. And that when somebody says, "Yes, I am thinking about suicide," you know where to connect them to help that'll provide first aid for where they are.
And so, it's a public health issue. It's not an individual defect in the person thinking about suicide. It's a public health issue in terms of both people have mental health issues, people do often think about suicide. Not everybody acts on it, but it's a more common part of the human experience than we ever thought that it was. There's a growing awareness that we can all have a role in preventing suicide. And so, a focus on it for a week or a month is really important to be able to help spread that word.
Low:
Yeah, really well put. I love the part about saying something is not putting the idea in someone's head, it's communicating it, and bring it to the surface, and let's talk about it. It seems like such a simple thing, but like, I have a friend who did a movie called The Girl Who Wore Freedom about World War II and she spent a lot of time with veterans. One of her producers filmed about 800 of these World War II veterans years ago, before they've passed away, and the bulk of them had not spoken about those events since those events. He said, I've seen some of the videos, it was absolutely amazing the release and the peace that they felt just talking about it. You know? Just communicating with someone. It is so, so important to communicate and not be scared of any topic that may arise, particularly suicide.
What sort of events do you guys have in mind or do you guys put together for Suicide Awareness Month? Meghan, could you talk a little bit about that?
Goldbeck:
Absolutely. AFSP has put together a campaign that really puts a focus on staying connected, and deepening those conversations, and encouraging folks to seek out help, and generally strengthening our mental health. Specifically on September 10th, we are hosting a Facebook Live event. It's an eight-hour event jam packed with inspiring conversations. We'll have a concert. Dr. Jill, head of our research, will be there answering questions. We'll have a panel discussion. We have a couple of celebrity influencers who will be on there. It's a secret, but we're announcing it in the next week or two. Once we get it, I'll make sure to send it out to everybody. We're finalizing everything for that. But it's going to be really fantastic.
And then specifically in Mississippi and Louisiana, we're hosting a virtual presentation of Talk Saves Lives, which is really our introduction to suicide prevention. We cover the scope of the problem, research, risk factors, protective factors, warning signs, and how you can help someone. We're also going to be encouraging folks to volunteer, so we're hosting a Volunteer 101 virtually where they can learn about AFSP and all of our volunteer opportunities. We're encouraging field advocates and community members to talk to legislators about making mental health a priority. And then we have two walks in Mississippi that you can join, one in Biloxi on the 18th of September and then a one in Oxford at Ole Miss on September 25th
Low:
Oh, cool. That's where I am.
Goldbeck:
Oh, great.
Lau:
September 25th, okay. So you guys are kind of jam packed. If people would like to, where could they find this stuff? Is it on your website, I assume, social media, and that sort of thing?
Goldbeck:
Yeah, absolutely. They can visit afsp.org/Mississippi. If you're in Mississippi, that's the local chapter website. You can get connected to all of our prevention education events and our walks. If you're listening from out of state, you can just visit afsp.org and find all kinds of great resources, prevention education, and find a walk in your area.
Low:
Cool. Just curious, can you guys kind of give us a little bit of an idea of what people would look for as warning signs of a person that may be in crisis or considering suicide? Meghan, you said that you had personal experience with this, and I'm sure y'all have it every day being in this role, but yeah, I'd like to
Goldbeck:
Danita, do you want to?
LeBlanc:
ure. One of the things that you might look for is some changes in behavior and mood. So, if someone's normally very outgoing, if they're more withdrawn. If somebody is normally very safe and conservative then becoming real reckless. So you're looking for some changes in behavior in mood. There's also frequently when someone is considering suicide, there's been some kind of major loss in their life and it's had a huge impact on them. It may not seem to be big to you on the outside, but for them on the inside, it's huge.
And so, there's been some kind of loss, they're in pain, and that impacts both mood and behavior. They may be talking about wanting to be dead, or wishing they wouldn't wake up, or even talking out loud about wanting to be dead. You may find talking about death, writing about death, music, art, pictures, that kind of stuff, very focused on that. Feelings of being hopeless, that anything's going to change. Helpless, that anything you do is going to change anything. Not having a purpose, feeling like you're a burden to other people in your life. Might see increased alcohol, drug abuse, or reckless behavior. Might see eating too much or too little, sleeping too much or too little, or going to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, not being able to come back to sleep or having trouble going to sleep. Those are all kind of different things for you.
Withdrawing from friends, family, society. You might also see that sometimes people start researching suicide in terms of looking for a method, so you may see computer searches for how to kill yourself. All of those could be signs that someone might be thinking about suicide. It's generally a loss with a lot of pain attached to it, where suicide starts looking like the solution and not necessarily the problem.
And people are generally feeling alone. They may not be alone. I mean, there may be other people around them, but they feel alone. It's like they're on the wrong channel from the love that's being broadcast to them from other people
Low:
Wow, that's good way to put it. Yeah. Meghan, is there ... for people that are seeing this in their friends or experiencing this themselves, where can they go, or how can they address their friends? Where can they find help? How did they do that?
Goldbeck:
Absolutely. I think the thing to remember, too, to add on what Danita was saying is look for those changes in behavior and really trust your instincts.
LeBlanc:
Yeah.
Goldbeck:
If you're worried about somebody, that's a sign that you should reach out to them. If you are feeling like you're experiencing suicidal thoughts or increased depression or anxiety, that's a sign that you should reach out to somebody, as well. We have a campaign called Real combo and then Seize the Awkward. It's really about seizing those awkward conversations about our mental health. You know, don't be afraid to ask your loved one, "Are you thinking about suicide?" "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" "Are you okay?" That's not going to put that idea in their head and it's going to open the door to having a conversation with them. I always recommend that you reach out to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. That number is 1-800-273-8255. There's also a Crisis Text Line, which is 741741. You can text talk or help to that.
Low:
Is that nationwide or is that-
LeBlanc:
Yes. Both.
Goldbeck:
Yeah. They're staffed by trained counselors 24/7, and they will get you connected to the care and support that you need. And even if suicide turns out not to be a concern, having a conversation and reaching out to somebody will let them know that you care about them, and that maybe they're just in distress or just going through a hard time, and that's going to really open the door. But again, trust your instincts. If you feel like something's off, it probably is. And also, encourage them to seek help from a trained medical professional. One in four of us will experience a mental health condition at some point in our life, and that needs to be treated, obviously, so encouraging ourselves and our loved ones to get the mental health help that we need really will be a life-saving action.
LeBlanc:
Yeah. It seems strange to say, ask about suicide, but it really is okay to talk about suicide. One way that you can do it is to say, "I've noticed since you broke up that you seemed kind of sad and you're having trouble at work. Sometimes when people have a big loss and they experience those kinds of changes, sometimes they're thinking about suicide. Are you thinking about suicide?" It was not like you just pulled it out of the air, like, "I care enough to have observed these things and I'm checking to see if you're okay." I personally find that a much easier way to ask
And it's important to ask directly. It's important to say suicide, or kill yourself, or take your own life, because asking if someone is thinking about harming themselves may give you a no answer, because for them, it's not the problem, it's the solution. It's not going to harm me, it's going to stop this pain. It's important to ask a direct question so you get a direct answer. And it's okay to do it. There's no evidence at all on any meta analysis that's been done that you put that idea in their head. It's impossible.
Any more than I can remember when I was younger, that parents didn't want to talk to their kids about sex, because then they would want to have sex all the time. And they forgot that kids were already thinking about sex. You know? It just gave them a chance to talk about it where you could have some decent conversations. Suicide is more extreme than that, but it's the same kind of principle. The idea is already there.
Low:
Yeah. I think too, part of communication is accountability. Accountability means a lot, and so we care about what others think, that's why we're trying to separate ourselves typically, I would imagine. I've been depressed before and I try to move away from people. I don't want anybody to talk to anybody. And then when people start talking to me, that's what brings me ...
LeBlanc:
Right.
Low:
I'm like, "Oh, okay. You know, I'm accountable to my love for them."
LeBlanc:
Right. And also, it's a permission to talk if you bring it up first. It reminds me of going to the doctor sometimes, there's things you may want to tell them, but you don't necessarily want to be the one to bring it up first. It helps when they say, "Oh, are you having problems with this or that?" Or, "How are you doing with exercising and your diet?" You know? It gives permission, and there's a connection in the present to kind of decrease that alone feeling when you can make that connection.
Low:
Excellent. Is there anything that important that you guys want to end with, that you would like our audience to know, before we check out? Meghan, I can see it in your eyes.
Goldbeck:
Yeah. I will say that we have a great number of suicide prevention education opportunities. We really encourage folks to visit our website, afsp.org, if you're in Mississippi, /Mississippi. You can learn about all of our offerings, become a volunteer, become a field advocate, join an Out of the Darkness walk, but really just check in on your loved ones. If you're worried about them, reach out to them, and offer them the support as we discussed. suicide impacts everybody. You had mentioned earlier, all of us are going to face a suicide death at some point in our lives, so as we continue this conversation, there is help available. And really, there is. Hope we bring hope to those who have been affected by suicide, and there's really a place for you to do that with AFSP.
Low:
Yeah. Yeah. And you know, just since you guys are here, I'll say thank you to you guys, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, AFSP. Thank you. Y'all are doing incredible work. It's so robust and comprehensive what you guys are doing and changing the conversation. I encourage anyone who is listening to research them further. Donate, if you must. If that's an issue, volunteer. Go on a walk. Are those coming up soon? End of September, right? Both in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Goldbeck:
Yeah. Our walks, yeah. September 18th and 25th in Mississippi. We do have a couple in October, November in Madison on October 2nd, and then Tupelo on November 13th.
Low:
Wow. And you were rattling those off, it looks like, without looking at anything. Do you just have those in your head?
LeBlanc:
She does.
Low:
That's really impressive.
Goldbeck:
Yeah. They're my pride and joy, our walk, so I remember all the details I can about them.
Low:
That's impressive. Meghan and Danita, thank you guys so much for spending a little bit of time with me.
LeBlanc:
Thank you, Reese.
Low:
I'll see you later.
LeBlanc:
Bye.
Goldbeck:
Thank you. We appreciate you.
Low:
If you have questions about mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic that you'd like our providers to answer in future episodes, please email southoffine@righttrackmedical.com. And if you'd like more information about Right Track Medical Group or the South of Fine podcast, please visit righttrackmedical.com.
Thanks to our production team: Kelley Hunsberger, Caitlyn Clegg, Carol Ann Hughes, Aleka Battista, and Rhes Low. Special thanks to SquadCast for providing superior remote interview services.
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