Teen Suicide Community Outreach Program Proposal Final

Teen Suicide Program Proposal My Community Outreach Program Proposal is to open a non-profit organization in Wyoming rural communities that provide services for middle and high school age students to have access to mental health counseling. The community organization will provide counseling from peers and licensed counselors, whichever the students are most comfortable with, as well as free resources. These resources would include information on depression, anxiety, suicide and as well as medical factors that contribute to these mental health issues. Also the program will offer referrals when there is a possibility there are medical concerns that could be contributing to the issue. The program would also assist the school by finding more licensed counselors when the community is effected by teen suicide, this can help the students and staff at the school have an outlet for their grief. A significant part of this program is to offer services in the home for those that want anonymity and cannot travel due to low income. The most important part of this community program is to have students participate in the services and the local school districts must support and contribute. The last part of this program is that it provides activities and dances for the students throughout the year, which can be in collaboration with the school district, parents and students. Wyoming has a large Native American population on the Wind River Reservation. The two tribes that make up the Wind River Reservation are the Arapaho and the Shoshone. I would like this proposal to also encompass not only rural communities in Wyoming but the local Native American communities on and off the reservation. The Native Americans have health clinics on the Wind River Reservation but they are not specialized clinics for mental health. They need to seek specialized services outside the reservation. As I stated above some low income families do not have the money or the transportation to seek help outside the reservation. In my own personal opinion and past experiences interacting with the local Native Americans, they would most likely be more comfortable with people in their own tribe and community. I live in Burns, Wyoming which is a rural town in Laramie County, near the capital of Cheyenne. In the larger town of Cheyenne teens have a variety of locations and resources for suicide prevention. In the rural communities like the one in which I live in there are not any community programs for students to utilize. They are expected to go to Cheyenne to get the needed treatment and/or services they may require. This may not be an option for low income families and teens that want anonymity from their parents but do not have a means of transportation. The students do have access to school counselors but the counselors are stretched thin trying to help students emotionally and academically, as well as other duties assigned to them by the administration. This gives them less time to engage with students and determine their specific needs. American School Counselor Association or ASCA (2021) recommends, “250-to-1 ratio of students to school counselors” and that counselors should spend at least 80% of their time interacting with students. This may not be attainable in small communities due to other duties and the ratio of students to counselors. It is important to have other teens and students involved in the program. There are several aspects that make this a key to the program's success. Student’s that are involved in their communities are more civic minded and see the world in a broader perspective than just their small towns. These volunteer opportunities give these students a more well rounded college application and offer them more opportunities. The most important reason for the students to be actively involved in helping their peers with depression, anxiety and suicide gives them more knowledge on the subject, which can help them when dealing with their own mental health issues. I think this will also help bring the community closer. The teens can see through someone else’s experiences and help them become kinder, respectful and more understanding of everyone. We also know that teens tend to reach out to their peers first, even if the next step is to speak with a trusted adult (Cheney, 2019). Suicide is an issue that the human race has been dealing with since the dawn of time. It is not a new issue but it is one of the most troubling issues out there, especially when it is our own children. Suicide is in the top 10 leading cause of death in the United States. The number of deaths by suicide per year in the United States is approximately 44,965 and almost 500,000 people are treated in emergency rooms for self-inflicted wounds every year (Holland, 2019). In teenagers, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death between the ages of 15-19 years old. There are around 11 suicide deaths per 100,000 teenagers in the United States as of 2020 (Elflein 2021). The statistics show that suicide is a very big issue in the State of Wyoming and the data shows that there has not been a decrease. Something needs to be done to combat this problem in our state. Wyoming has the highest rate of suicide death in the United States. in 2020, Laramie County alone had 28 cases of suicide in 2020 and 18 suicides in 2021 (Johnson, 2021). In Laramie County between 2013 to 2021 there were 27 deaths by suicide in the age range of 15 to 24 and the majority are males (Laramie County Wyoming, n,d,). Findings from the Centers of Disease Control or CDC (2017) study shows, “suicide rates for rural counties are consistantly higher than urban counties from 2001-2015”. For years teen males have been more likely to commit suicide, although girls reported to have more suicide attempts and have thought about it more often than boys. There are some reasons behind the gender paradox and through years of data it has been determined that teen males are more likely to follow through with suicide. This is due to the fact that males tend to use more lethal means of suicide, like hanging, suffocation and firearms. Females are more likely to use poisoning, which can give family and friends time to get them medical treatment. So even though teen females have a higher rate of attempts, they are less likely to succumb. The differences can include the risk factors for males and females. Females are more likely to have depression and anxiety and males tend to display aggressive behaviors (Ducharme, 2019). There are regions in the United States that are at a higher risk of suicide and these states have been coined the “suicide belt” and the State of Wyoming is a part of this region. The region is found in the Midwest and is usually around mountain zones; there are nine states that make up the “suicide belt” and they are: Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Idaho (Peters & Gallegos, 2020). The contributing factors that doctors and scientists believe are causing this issue are vitamin deficiencies and/or oxygen deprivation. Oxygen deprivation or Hypoxia is defined as “ an absence of oxygen in the tissues to sustain bodily functions”. (WebMd, 2020). At higher elevations there is less oxygen and doctors believe that lower oxygen levels can cause depression because it can inhibit the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is known as the happy chemical, and can affect the usefulness of depression medications. There is also Vitamin D deficiency that could be attributed to depression. Vitamin D improves serotonin levels and there are Vitamin D receptors in the brain that control mood and behavior (Love, 2019). The northern and midwest states have less exposure to UVB-radiation through sunlight, especially during the winter months (Huotari & Herzig, 2008). The states that have less exposure to sunlight are going to have lower levels of Vitamin D which can lead to symptoms of depression. Oxygen deprivation and Vitamin D deficiency are still being studied and should be recognized as a theory. One of the major contributors to teen suicide in rural communties is low population density, meaning there are less people living in specific region. When you have a small community teens have smaller social circles and less opportunities to find friends and trusted adults. Although rural America has been romanticized it can be a very lonely and isolated place for teens who are seeking connections with people their age. (Rural Youth Suicide Prevention Workgroup, 2008). Teens often experience new and difficult emotions and having a strong social circle can help them through these strong feelings, but when teens do not have a supportive community they can make illogical decisions. It is hard to make rational decisions when you are in a deep depression and you have no one you trust to tell you suicide is not an option. In rural communities there is a culture of “cowboy up” or as I would like to call it a man’s man mentality. We know based off the statistics that males are more likely than females to commit suicide in these small communties. Teen males in towns like mine are taught that you do not talk about your problems. This has caused generations of young men growing up thinking they cannot express their emotions and that getting mental health treatment is not manly (Overfield, 2020). Who is a young man supposed to turn to if he cannot talk to his peers or his father about his feelings, without being deemed feminine or criticized? This is why community programs are important, especially for young men that need support but would like to keep it secret. The LGBTQ+ teens have a higher rate of suidice ideation and suicide attempst than the heterosexual teens in rural communities. Youth that identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to be discriminated against in a rural setting. They may also feel disconnected from the larger LGBTQ+ communities. The lack of services and open mindedness that LGBTQ+ teens would get in larger cities is nonexistent in smaller communities. In a 2019 study, “66% of U.S. high school students who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual reported feeling sad or hopeless, 47% seriously considered suicide, 40% made a plan for how they would commit suicide, 23% made an attempt, and 6% made an attempt that required medical attention in the 12 months prior to the survey” (Rural Health Information Hub, 2019). The next aspect of rural communties that are a risk factor for teen suicide is the access to firearms. The majority of the midwest are made up what most would call “country folk” or ranchers and farmers. The people that live in these regions are more likely to have firearms in the home for protection, hunting and sport shooting. Firearms are the most common method of suicide, especially in males. “Nearly half (46%) of rural adults report owning a gun, compared to 28% of suburban residents and 19% of urban residents'' (Rural Health Information Hub, 2019). Many gun owners store their guns safely, but there are some homes that leaves gun available and loaded which can increase the chance of suicide by allowing teens access to weapons to harm themselves. The last contributor to teen suicide in small communities is the socioeconomic factors. “Residents of rural communities are more likely to experience financial hardships, including poverty, lower income, poor housing quality and instability, unemployment, and lower education attainment” (Rural Health Information Hub, 2019). Teens that are from families of ranchers and farmers have to deal with increased stress. These stresses come from concern for crop yields due to weather and the prices for supplies. Teens that have families that are dealing with these hardships feel the stress as if it is their own because their families livelihood depends upon the success of their farms. As well as the fact that these teens are planning to go into the family business and know the importance of maintaining their farms and ranches. Several studies have shown that having adequate access to mental health facilities are directley related to lower suicide rates. This also correlated with the amount of facilities that have low income or free services (Holliday, 2018). This is why it is important to have low income or free services for rural communities. The lack of access to affordable mental health care and the distance that needs to be travelled is in direct correlation with high suicide rates in rural communties. After reviewing the data I have obtained through my research I have determined that rural communities are at the highest risk of teen suicide in the nation. This is a problem that must be addressed and it needs to start with the members of these communities. The parents, teachers and counselors need to come together to save our children from these preventable circumstances. Opening a community center in rural communities that are operated by the community members is the best way to combat the rising suicide rates in our youth. The first step is to find funding and then find volunteers from the community, which include counselors and adult and teen members of the community. Once the mental health community center has been opened, the school district needs to support it by referring students that need help to the center and also letting in therapists and counselors from the center into the school for suicide awareness training for students and staff. Recently the school I work at had a senior commit suicide. The administration did not have adequate training and it was not handled properly. The school did not provide any counseling for the students or staff. One of the most important aspects of preventing suicide is being able to discuss the circumstances and prevention. I have also had past experience with teen suicide at my high school in Riverton, Wyoming, which is another rural community in Wyoming. My freshman year of high school a senior committed suicide. The principal made an announcement with the families permission and brought in outside counselors to assist the school counselors in grief counseling. The remainder of the week at school was dedicated to helping the students and staff grieve and talk about suicide. We had an assembly at the end of the week to discuss suicide awareness. After experiencing a school and community taking the necessary steps to help everyone and then experiencing a school try to pretend that it did not happen, I am even more assured of what my community and other rural communities need to combat teen suicide. The community outreach program that I am recommending will be appropriately geared toward helping those in rural communities. The contributing factors I covered in this paper will be issues the community center will address. The community center will offer counseling to anyone no matter gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The services provided will be confidential and provided to anyone free of charge and will offer in-home counseling for those that cannot travel. Although I am speaking specifically about rural communities in Wyoming this is a program, if successful, can be implemented in all rural communities. This is including Native American Reservations that have poor access to mental health care. The center will host dances, games and other activities that can keep the youth in these communities entertained and help them interact with each other. It is important for the youth in our communities to have a good support system and social circle. By hosting these types of events it can increase the teens social circle and foster a sense of community. It is very important to keep the youth in rural communities active because when teens are bored they tend to make bad decisions because of boredom and loneliness. The center will provide important resources for the community. Resources for dealing with depression, anxiety and suicide. There are other resources that need to be included for rural communities like information for the youth that identify as LGBTQ+ and also resources geared toward teen males. These two groups need the most support in rural towns because of lack of understanding and lack of vital information. Also included should be information on medical issues or mental health disorders that could be contributing to the rise in depression.There are many different types of resources out there but most teens do not know where to find it or are too scared to ask. This is why centers like this are incredibly important and should be there as a means of comfort, support and information. Last but certainly not least the center should inform the general public of these towns on the safe keeping of their weapons in their homes. Males are more likely to use firearms to commit suicide and the access to these weapons are increasing the rate of suicide. Parents need to understand that even if you teach your child gun safety is not going to prevent suicide. Firearms must be locked away at all times and never allow your teens to use these weapons unless supervised. Ultimately rural communities need a place for teens to turn to in cases of depression and suicidal ideation. The support of the community and school district can make a dramatic difference in the lives of our youth. The saying “it takes a village” stands true for anywhere you live. Community leaders, parents, teachers and the youth need to work together to make sure that all children know that suicide is never an option and that there are trusted adults in their sphere that care and want to help them through the troubling emotions they are experiencing.