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April 27
Aid for those in crisis
Depressed or suicidal people have a place to turn.
PAT JOHNSON REPORTER
As a follow-up to our series on teen suicide, we include a list
of resources.
Tom Riglar, director of development at the Vancouver Crisis Centre,
is putting special emphasis on youth concerns during Suicide
Prevention Week, May 6 to 12.
His agency, a non-profit group with nine staff and a veritable
army of volunteers - 270 at last count - does about 500 high school
presentations each year.
The Vancouver School Board works closely with the Vancouver Crisis
Centre to educate young people about depression and suicide. Through
his agency and provincial government programs, teachers have been
sensitized to look for danger signals in their students, including
spoken or written warnings of death or suicide, depression or emotional
changes such as withdrawal, moodiness or recklessness.
If a student is referred to the school counsellor with concerns
about possible suicidal tendencies - or if they approach the counsellor
themselves - there is no beating around the bush, said Scott Laurance,
the Vancouver School Board's critical incident response team leader.
The counsellor will ask very specifically: "Are you thinking
of killing yourself?"
If the student answers yes to that question, there is a further
assessment made. The next steps are to determine whether the young
person has recently suffered a loss or has other reasons for feeling
a sense of aloneness, said Laurance.
The other assessment involves the development of a plan to realize
suicidal threats. It is serious enough for a young person to be
contemplating suicide. To have gone to the point of considering
methods of killing oneself raises the danger to an immediate level,
said Laurance.
If the counsellor feels there is an imminent danger, the student
will be taken to emergency admissions at a hospital.
Unless the student is already in the ongoing care of a mental health
professional, the case will usually be referred to mental health
officials of the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board or the board's
Children's and Adolescents' Response Team.
Laurance noted that Vancouver and the Victoria area have the lowest
suicide rates in the province. He speculated that the variety of
services available, including the Vancouver Crisis Centre and other
agencies, may be credited for part of this success.
Where to go for help
The provincial government has published a pamphlet titled "Suicide:
What You Need to Know." Although suicidal behavior may appear
to strike without warning, the publication says, there is a series
of warning signs that should be taken seriously. Some of the signals
can include:
* Talking or joking about suicide or death.
* Increased and/or heavy use of drugs or alcohol.
* Making final arrangements, such as giving away prized possessions.
* Participating in high-risk behavior.
* Changes in social behaviors, such as change in school attendance,
decline in academic performance, inability to concentrate, increase
in irritability or aggressiveness, wide mood swings, loss of interests
and changes in personal appearance and personal care.
For more information on suicide and depression, here are some resources:
* The B.C. Council for Families: Several publications for teachers,
young people and parents are available. Call 660-0675 or toll-free
outside Vancouver at (800) 663-5638, or log on to
www. bccf.bc.ca.
* B.C. Safe School Centre: Call 660-7233 or (888) 224-7233 or
go online at www.safeschools.gov.bc.ca.
* Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention:
www.compu-smart.ab.ca/supnet/casp.htm.
* Vancouver Crisis Centre: 872-1811 or www.crisiscentre.bc.ca.
* Kids Help Phone: A national, anonymous 24-hour help line in
English and French. Call (800) 668-6868. Online at www.kidshelp.sympatico.ca.
* Manual of Best Practices in Youth Suicide Prevention: A B.C.
government publication can be ordered from (250) 387-6409 or (800)
663-6105. Online at www.publications.gov.bc.ca.
* SAFER (Suicide Attempt Follow-up Education and Research): Call
879-9251.
* Suicide Information and Education Centre: Call (403) 245-3900.
Online at www.siec.ca.
* Suicide Prevention Information and Resource Centre (SPIRC):
Call 822-0740. Online at www.
mheccu.ubc.ca.
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