SUICIDE PREVENTION THROUGH BETTER MENTAL HEALTH CARE

Dealing with our national health care crisis is essential to suicide prevention. Many can't afford mental health care, including a large percentage of homeless persons. Those who are lucky enough to have health insurance still may not be covered for mental health conditions. Newer medicines can provide better and safer results, but that isn't worth much if people can't afford to buy them. This article offers some ideas for making the most of mental health care. Hopefully, it will encourage you to get involved in making help available for everyone.

Better mental health care and ease of access :

We need to find ways to make life less difficult for people who struggle with mental illness. No one should have to choose between needed medicine and food or shelter. We all deserve to have our basic needs met with respect and acceptance. Mental illness is not the person's fault any more than cancer or heart disease is. This is hard for most of us to understand. What we see of mental illness is just the tip of the iceberg.

Many more people suffer silently. We can't see mental illness, it comes to our attention when it is not treated effectively. Sometimes that makes us uncomfortable, and forces us to look at the results of our personal priorities. Mental health care and suicide prevention should be obvious public health goals. Medicines are getting better and better at keeping depression controlled, but the enjoyment and satisfaction of everyday life is more than just "getting by" emotionally. Suicide means ending your life on purpose. Suicide prevention means making living look better than dying.

Lots of people with depression, and other mental health problems, find new lives with the right mental health care. Others don't have the same opportunities. Suicide looks like the best or only choice for them. We can't stop all of the hardships of their lives, but suicide prevention has to include making better mental health care more available.

How to help yourself and your loved ones get better mental health care:

Learn the warning signs of depression.

1. If the depression is mild and not upsetting sleep, appetite, concentration or irritability, look for a licensed counselor, social worker or psychologist.

2. If there are any of the following,

• frequent crying or anger outbursts, or crying for no reason, or loss of temper at little things

• unusual irritability, snappiness, impatience, criticism of others

• poor concentration, follow through, or are more distractible

• avoiding family and friends, saying 'no' to most invitations or suggestions

• trouble falling asleep, (longer than 20"-30"), staying asleep (should be getting usual sleep or 6-8 hours a night), or sleeping too much ( more than 2 hours longer than usual), or waking up and not getting back to sleep

• panic attacks, with physical signs like fast heart beat, shortness of breath, shaking, sweating, dizziness, nausea, chest tightness or chest pain, numbness or tingling in hands or feet

• thoughts of death or suicide

• new or increased use of alcohol or recreational or prescription drugs

all of the above persons can do counseling, but a person will probably also need someone who can prescribe medication.

Choosing the right Mental Health Professional assures better mental health care for everyone. Learning more about depression helps you to get better mental health care for yourself and your loved ones. You will pick up on it sooner, and do something about it before it gets disabling.

Thoughts of suicide don't usually come on suddenly, so noticing depression early and getting help can stop a lot of suffering. Spread the word, help stop the epidemic of suicide. Of course, suicidal thoughts or attempts always deserve immediate attention. If you are currently suicidal, please call AWARE on 1890 303 302.

Author Details: Karen Grisham