By Michael Howell
Suicide is not often discussed in public. As a result, there is a general lack of awareness about the issue. Did you know, for instance, that Montana is tied with Wyoming for having the highest per capita suicide rate in the nation? Increasing awareness about the problem and providing the basic means for dealing with it is what Ravalli County Suicide Prevention Alliance Coordinator Ryan Wetzel’s job is all about. He is employed by the Western Montana Mental Health Center at Riverfront Mental Health Center in Hamilton. The job keeps him busy working directly with individuals there, and at other facilities such as the county’s Detention Center and the West House Crisis Center. He also takes his message of suicide prevention to the community and will speak at schools, organizations, churches (such as he did recently in Stevensville) or anywhere he is invited.
Wetzel said that a big part of his job is working with people directly suffering from feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide. About his work at the county detention center, he said, “Those guys at that level are feeling hopeless. They need someone to be there for them. I’m that guy.”
But the community education aspect of the work is equally important.
“You may be unaware that the person sitting next to you is contemplating suicide,” said Wetzel. But there are signs. And they can be learned.
Once you learn to recognize these symptoms and signs, however, then what? According to Wetzel, there are some basic and reasonable things you can do. In terms of physical injuries we have developed basic procedures such as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) that are simple and may be taught and applied in emergency situations. He said the same holds true for mental health and the method developed is called QPR: Question. Persuade. Refer.
First of all, once you’ve recognized the signs of depression in an individual, you have to ask them about it. If they admit to feeling depressed or suicidal the next question is, will you let me help? If the answer to that is yes, then you seek help for them. The referral may be to a pastor or priest, a family member, a classmate, a teacher, or a counselor.
Asked why he thought Montana had the highest suicide rate in the nation, Wetzel said that, like Wyoming which shares the title, Montana is a very large state with a small population. It suffers from a lack of financial resources for public services. There is a high rate of substance abuse, a high rate of unemployment, and firearms are readily available. He called all of the above “a recipe for disaster.”
“You could add to that the ‘cowboy mentality’ of ‘I don’t need any help’,” he said.
“But it’s okay to ask for help,” he said. “And help is available.”
Anyone interested in having Wetzel make a presentation on suicide prevention can contact him through Riverfront Mental Health Center at 406-532-9101.