JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Michael Anderson of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network speaks to members of the Putnam County Health Council.
It’s like a plane crash every day.
That’s how Michael Anderson, Upper Cumberland Regional Director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, describes the number of people who take their own lives.
“Whenever there is a plane crash, we talk about it,” he said in a presentation to the Putnam County Health Council. “There’s worldwide coverage. There’s a lot of people that want to know what we can do to stop this.”
Because of that, Anderson said there’s been an “incremental improvement” in the number of airline fatalities over the years.
“Every year, the aircraft industry and the world really is saying it’s not acceptable to lose lives in airplane crashes,” he said.
He said a similar effort is needed for #suicideprevention.
“In 2015, 121 people died every day in this country by #suicide,” he said. “In 2016, it was 123 and in 2017, it was 129. We see that number get higher and higher every year.”
Anderson said #suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in America, but added, “When you start looking at age groups, from the age of 10 to 35, #suicide is the second leading cause of death.”
He said the #suicide rate in Tennessee is even higher than the national average.
“We lose more than three Tennesseans every day,” he said, adding that most people are surprised to learn that the #suicide rate is higher than that of many other causes of death.
“When we look at Department of Health data from Tennessee in 2017, there were 500 deaths associated with the drug fentanyl, 556 murders, 644 deaths associated with prescription opioids, (and) 1,084 motor vehicle related fatalities,” he said. “There was 1,163 deaths by #suicide.”
He believes the topic needs to be addressed more openly.
“We don’t really talk about #suicide or #mentalhealth enough,” he said. “There’s a huge #stigma around it, and we sort of avoid the topic.”
But he said that approach needs to change.
“I’ll tell you what’s not been working for us,” he said. “Not talking about #suicide.”
What has been working, he said, is “evidence-based training.”
“(It’s) incredibly simple. We can do it in about an hour or two,” he said, encouraging anyone who wants the training to contact him.
“I think you’ll find that the problem has some simple solutions if we all work on it as a society,” he said.
Anderson may be reached via e-mail at manderson@tspn.org.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
