Indian Lake leaders take on mental health, suicide crisis
Indian Lake Schools Superintendent Rob Underwood talks at the conclusion of a Mental Health Gatekeepers Training at the Russells Point Municipal Building on Tuesday evening. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
With five suicide deaths in the communities surrounding Indian Lake this spring and three to affect the high school since 2015, leaders of the Indian Lake community decided it was time to take a proactive position on the issue.
A group of more than 50 people turned out Tuesday evening for a Mental Health Gatekeeper Training Session at the Russells Point Municipal Building hosted by the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Committee and the group Mindful Minds, organized by residents Steve and Debbie Terrill.
“This is something we realize affects the whole community, “ Chamber Director Pam Miller said, noting that the group organized a similar discussion session about drugs in May. “There has been so much suicide in the past year, especially in kids. We feel like we are looking out for the community by educating people about what they can do.”
The Terrills lost their son, Sgt. Kevin Terrill to suicide in 2016 and the loss has motivated them to give back to the community, Mrs. Terrill said.
“If Steve and I can help someone else not have to go through what we did, it helps us to heal,” the mother said. “This is our way of giving back.”
“We have experienced it as almost everyone has to some degree,” Mr. Terrill said. “Everything we are doing to solve the problem of addiction and suicide; in order to get to the root cause, we have to understand the health of the mind as well as we do the health of the body.
“If we know how to keep our minds healthy, maybe we won’t have so many problems.”
Karey Thompson, a social worker with Consolidated Care Inc., chair of the Suicide Prevention Coalition and a founding member of the Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide Team that responds in the wake of a suicide, led an hourlong version of the Gatekeeper training. It is designed to help better understand the signs and symptoms of suicidal thinking and behavior and respond appropriately when someone exhibits those signs.
The first step, she said, is getting past the stigma.
“Suicide has become the last taboo — we can talk about many things that used to be unapproachable. We are still afraid of the ‘S’ word,” she said, before drawing a parallel to the stigma discussing cancer once carried.
Read complete story in Wednesday’s Examiner.
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