IDENTIFYING RISKS — Thomas Joiner Jr., a leading authority on #suicide, talks about assessing the risk of #suicide during at presentation at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
Understanding a person’s motivation for considering #suicide can be difficult to grasp for both their loved ones and #mentalhealthprofessionals trying to help them.
#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
Thomas Joiner Jr., a leading authority on #suicide, offered insight during a recent presentation to more than 250 people at Western Carolina University.
A clinical and research psychologist at Florida State University, Joiner has developed a framework for #suicide risk assessment that includes three key considerations: a person’s perception that he is a burden; his alienation from others and a sense of fearlessness.
“It is important to our species to belong … and painful not to belong,” Joiner said. “A sense of community will draw the #suicide rate down.”
Conversely, living a life of isolation increases the risk for many people.
While some may see people who take their own lives as cowards, Joiner said that those who can “stare death in the face and not blink” are able to commit #suicide.
“You ask people straight out, ‘How afraid of you are death?’” when assessing #suicide risk, Joiner said.
Dying is actually hard to do in terms of someone taking his own life, he remarked.
Among people who have a low fear of death are those with military training and traumatizing experiences, Joiner said. Killing and seeing someone else killed drives up the risk of #suicide for military personnel, he noted.
During deployment, soldiers pull together with increased camaraderie and sense of mission, decreasing their risk of #suicide. However, subsequent isolation that a military veteran may experience can drive up this risk, Joiner said.
Joiner mentioned another phenomenon that can be used to evaluate a person’s risk of #suicide: the rate at which he blinks his eyes. Someone who is ambivalent about living and contemplating #suicide has an abnormally low blink rate, he said.
Joiner also said that people with family members who have died by #suicide could have an increased risk of taking their own lives. However, this experience can also lower the risk, he added.
“We know there are a lot of other risk factors,” Joiner said.
Alcohol and drug abuse can be potent risks for #suicide, he noted.
However, Joiner said that most people are not using alcohol in the hours before #suicide.
“If you’re too intoxicated, you’re not going to do this hard thing,” he said.
Other known risk factors are impulsive and reckless behavior, Joiner added.
According to information on #suicide risk assessment from the #NationalAlliancefortheMentallyIll, other signs of possible #suicide are withdrawal from friends and family, dramatic mood swings, collecting and saving pills and buying a weapon.
Comments such as “nothing matters” or “I wish I wasn’t here” are also warning signs, according to #NAMI.
To help prevent a #suicide, placing a barrier to the means, such as removing guns and stockpiled pills, can reduce the chances of a lethal outcome, Joiner said.
Guns are the primary method for #suicide, he noted.
According to the most recent statistics for Haywood County, of the 13 #suicides that occurred this year, six were the result of gun shot wounds. Other methods include #suicide by hanging, drug toxicity and inhaling products of combustion.
Patrick Johnson, public health services director of Haywood County Health and Human Services, records #suicide data on the “Deaths of Despair” document he compiles.
Since 2016, the number of #suicides in the county has increased from 9 to a high of 20 in 2017, he reported.
The majority of #suicides in the county this year were committed by middle-aged #men, although the age range fluctuated from people in their 20s to those in their 70s, according to data.
As of Nov. 12, a total of 42 “deaths of despair” have taken place in Haywood County this year, including 31 substance abuse deaths.
Where to get help Appalachian Community Services, an area #mentalhealth services provider, has a crisis line that people at risk of #suicide and their loved ones may call for help. The phone number is 1-888-315-2880.
Another option is the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
For life-threatening emergencies, the Haywood Regional Medical Center suggests calling 911.
To assist people at risk of #suicide, #NAMI recommends talking with them in a compassionate, non-judgmental way and asking them directly if they have plan for killing themselves.
Many people contemplating #suicide have a degree of ambivalence about what they are planning to do—even the most suicidal person, Joiner said.
Being with other people and finding something that matters can reduce a person’s risk of taking his own life, he observed.Yo
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
