Suicide Ratings Decline with Prevention Efforts Making a Large Impact

BY: AMANDA JOERNDT

A bottle of pills is spilled out on a table. Photo by Amanda Joerndt

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio -- Samuel Camatho moved to Columbus, Ohio from his hometown in Puerto Rico 13 years ago, looking to continue his work in the medical field while longing to make a difference in his new community.

Camatho decided to continue his work in the medical field by becoming a mental health first aid worker to spot signs and symptoms of mentally distressed people.

“I just wanted to be more hands-on and community-minded,” Camatho said. “I had a grandmother who suffered from depression, and I have suffered from depression for an extended period of time.”

With Camatho’s personal experience suffering from mental illnesses, he is hoping to inspire future Hispanic generations to break the stigma surrounding mental health.

As like all cultures, the African American community may have certain stigmas they associate with mental illness.

“In the [Hispanic] culture, it’s really hard to get people to understand how important it is to be mentally at ease, and how to deal with stress,” Camatho said. “This comes with generations of people who have never looked for help, so I wanted to be that person that can communicate and be of help for people of color.”

With the help of Mental Health America of Ohio, a mental health non-profit organization in Columbus, Camatho recently earn his mental health first aid certificate to learn how to notice suicidal triggers.

“The one thing that I learned was what resources we have in Ohio that are already in place for us to find assistance,” Camatho said. “Where are the individuals who are ready for someone like me, a mental first aider, to give them a call or someone who is going through a mental health first aid situation to get the help they need.”

Maureen Traverse, education manager for Mental Health America of Ohio, lead Camatho and his classmates through the eight-hour mental health training course.

Traverse says before the Coronavirus pandemic, one in five people experienced some kind of mental health issue.

“It’s so common and after the pandemic, people are experiencing job loss, loss of loved ones and not having the normal resources in their community,” she said. “A huge reason why we offer this training is to try and reduce that stigma and making it a conversation that people can have.”

The highest number of suicides occurred in March 2020, right at the start of the pandemic, according to the Franklin County Suicide Death 2020 Data Brief.

78% of suicide deaths occurred in males, while 22% occurred in females.

Although COVID-19 halted most in-person communication, which is a vital component for suicide prevention efforts, Michelle Vargas, director of Franklin County Suicide and Prevention Coalition (FCSPC), says suicide deaths in Franklin County, Ohio have decreased 5% from 2019 to 2020, according to the 2020 suicide data brief.

“It has really increased some risk factors for people because connectedness tends to be one of the strongest protective factors for suicide,” Vargas said.

Vargas says not being able to pick up on potential suicide warnings in-person can pose a severe challenge.

“About 80% of communication is non-verbal, so not being able to pick up on these things as frequently as we used too, that has presented a challenge,” she said.

Mental health efforts have ramped up in 2021, and the stigma of suffering from a mental health illness has changed drastically, according to Vargas.

“It seems like culturally, we’ve been associating less stigma with questions like, ‘How are you doing mentally?’ Before we wouldn’t have asked that as often, but I feel culturally it’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s check-in with each other,’” she said.

According to the Franklin County Suicide Death 2020 Data Brief, young adults 20 to 24 years old are at the most risk to develop suicidal thoughts. Also, African Americans have seen a steady increase in suicidal efforts whereas Caucasians have seen a 45% decline in 2020, the 2020 suicide date brief states.

77% of suicide deaths occurred indoors while approximately 23% occurred outdoors. The decedent’s residence was the most common location.

Vargas says the coalition works hard to ensure young adults are connecting with peers who also struggle with potential suicide actions.

“We have found that sharing stories is probably one of the most powerful ways in decreasing stigma,” she said.

“If you’re having someone come in saying this is so important but it might be a mental health professional, so it might not strike as if you have someone who is in your population sharing their story.”

The FCSPC work with local partners, such as Mental Health America of Ohio, to provide evidence-suicide prevention trainings for people to identify suicide warnings and prevent suicide-related deaths from happening.

“We try to really have ongoing communication with partners to understand what they’re seeing in their patients,” Vargas said. “We’ve been seeing some increase in the rate of youth suicide so working with our partners to better understand what’s going on and what is needed in the county to try and prevent suicide.”

Vargas says if someone starts to notice extreme behaviors, changes in mood, those are things to keep an eye out for.

"Having gatekeepers in everyone’s lives whether it’s a co-worker or a friend who knows you well enough to be able to identify when you may be acting differently," she said. "These are some of the most important ways to prevent suicide."

To learn more about the FCSPC initiatives on preventing suicide, visit their website at https://franklincountyspc.org/.