Island takes part in National Suicide Prevention Week

Nantucket is observing National Suicide Prevention Week with a special public forum called "Looking Forward: Preparedness and Social Connections" to be hosted tonight at 7 p.m. by the new Nantucket Suicide Prevention Coalition and Family and Children's Services of Nantucket.

At least six island youths, including two who had recently moved from Nantucket, died by suicide within the last four years. The cause of a seventh adolescent death is still undetermined. To add to that tragic news, Jenny Garneau, who is the community coordinator for the island's Post Traumatic Stress Management Team, revealed last week that seven Nantucket adults took their own lives during the same period.

"The coalition is looking at servicing the life span, not simply adolescents," said Garneau.

Nantucket's new coalition is comprised of Board of Selectmen chairman Michael Kopko, Police Chief Bill Pittman, leading members of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Fire Department Captain Liz Shannon, Rev. Nancy Nelson, School Superintendent Robert Pellicone, NHS Principal John Buckey and middle school Principal Caryl Toole, Director of Student Services, George Kelly, A Safe Place Executive Director Kat Grieder, Nantucket Behavioral Health Director Peter Swenson and others.

The new group's mission is to prevent suicide on Nantucket. They will be in a partnership this fall with the island's Chamber of Commerce for a presentation to the local business community to discuss how to cope with stressful economic challenges. The coalition will also be sponsoring training sessions on advanced suicide assessment techniques on Nov. 10, geared to clinicians, nurses and school guidance counselors.

In addition to having formed the PTSM about a year ago and the new coalition, another recent connection has been to join Nantucket with The Youth Suicide Prevention Project for The Cape and Islands, initiated with a state grant from the Department of Public Health. Garneau, who is on the steering committee of the project with island Human Services Administrator Maryanne Worth, has praise for the committed support given to such programs by both the DPH and the state Department of Mental Health.

"It is strong and consistent and it has been a god send to us," she said.

Further, Garneau looks forward to training community organizations in suicide prevention and is setting up a support group for survivors of people who have taken their lives. The group's leader will be a member of The Samaritans of Cape Cod and the Islands.

Tonight, Dr. Robert Macy, an expert on issues relating to suicide and founder of the Center for Trauma Psychology in Boston, will be the featured speaker at the public forum. Macy has been instrumental in assisting Nantucket and many other communities in how to deal with their sad and unexpected events. He will first speak today with school system staff and later attend a closed PTSM meeting. At 7 p.m. Macy will address the community in a talk with a question and answer period in the high school cafeteria. Among other topics, he will speak about social connections among friends and family, and how, if someone is feeling suicidal, it takes just one person to reach out and stop that act from occurring.

"The message is that suicide is preventable," said Garneau. "It is a matter of raising awareness on the signs of suicide. There is a wealth of treatment and it is available.

"We want to overcome the stigma of mental health issues and substance abuse addiction because they are treatable," she continued. "If you have a broken arm you go to the doctor and fix it. Your mind is part of your body and you treat it. For some reason, society stigmatizes mental health issues and substance abuse, and these are things that are treatable. People don't need to live with these issues. We are moving forward and taking care of these issues here, on island." I

Programs and protocols of the Nantucket Suicide Prevention Coalition

There are now 22 programs and initiatives in place on Nantucket to help prevent acts of suicide. Some were started as a result of last year's formation of the Post Traumatic Stress Management Team, and others are more recent, prior to establishment of the new Nantucket Suicide Prevention Coalition. The coalition has more than a dozen members from various sectors of the community. The programs are:

• A student assistance program at the high school that is now also starting at the middle school level. • After-school canteen open at NHS and CPS. • Drop-in center at high school. • Implementation of Peers Helping Peers. • Program of Teachers Helping Teachers. • Substance use education in driver's education program and wellness program at NHS and CPS. • Signs of Suicide program started at NHS last year. • School staff protocols for students showing suicide ideation. • Protocols established to assist students back to school after hospitalization.

• Question, Persuade, Refer program for community response to suicidal signs.

• On-going youth-oriented events held on winter weekends.

• Rejuvenation of Gay Straight Alliance.

• Creation of a Director of Student Services.

• On-going education in suicide prevention for clinicians, medical and safety personnel.

• Community forums.

• Partnership with Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention and subsequent distribution of Youth Risk Behavioral Survey.

• On-going meetings with local clinicians.

• Help line numbers printed on NHS identification cards.

• New NHS educational program for youth with mental health issues.

• Community organizer joins steering committee of Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition.

• Members of new NSPC attend annual Suicide Prevention Conference.

• Nantucket Behavioral Health adds new child and adolescent psychiatrist.