Columbus Cares is a community-based suicide prevention program designed to provide suicide education and support across the Chattahoochee Valley. The program is part of the Pastoral Institute and offers one-hour training sessions to area businesses, churches and other groups to help individuals recognize signs of depression in themselves, their families and their co-workers. The training is called , Question, Persuade , Refer (QPR), and much like CPR, is easily learned and may save a life.

Suicide is preventable. By reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, by decreasing people's reluctance to seek help and by training individuals to recognize depression, we can reduce suicidal and other harmful behaviors in the Chattahoochee Valley.

	Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
	Suicide Danger Signs
	Learn More About Suicide
	Referral Resources
	Valley Collaborative for Suicide Prevention
	Free Online Screenings

Columbus Cares is working with area businesses, churches, organizations and communities to implement suicide prevention programs. These programs increase awareness about the impact of suicide and address depression. The program objectives are to:

• Promote awareness of the fact that many suicides are preventable.
• Reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, substance abuse and seeking help for such problems.
• Promote listening and interpersonal skills to help individuals improve their relationships.
• Teach all employees to recognize warning signs of suicide and depression and know where to refer for help.

Columbus Cares is funded in part by a grant from Georgia Department of Human Resources.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)

QPR is a one-hour training that can take place at your business, church or organization. It consists largely of training individuals on the following three life-saving skills:

1. How to question a person about suicide
2. How to persuade the person to get help
3. How to refer the person to the appropriate resource(s) for help

As someone who may be in the best possible position to prevent suicide, you will find that QPR is designed to help you help someone who may be considering suicide.

Much like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, the fundamentals of QPR are easily learned. Similarly, the application of QPR may save a life.

Who needs to know QPR? Each of us! Why? Suicidal thoughts are common. Suicidal acts, threats and attempts are less common, but much more frequent than people realize. Suicide is the most common psychiatric emergency and the 11th leading cause of death in America, so it's important for us to educate ourselves on the warning signs.

QPR is not intended to be a form of counseling or treatment. It is intended to offer hope through positive action. It is also intended to teach those who are in a position to recognize the warning signs,clues and suicidal communications of people in trouble to act vigorously to prevent a possible tragedy.

To find out more about QPR or to schedule a training, e-mail us at columbuscares@pilink.org.

Suicide Danger Signs

There are many signs that indicate someone could be contemplating suicide. Educating ourselves is important. If these signs apply to someone you know, free, confidential screenings for depression, bipolar and alcohol problems are available.

D - Depression
A - Alcohol and drugs
N - Negativity
G - Giving possessions away
E - Estrangement
R - Revenge

An estimated 2 to 15 percent of persons who have been diagnosed with major depression die by suicide, according to the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. As defined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), depression is diagnosed if a person experiences five or more of the following nine symptoms during the same two-week period and these symptoms represent a change from previous functioning:

• sadness most of the day, nearly every day
• diminished interest or pleasure in typically enjoyable activities
• significant change in weight and appetite
• insomnia or excessive sleep
• agitated or slowed physical movement
• fatigue and loss of energy
• feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• diminished ability to concentrate
• recurrent thoughts of death and suicide

A - Alcohol and drugs
According to the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, between 40 and 60 percent of those who die by suicide are intoxicated at the time of death. Alcohol is a depressant and it reduces judgment and impulse control - a lethal combination for someone who is considering self-harm.

N - Negativity
When overwhelmed by depression, a person's perception is impaired, leading him/her to feel powerless, helpless and easily overwhelmed. Obstacles that normally appear easily resolved now seem insurmountable. Concentration is impaired and multi-tasking feels impossible. Typical strengths, problem-solving techniques and interpersonal resources become invisible. The suicidal person believes that no matter what he tries, it won't work.

G - Giving possessions away
Frequently, those with suicidal plans activate a living will by allocating cherished objects, activities and relationships to others. For example, exercise extreme caution if an employee who exhibits these other danger signs suddenly withdraws her 401(k) or gives away a beloved possession.

E - Estrangement
Be alert if an employee uncharacteristically isolates from co-workers or withdraws from group activities. This isolation is a symptom of depression and also serves as a means to distance him from the pain of ultimate separation. When someone is suicidal, he feels very different from everyone else and is uncomfortable in groups, even though interpersonal support is crucial to his safety and recovery.

R - Revenge
Many suicide notes are hostile. Suicide has often been described as misdirected homicide, and frequently homicide and suicide occur together. Suicide risk is elevated when the person expresses anger without regard to consequences to herself and others.

Learn more about suicide

Please select from the links below to obtain more information about suicide.

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/osp/data.htm

www.suicidology.org

www.afsp.org

www.mentalhealth.org/suicideprevention

www.save.org

www.nimh.nih.gov/research/suifact.htm

Local Referral Resources

Suicide is preventable and help is available. The following resources are available in the Chattahoochee Valley to assist you or someone you know.

Contact – 211 (access from BellSouth telephones only); 706-327-3999 (access from all telephones). 24-hour Crisis Intervention Line. Can provide list of resources for support groups, counseling centers, community mental health providers.

The Bradley Center – 706-320-3700. Counseling, child, adolescent and adult stabilization. Accepts most insurance: Medicare, Medicaid and Peachcare must be referred through New Horizons Family Enrichment.

The Pastoral Institute – 706-649-6500 or 1-800-649-6446. Individual, couple, family counseling, crisis assessment, support groups. 24 hour on-call counselor for emergencies. Employee Assistance Program and Congregational Assistance Program currently in place with 150 local businesses and 36 local churches, to provide a designated number of free sessions to employees, congregation members or their family members. Accepts most insurance.

New Horizons – 706-323-0174. Individual, couple, family counseling, crisis assessment, support groups. Medicaid, Peachcare, most insurance, sliding scale fees.

Martin Army Hospital – 706-544-CARE will get you into a menu for appointments with primary care providers; 1-800-700-8646 for help with direct counseling referrals.

Medical Center – 706-571-1000. Crisis stabilization. Emergency Room care only.

St. Francis Hospital – 706-596-4000. Crisis stabilization. Also provides acute hospitalization. Day treatment or outpatient treatment based on needs at Bradley Center.

The Family Center – 706-327-3238. Individual (adolescent and/or adult), couple and family counseling, crisis assessment. Free initial assessment. Other fees based on ability to pay.

East Alabama Mental Health Center – 1-800-815-0630. Counseling. Crisis stabilization for all ages. Accepts Medicaid, Medicare, most insurance, sliding scale fees.

Valley Collaborative for Suicide Prevention

Mission Statement

To provide community-wide education and awareness that suicide hurts the whole community and many suicides are preventable; disseminate ways that a healthy community can prevent suicide; promote ways community members can recognize and connect with persons who need assistance and help them get it and work to reduce stigma with seeking mental health services.

Strategy

A National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) has been developed, as well as a Georgia Plan. Both strategic plans share eleven goals, which are:

1. Promote awareness that suicide is a serious public health problem and that many suicides are preventable.
2. Develop broad-based support for suicide prevention.
3. Develop and implement strategies to reduce the stigma associated with being a consumer of mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention services.
4. Develop and implement community-based suicide prevention programs.
5. Promote efforts to reduce access to lethal means of self-harm.
6. Implement training for recognition of at-risk behavior and delivery of effective treatment.
7. Develop and promote effective professional practices and support services.
8. Improve access to and community linkages with mental health and substance abuse services.
9. Improve reporting and portrayals of suicidal behavior, mental illness and substance abuse in the entertainment and news media.
10. Promote and support research and evaluation on suicide prevention.
11. Improve and expand systems for data collection.

The Chattahoochee Valley area, centered on Columbus/Muscogee County, was identified as a model community to develop these indicators and as such, to provide information useful for communities across the nation to accelerate their work in suicide prevention. Community participants with a broad range of interests and backgrounds have formed the Valley Collaborative for Suicide Prevention (VCSP).

To find out more about the activities of VCSP, contact us at columbuscares@pilink.org.