{"id":5134,"date":"2016-09-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/suicide-prevention-chicago-suburbs\/"},"modified":"2020-10-22T11:15:32","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T16:15:32","slug":"suicide-prevention-chicago-suburbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/suicide-prevention-chicago-suburbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Suicide Prevention in the Chicago Suburbs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At Pillars Community Health, we understand that\u00a0suicide isn\u2019t typically the <em>cause <\/em>of death, it\u2019s the means. Support and treatment can be key to keeping our neighbors healthy and helping them find other ways to resolve a situation or an illness.<\/p>\n<p>Our staff work to prevent suicide in the western and southwestern suburbs through a three-part approach:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assessment and ongoing intervention<\/li>\n<li>Intervenci\u00f3n en Crisis<\/li>\n<li>Outreach and education to reduce the stigma that often keeps people from seeking help<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><strong>Ongoing Mental Health Services<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>We start with assessing for risk. Of course, clinicians are limited in the help they can provide by a) whether someone reaches out for help and b) how much information they are willing to share with the clinician. But for any client who presents with a mental health concern, our clinicians start by assessing the person\u2019s symptoms, thoughts of self-harm or harming others, and the level of severity.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThere are different baselines,\u201d says Brendan Riordan, director of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/services\/servicios-para-la-salud-del-comportamiento-y-de-apoyo\/outpatient-mental-health\/\">outpatient mental health <\/a><\/strong>at Pillars Community Health. \u201cSome people think about it every day. Some people are more specific about it or maybe there\u2019s a day that\u2019s more risky. For others, they may not have plans to carry it out or they may have plans that are not within their reach (like jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge).&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To create an environment of ongoing support, the clinician will make a plan, determining how often the client should be seen and asked about their thoughts, suggesting ways to help the client cope on a day to day basis, and creating external supports.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOne of the great things about Pillars Community Health is that we can often provide access to other programs in-house because we have such comprehensive services,\u201d Riordan says. \u201cMaybe you came in through Buddy\u2019s Place because as a family you are managing your grief, but you realize you could use some counseling. And then during family therapy we discover your child is having trouble with social skills, so we can refer you to our Community Support-Individual program to help him build confidence outside the home. You can cycle through all the programs you need all in one place. Or, if we don\u2019t have what you need, we can facilitate introductions to programs outside of Pillars Community Health. It\u2019s very wholistic.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If, during an appointment, the client demonstrates that they\u2019ve thought about suicide, have a plan to carry it out, and have the means to do so, that creates a level of urgency for the clinician that typically requires a consult with Pillars Community Health&#8217;s Crisis Team and\/or a call to 911.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Intervenci\u00f3n en Crisis<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>When a client calls Pillars Community Health&#8217;s crisis line or is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/services\/servicios-para-la-salud-del-comportamiento-y-de-apoyo\/crisis-sass\/\">referred to the Crisis Team <\/a><\/strong>for suicidal thoughts, staff invite the client to come in for a face-to-face meeting\u2014unless there is immediate risk of harm, which warrants more urgent action.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTypically we would get them to an ER or speak with someone else in the home to help calm the moment,\u201d says Audra Duren, director of Crisis Intervention Services at Pillars Community Health. \u201cIf they are adamant that they are going to do it, then we contact the police. We always keep two people on those types of calls so that we can stay on the phone with the client while another clinician accompanies the police.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But it\u2019s never <em>just <\/em>about crisis stabilization. Pillars Community Health seeks to provide long-term support to prevent future crises. That\u2019s where it comes full circle\u2014back to the ongoing assessments and interventions to help the clients reframe their thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>If Pillars Community Health hears a suicide occurred in the community, the Crisis Team reaches out to the school or area where it happened to provide support and send staff onsite.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Changing the Community\u2019s Perception of Mental Illness<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>In addition to providing ongoing support to the clients themselves, Pillars Community Health also works to educate the community. Our presentation <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/services\/educacion-comunitaria-y-extension\/\">Erase Crazy <\/a><\/strong>teaches community members about mental illness and the stigma that often surrounds it, in an effort to create empathy and reduce the use of words like \u201ccrazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org\/cs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Primeros Auxilios para Salud Mental<\/a><\/strong> is an eight-hour course that teaches community members what to do when they see someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Locally, Mental Health First Aid is co-managed by NAMI Metro Suburban and NAMI DuPage. Pillars Community Health has two clinicians trained to teach the courses. <a href=\"http:\/\/cmfdn.org\/resources\/mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Community Memorial Foundation<\/strong><\/a>, a long-time Pillars Community Health partner and funder located in Hinsdale, helps to support Mental Health First Aid trainings.<\/p>\n<p>But this is just one of the many things the Foundation is doing to support suicide prevention in the area. In preparation for creation of its Regional Health and Human Services Agenda, the Foundation held a series of focus groups, asking what they would need to do to make our region the healthiest in the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cCommunity members immediately identified the need to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and suicide,&#8221; says Greg DiDomenico, president and CEO of Community Memorial Foundation. \u201cOur community\u2019s collective response encouraged the Foundation to make mental health and suicide prevention an Agenda priority so that we, as a region, could come together to improve positive mental health outcomes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Foundation recently released a public service announcement encouraging youth and their parents to \u201cjust talk about it.\u201d Its strategy is to promote dialogue, and ultimately, direct those in need of help to the appropriate resources.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"#letstalkaboutit\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/166495444?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cA conversation opens the door,\u201d says DiDomenico. \u201cBy talking about suicide and mental health in a candid and honest way, we can reduce stigma and get people the help they need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Are you in need of help for suicidal thoughts or mental illness? Reach out to Pillars Community Health at 708-PILLARS (708-745-5277). You are not alone.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year in September, the nation recognizes Suicide Prevention Week. At Pillars Community Health, we understand that suicide isn\u2019t typically the cause of death, it\u2019s the means.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pillarscommunityhealth.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}