{"id":13700,"date":"2016-05-09T10:12:05","date_gmt":"2016-05-09T15:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=13700"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:28:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:28:25","slug":"suicide-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=13700","title":{"rendered":"Stopping the Stigma: UNC faculty focus efforts on suicide prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content-region\" class=\"content-region row nested\">\n<div id=\"content-region-inner\" class=\"content-region-inner inner\">\n<div id=\"content-inner\" class=\"content-inner block\">\n<div id=\"content-inner-inner\" class=\"content-inner-inner inner\">\n<div id=\"content-content\" class=\"content-content\">\n<div id=\"node-4401\" class=\"node odd full-node node-type-story\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<div class=\"content clearfix\">\n<p><span class=\"drop\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13701 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/07\/StoptheStigma2_R5-840x1024.jpg\" alt=\"StoptheStigma2_R5\" width=\"584\" height=\"712\" \/>E<\/span>very other Thursday, <a href=\"https:\/\/ssw.unc.edu\/about\/faculty\/flick\">Jodi Flick<\/a> walks into the library at the United Church of Chapel Hill on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, sits down, and waits. A stack of self-help books sits next to a box of tissues on a nearby table. People slowly filter in past the bookshelves and find a seat amongst a circle of upholstered\u00a0chairs.<\/p>\n<p>After the group has gathered, Flick (or one of the other five facilitators) lights two candles and says, \u201cWe light this first candle to remember the light that our loved ones brought into our lives. And we light this second candle to remind us that we are still alive. We can best honor our loved ones by embodying their light in the world.\u201d Then, each person shares their story about how someone they love died by\u00a0suicide.<\/p>\n<p>Flick created the Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group (<span class=\"caps\">SOS<\/span> Group) in 2009 while working as a crisis counselor for the Chapel Hill Police Department. Meeting with families who lost someone to suicide was always a difficult task, and she felt like she couldn\u2019t offer them the resources they really needed. She\u2019d come back to the office frustrated that someone wasn\u2019t doing more to help these families. \u201cI would get so aggravated,\u201d she explains. \u201cFinally, after about four or five years, I realized that someone needed to be me,\u201d she\u00a0admits.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Flick \u2014 a social work professor at <span class=\"caps\">UNC<\/span>-Chapel Hill \u2014 has partnered with the <a href=\"http:\/\/iprc.unc.edu\/\">Injury Prevention Research Center<\/a> (<span class=\"caps\">IPRC<\/span>) as a coach for its most recent Injury-Free <span class=\"caps\">NC<\/span> Academy. Each year, the academy organizes an injury and violence prevention program to educate participants on different public health topics. This year\u2019s academy strives to enhance North Carolina\u2019s capacity to prevent suicide. Social workers, police officers, public health department staff, mental health professionals, lawyers, and community activists from 22 counties across the state took part in the six-month workshop to develop these\u00a0skills.<\/p>\n<p>Each group focused on a different target population such as high school students, the <span class=\"caps\">LGBT<\/span> community, or the elderly. \u201cSuicide prevention plans need to be evidence-based,\u201d Flick says. \u201cOtherwise, how do you know you\u2019re using safe messaging? My role was to help them think through it. What does the research\u00a0say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaking the\u00a0language<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The phrase \u201ccommitted suicide\u201d is extremely outdated, Flick points out. \u201cIt derives from when it was a crime \u2014 you commit larceny, commit murder, commit suicide,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut suicide was decriminalized in the \u201970s. The word \u2018commit\u2019 also makes it sound like suicide is a rational choice. Neither of these things are the\u00a0case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seventy percent of people who die by suicide have either bipolar disorder or depression, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/index.shtml\">National Institute of Mental Health<\/a> (<span class=\"caps\">NIMH<\/span>). The remaining 30 percent suffer from schizophrenia, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, anorexia, or anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress. \u201cThese illnesses by themselves aren\u2019t enough,\u201d Flick stresses. \u201cLots of people have depression and don\u2019t die. That by itself is not\u00a0enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Imagine a pile of teetering rocks. Depression and bipolar disorder are the boulders that sit at the bottom of the pile. Then, layer on a series of smaller rocks like sexual abuse, traumatic brain injury, job loss, or drug addiction. Each additional rock makes the pile more and more unstable. Eventually, it crashes to the\u00a0ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople look for an easy answer like, \u2018Oh, well, he lost his job.\u2019 Lots of people lose their jobs and don\u2019t kill themselves. It might be the trigger \u2014 the thing that knocks over their giant pile of rocks \u2014 but it\u2019s not the\u00a0cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not many people realize that the rate of suicide in the United States is nearly triple the rate of murder, Flick says. \u201cThat\u2019s because murder is on <span class=\"caps\">T.V.<\/span> and in the newspaper every day. We keep suicide out of the media because we don\u2019t want to sensationalize it,\u201d she\u00a0explains.<\/p>\n<p>But everyone knows someone who has died from suicide. That\u2019s why talking about it is\u00a0key.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople don\u2019t know what to say when a loved one dies,\u201d she says. \u201cBut they <em>really<\/em> don\u2019t know what to say when someone dies by suicide. If you keep it a secret, you\u2019re just adding to the stigma. You don\u2019t keep your mother\u2019s heart attack a secret because it wasn\u2019t her fault. Suicide is the same way. You don\u2019t have to give all the details, but you can certainly tell the\u00a0truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Flick lost her father-in-law, Jim, to suicide nearly 20 years ago. But when her husband explains his death, he\u2019s honest. \u201cHe\u2019ll say he died of depression and alcoholism \u2014 which is absolutely true,\u201d Flick says. \u201cHe had a terrible illness and he died from that illness. People can\u2019t see that in the moment. It\u2019s too raw. But with time and discussion they\u00a0can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zooming in on adolescent\u00a0girls<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"http:\/\/mitch.web.unc.edu\/\">Mitch Prinstein<\/a> was in kindergarten, a group of dentists visited his classroom to teach him and his fellow classmates about dental hygiene. They chewed on special staining tablets that interact with plaque. Then, they brushed. After, the dentists inspected their teeth, many of which lit up like a neon sign \u2014 they hadn\u2019t brushed their teeth well enough. \u201cThat was probably a 15-minute demonstration for dental health,\u201d Prinstein, now a <span class=\"caps\">UNC<\/span> psychology professor, points out. \u201cWe do so little for mental health. We don\u2019t even do 15\u00a0minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prinstein wants every kid in the state to undergo mental health screening. \u201cI have nothing against dental hygiene,\u201d he laughs, \u201cbut I would venture to say that, unless you have a really bad cavity, a depression screening could prevent consequences that are far more\u00a0dire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prinstein\u2019s research focuses on adolescent peer relationships \u2014 how young people get along with one another, who\u2019s popular, who\u2019s teased, and who\u2019s friends with whom. He\u2019s appalled by the statistics surrounding self-injury like cutting. Approximately seven percent of middle-school-aged children cut themselves. By high school, that number increases to 15 percent \u2014 and to 50 percent in children who have been diagnosed with a mental\u00a0illness.<\/p>\n<p>One in five teenagers seriously considers suicide each year, according to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apa.org\/index.aspx\">American Psychological Association<\/a>. \u201cSuicide is one of the most severe forms of mental illness out there, but it\u2019s also one of the least studied,\u201d Prinstein says. \u201cLook at the rates of public health issues like cancer and <span class=\"caps\">HIV<\/span> over the past 20 to 30 years. They\u2019ve all seen dramatic decreases. But there\u2019s been no significant decrease in the number of people dying by suicide or the number of\u00a0attempts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of those who attempt, 80 percent are girls. \u201cThere\u2019s no gender difference in depression up until the age of 12, and then, all of a sudden, there\u2019s a huge increase in depression among females,\u201d Prinstein explains. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just pubertal hormones \u2014 it\u2019s more complex than that. I want to help girls who are at\u00a0risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Prinstein is throwing all his energy into the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uncgirlshealth.org\/parents.html\"><span class=\"caps\">UNC<\/span> Girls\u2019 Health Study<\/a>, which will recruit girls between the ages of 9 and 14, who are suffering from sadness, depression, anxiety, stress, or related symptoms. Last year, Prinstein received a $4 million grant from <span class=\"caps\">NIMH<\/span> to study how stressors affect <span class=\"caps\">DNA<\/span> in relation to suicide. Stressors can activate dormant <span class=\"caps\">DNA<\/span> that affects the production of serotonin \u2014 a chemical in the brain that impacts mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and social behavior. A change in serotonin levels can trigger depression and lead to\u00a0suicide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lowering the\u00a0statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Adolescents are impulsive, especially when it comes to suicide. \u201cPeople who are older experience recurring episodes of depression and might take numerous steps before actually engaging in suicidal behavior,\u201d Prinstein explains. \u201cAdolescents may make the decision in a matter of minutes or hours after experiencing a severe\u00a0stressor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why Prinstein wants to uncover the stress responses directly related to suicide attempts in adolescent girls. He hopes this information will help mental health professionals and the public shut down the psychological processes that put these teens at\u00a0risk.<\/p>\n<p>Flick agrees that strategies need to be put in place, and discusses the work of American psychologist Tom Joiner, who recently proposed a model for why people die by suicide. \u201cTwo things that drive the desire to die are a sense of disconnectedness from other people \u2014 alienation, loneliness, feeling like you don\u2019t belong \u2014 and feeling that your life has become a burden to the people you love,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the first time, we can target if someone\u2019s suicidal and then implement strategies to make that person feel connected and\u00a0valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the School of Social Work received a three-year grant from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/\">Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/a> to administer mental health first aid training to 25 percent of the faculty and staff at <span class=\"caps\">UNC<\/span>. In January, the school began offering a day-long class that teaches attendees first aid for panic attacks, psychosis, substance abuse, and suicide. Flick and three of her colleagues within the School of Social Work lead the\u00a0class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo if you saw a student or professional who was giving the warning signs that they were depressed or suicidal, you\u2019d know what to ask and do to get them the help they need,\u201d Flick says. \u201cIn North Carolina alone there are numerous groups trying to tackle this topic \u2014 it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve put forth this much concentrated effort. I\u2019ve never been more optimistic about suicide prevention than I am\u00a0now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-bottom\" class=\"content-bottom row nested \">\n<div id=\"content-bottom-inner\" class=\"content-bottom-inner inner clearfix\">\n<div id=\"block-views-boilerplate-block_1\" class=\"block block-views odd  grid16-8\">\n<div class=\"inner clearfix\">\n<div class=\"content clearfix\">\n<div class=\"view view-boilerplate view-id-boilerplate view-display-id-block_1 boilerplate view-dom-id-c1a8d91b8f6c7b1d6e40d0e68446a7a7\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last\">\n<div class=\"views-field views-field-field-boilerplate-value\">\n<div class=\"field-content\">\n<p><em>Jodi Flick is a clinical assistant professor and education specialist in the <span class=\"caps\">UNC<\/span> School of Social Work, and has been with the university\u2019s Family <span class=\"amp\">&amp;<\/span> Children\u2019s Resource Program since 1997. She has more than 35 years of direct experience as a mental health counselor and social\u00a0worke<\/em>r.<\/p>\n<p><em>Mitch Prinstein is the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and the director of the Clinical Psychology Graduate\u00a0Program in the College of Arts and Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/endeavors.unc.edu\/stopping_the_stigma\">By Alyssa LaFaro, UNC Research<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UNC-Chapel Hill faculty focus on suicide prevention \u2014 a difficult topic that needs more voice, education, and awareness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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