MONROE - Every 18 minutes, someone in the United States commits suicide.
In Wisconsin alone, suicide accounted for 668 deaths during 2006. Suicide ranks as the second most common cause of death among young adults 18 to 34 years old in the state.
But the statistics grow even more startling when talking about very young people: Wisconsin ranks fifth in the nation for the number of suicides in the 10- to 14-year-old age group.
Preventing suicide in youth, as well as addressing a host of other mental health issues facing area residents, is the focus of the Mental Health Summit planned for Friday, May 1. The seminar will be from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Monroe United Methodist Church, 2227 4th St. The cost is $20, which includes lunch.
The summit is a collaborative effort between the Lafayette County Suicide Intervention Task Force and the Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Green County. A number of other groups, including UW Extensions in Green and Lafayette counties and Monroe Clinic, also are involved in the summit.
The summit is possible because of a three-year Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Youth Suicide Prevention Grant, said Claire O'Dea, youth suicide prevention coordinator in Green County. Youth Suicide Prevention is a program of the Green County United Prevention Professional for Youth Coalition (GUPPY).
The idea was to create a way to help sustain suicide awareness and education programs within the community, she said. The summit offers knowledge and training that participants can take back to their workplaces, schools and community groups to share, hence helping to spread awareness of suicide and its warning signs.
Joining forces to create the summit allowed each of the groups to be successful, said Larry Hakes, coordinator of the Lafayette County task force. Neither group could have put together such an event working independently, but working cooperatively made the event possible, he said.
While the grant is specifically for suicide prevention among youth, the local groups decided to take a wider view to encompass more people.
"We broadened it into mental health issues in general," Hakes said, noting the seminar includes several sessions specifically on issues related to youth.
The summit includes very relevant topics for the area. One breakout session, for example, focuses on the mental health concerns relating Latinos. Hakes said this session grew out of discussions of whether the needs of the Latino community are being addressed as that population grows in the area.
Other seminars focus on the issue of self-injury by cutting in the teen population. The session is being led by a well-known speaker and is specifically geared to help school staff and parents handle the problem, Hakes said.
Summit participants can choose from several topics in each of two breakout sessions. During the first breakout session from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m., topics are:
• A panel discussion on mental health programs in Green and Lafayette counties and making referrals.
• Alcohol and other drug use among youth and how adults can address the issue.
• QPR (question, persuade, refer) training - a national suicide prevention program designed to raise awareness about suicide and teach nonprofessionals the warning signs of suicide and the three basic intervention skills.
• How school personnel can implement a crisis plan for schools.
• A panel discussion of mental health issues facing Latino immigrants in the area, and how local professionals can reach out to this population.
• Mental health issues and risky behaviors among teens.
Topics offered during the second breakout session, from 3 to 4 p.m., are:
• Tools for coping with grief.
• Myths and facts about medication and mental illness.
• Self injury among teens and how adults can handle this issue.
• QPR (question, persuade, refer) training - a national suicide prevention program designed to raise awareness about suicide and teach nonprofessionals the warning signs of suicide and the three basic intervention skills.
Dr. Sherman Sievers, a psychologist at Monroe Clinic, will deliver the keynote address titled "Be Emotionally Fit, Be happy, Surprise Your Friends," from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. The address promises to discuss tools that can reduce stress, and help an individual "find meaning, hope and happiness."
Several local agencies also will have informational booths at the summit. They include CESA 2 and 3, Green Haven Family Advocates, the Lafayette County Health Department, Human Services departments from both Green and Lafayette counties; Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County, Monroe Clinic and UW Extension for both Green and Lafayette counties.
Both O'Dea and Hakes hope this event won't be the last. The grant runs through May, so new funding will have to be secured for any future events.
"We'll have to evaluate where we go from here," O'Dea said.
Registration for the summit ended Friday, but O'Dea said anyone interested in attending is welcome to sign up. More information about the summit is available by calling O'Dea at (608) 293-3911 or e-mailing preventsuicide.gc@gmail.com. Registration forms for the summit are available at Lafayette.uwex.edu or by calling the Extension office at (608) 776-4820.
In Wisconsin alone, suicide accounted for 668 deaths during 2006. Suicide ranks as the second most common cause of death among young adults 18 to 34 years old in the state.
But the statistics grow even more startling when talking about very young people: Wisconsin ranks fifth in the nation for the number of suicides in the 10- to 14-year-old age group.
Preventing suicide in youth, as well as addressing a host of other mental health issues facing area residents, is the focus of the Mental Health Summit planned for Friday, May 1. The seminar will be from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Monroe United Methodist Church, 2227 4th St. The cost is $20, which includes lunch.
The summit is a collaborative effort between the Lafayette County Suicide Intervention Task Force and the Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Green County. A number of other groups, including UW Extensions in Green and Lafayette counties and Monroe Clinic, also are involved in the summit.
The summit is possible because of a three-year Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Youth Suicide Prevention Grant, said Claire O'Dea, youth suicide prevention coordinator in Green County. Youth Suicide Prevention is a program of the Green County United Prevention Professional for Youth Coalition (GUPPY).
The idea was to create a way to help sustain suicide awareness and education programs within the community, she said. The summit offers knowledge and training that participants can take back to their workplaces, schools and community groups to share, hence helping to spread awareness of suicide and its warning signs.
Joining forces to create the summit allowed each of the groups to be successful, said Larry Hakes, coordinator of the Lafayette County task force. Neither group could have put together such an event working independently, but working cooperatively made the event possible, he said.
While the grant is specifically for suicide prevention among youth, the local groups decided to take a wider view to encompass more people.
"We broadened it into mental health issues in general," Hakes said, noting the seminar includes several sessions specifically on issues related to youth.
The summit includes very relevant topics for the area. One breakout session, for example, focuses on the mental health concerns relating Latinos. Hakes said this session grew out of discussions of whether the needs of the Latino community are being addressed as that population grows in the area.
Other seminars focus on the issue of self-injury by cutting in the teen population. The session is being led by a well-known speaker and is specifically geared to help school staff and parents handle the problem, Hakes said.
Summit participants can choose from several topics in each of two breakout sessions. During the first breakout session from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m., topics are:
• A panel discussion on mental health programs in Green and Lafayette counties and making referrals.
• Alcohol and other drug use among youth and how adults can address the issue.
• QPR (question, persuade, refer) training - a national suicide prevention program designed to raise awareness about suicide and teach nonprofessionals the warning signs of suicide and the three basic intervention skills.
• How school personnel can implement a crisis plan for schools.
• A panel discussion of mental health issues facing Latino immigrants in the area, and how local professionals can reach out to this population.
• Mental health issues and risky behaviors among teens.
Topics offered during the second breakout session, from 3 to 4 p.m., are:
• Tools for coping with grief.
• Myths and facts about medication and mental illness.
• Self injury among teens and how adults can handle this issue.
• QPR (question, persuade, refer) training - a national suicide prevention program designed to raise awareness about suicide and teach nonprofessionals the warning signs of suicide and the three basic intervention skills.
Dr. Sherman Sievers, a psychologist at Monroe Clinic, will deliver the keynote address titled "Be Emotionally Fit, Be happy, Surprise Your Friends," from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. The address promises to discuss tools that can reduce stress, and help an individual "find meaning, hope and happiness."
Several local agencies also will have informational booths at the summit. They include CESA 2 and 3, Green Haven Family Advocates, the Lafayette County Health Department, Human Services departments from both Green and Lafayette counties; Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County, Monroe Clinic and UW Extension for both Green and Lafayette counties.
Both O'Dea and Hakes hope this event won't be the last. The grant runs through May, so new funding will have to be secured for any future events.
"We'll have to evaluate where we go from here," O'Dea said.
Registration for the summit ended Friday, but O'Dea said anyone interested in attending is welcome to sign up. More information about the summit is available by calling O'Dea at (608) 293-3911 or e-mailing preventsuicide.gc@gmail.com. Registration forms for the summit are available at Lafayette.uwex.edu or by calling the Extension office at (608) 776-4820.