Portage County Safety Council hosts Suicide Prevention Training
Tools for employees to identify suicide risk factors in the workplace
If your co-worker was having a heart attack, you would most likely dial 911 and summon emergency services. If that same co-worker was severely depressed and talking about suicide, would you know what to do?
The Portage County Safety Council, a local forum for workplace safety, heard a presentation at its February meeting about taking those next steps to identify and support co-workers who are at risk for suicide.
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The educational training was provided by members of the Portage County Suicide Prevention Coalition, a local group of agencies and individuals who have been working for almost a decade to increase awareness of the risk of suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding it.
“People who are struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide often have problems with attendance, productivity, concentration and social relationships that certainly impact their work performance,” said presenter Joel Mowrey, Ph.D., a coalition member and associate director of the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County.
Most adults are generally uncomfortable talking with someone who is showing signs of being at risk for suicide because of the myths and stigma that surround suicide, Mowrey related. But with education, an individual can learn the signs and how to help the person at risk connect with services.
“Although most suicides take place outside of work, work colleagues are often the ‘gatekeepers’ who can actually save a person’s life by talking with them and asking them if they are suicidal,” he explained.
Gatekeepers are not mental health professionals or doctors but any responsible adult who spends time with people through family, work, school, church, community organizations, neighborhood relationships and volunteering.
National statistics indicate there are nearly 100 suicides each day in the United States. The information provided in the Portage County gatekeeper training can help employers and staff be proactive about intervening, said Paul Dages, the emergency services manager at Townhall II and the coordinator for the coalition.
The biggest risk factor is depression followed by also using alcohol or drugs while depressed. Men are more likely to complete suicides and the risks increase for men as they age, Dages added. Individuals in management jobs have an increased risk.
Coalition members talked about some of the myths including it is false that talking with someone about suicide will cause that person to act. Another myth is that someone who is talking about suicide wants attention when in reality that person is looking for help to end excruciating, unending, overwhelming emotional pain and suffering.
Aurora resident Iris Angle, also a coalition member, talked about her son who completed suicide almost 20 years ago. She described the devastating consequences that survivors, those persons who are left behind, experience.
Coalition members then explained “Question, Persuade, Refer,” a set of steps to take after identifying a co-worker who is at risk: question if the person is thinking about suicide; persuade the individual to seek help; and then refer the person to professional help, even offering to accompany the individual.
The Portage County Safety Council, a forum for workplace safety, is a program of the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and is locally administered by Family & Community Services.
The Safety Council helps employers learn techniques for increasing safety in the workplace, how to better manage workers’ compensation programs and how to access useful, money-saving workers’ comp and risk management information. Thousands of Ohio employers find value – along with workers’ compensation premium savings – by actively participating in their local safety councils.
Annual membership is $50 and is open to all employers who pay BWC premiums. For more information contact Bonnie Wilson at 330-297-7027, ext. 371, or at portagesafetycouncil@gmail.com.
Formed in 2003, the Portage County Suicide Prevention Coalition is a group of community members, agencies and survivors who work to increase suicide prevention and reduce the stigma associated with suicide. The coalition meets the third Thursday of each month at 3 p.m. at the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, 155 E. Main St., Kent.
To arrange a gatekeeper training and/or join the Coalition, call Mowrey at the Mental Health & Recovery Board, 330-673-1756, ext. 203, or email him at joelm@mental-health-recovery.org.
