I am taking a social policy class and I wrote a report on suicides in La Plata County because it has been very high for the nation, which really concerns me.
I researched what the Center for Disease Control stated would slow down suicide in our communities and a lot of it would need laws to change within our state and for money to be allocated in certain areas. The CDC says that many things could greatly decrease suicide like extending unemployment benefits, medical/mental care, temporary livable wages, retirement and disability and increasing jobs with livable wages.
States should slow down foreclosures, help people afford new housing and offer affordable housing. Other ways to help include separating bullets from guns and locking them up. Medications, and making it hard to get to high places, could help too. Training gatekeepers, such as teachers, police officers, doctors, nurses etc. how to recognize and decrease suicidal behavior is also a recommendation.
The CDC also said that areas with fewer liquor stores have fewer suicides. One of the largest causes of suicide and drug abuse is isolation and not being connected to others. Our brains are programmed, since the beginning of time, to socialize. Learning coping skills such as cognitive behavioral skills and dialectical behavior are key.
We do have a crisis line to call which is beneficial. If anyone is under a certain salary, you qualify for Medicaid and you can get mental health care from the local mental health center that takes Medicaid in Durango!
Miracle Williams
Mancos
