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WYOMING NEWS WATCH
JUVENILES IN DETENTION
On March 4, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed into law a new measure establishing standards for when police should take detained juveniles to jail. Supporters say the bill will give law enforcement a uniform way to assess whether children should be jailed and, if so, whether they need to be held in the most secure facilities. Mental-health assessments and appropriate treatment are vital for children in detention, say experts, where impulsive aggression, substance use and other risk factors for suicide are prevalent.
CELEBRITY SUICIDE
Marie Osmond’s son may not have lived or died in Wyoming, but the Feb. 26th suicide death of Michael Blosil, 18, has implications for our state and its youth, especially those ages 15- 19. There were 37,397 of Wyoming youngsters in this vulnerable age range as of 2006, and suicide was the second-leading cause of death among them. A common thread running through most suicides? Clinical depression, a condition that can sap strength, deplete energy, eat away at self-esteem, fracture interpersonal relationships—and lead to suicide.
WYOMING YOUTH AT RISK
High youth suicide rates in Wyoming have received renewed attention from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, which has awarded the state $1.5 million for youth suicide prevention. This is the second time Wyoming has received this 3-year federal grant funding, in large part because rates of suicide for the state’s youths are among the highest in the nation. The grant runs through 2012 and is administered by the Wyoming Dept. of Health.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Unemployment in Wyoming puts
residents at risk for suicide
Employment in Wyoming decreased by 14,400 jobs between January 2009 and January 2010, and that spells risk for the state and its efforts to address rates of suicide that are among the highest in the nation.
That’s because a clear and direct relationship between rates of unemployment and suicide exists, according to latest research.
Family and interpersonal strain from job loss may lead to thoughts of suicide in vulnerable individuals, when typical coping mechanisms are compromised by severe stressors that can come with financial instability.
“These newly released unemployment rates show well the link between the well-being of Wyoming residents and the economic vitality of our state,” says R. Keith Hotle, J.D., who heads statewide suicide prevention efforts from within the Wyoming Dept. of Health in Cheyenne. “Economic strain and personal financial crises have been well documented as precipitating events in individual deaths by suicide. And that bodes poorly for Wyoming as we continue to struggle with gainful employment our population.”
When combined with job loss, loss of home is one of the most common economic strains associated with suicides, Hotle notes. Because of conservative lending practices, Wyoming has been spared the risky borrowing that crashed the real estate market nationally in the past two years. Yet when financial crisis hits, stress can bring about an onset of clinical depression in Wyoming residents of all ages—and depression is one of the major risk factors for suicide.
“Counties throughout Wyoming have active suicide-prevention coalitions that can provide resources to residents and the professionals in health, human services and law enforcement who provide services,” says Hotle. At the state level, Wyoming offers resources including suicide warning signs, understanding and helping a suicidal person, depression and suicide and more. “Suicide is one of the most preventable deaths,” adds Hotle. “We all have a role to play in understanding what the warning signs for suicide are, so we can help those among us who are most vulnerable.”
Loss of 14,400 Wyoming jobs in the past year may place vulnerable state citizens at higher risk for suicide. These include Wyoming people of all ages, including youths who may be unable to find jobs for themselves—and can also bear the stress of parents who are unemployed. The result? Families compromised by stress that can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide as a way out of personal financial crises that, at their worst, can seem hopeless to resolve. |
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