Mental Health Association starts conversation on suicide prevention

Dec. 15—Frederick County's Mental Health Association is hoping a meeting held last week between local leaders and mental health providers and advocates will serve as a launching off point for future discussions about suicide prevention in the county.

The nonprofit, which supports community members experiencing mental health emergencies through its call center and walk-in behavioral health clinic, typically hosts a legislative breakfast around this time of year to discuss issues facing the Frederick County community, said MHA CEO Shannon Aleshire.

In the past, the organization has used the meeting to address issues such as human trafficking and adverse childhood experiences with elected officials, Aleshire said. This year, the nonprofit chose to focus on suicide in Frederick County, honing in on how the pandemic has affected the mental health of young people.

When the MHA scheduled this year's meeting for Dec. 9, the organization hadn't realized state legislators would be in special session that day, Aleshire said. Still, more than 30 community advocates, leaders and mental health care providers turned out for the virtual discussion.

Rebecca Layman, development and marketing director at MHA, expressed appreciation at the meeting for the interest and passion shown by participants.

"This is the start of the conversation," she said. "What we need to do is continue it and pull those stakeholders and community leaders in to continue the conversation and continue to fight to that zero suicide rate here in our community."

Melissa Shearer, who joined the behavioral health division of the county's health department this spring as a child and adolescent coordinator, served as the guest speaker for this year's talk.

Since her hiring, Shearer has been charged with assessing the current availability of resources concerning suicide prevention and awareness in the county and state. She has also spent time studying suicide prevention programs that have been implemented in other communities in the state.

During the MHA discussion, Shearer outlined the issue on a national, state and local level. Frederick County has historically had higher rates of suicide than the state, she said — in 2019, 13.1 percent of deaths in the county were by suicide, compared to 10.9 percent of deaths in Maryland.

In light of increased rates of depression, anxiety, trauma, suicide ideation and loneliness among young people, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other pediatric health experts declared a national emergency on children's mental health in October. The U.S. surgeon general followed in their footsteps last week, issuing a public health advisory that declared a youth mental health crisis.

During the MHA meeting, Shearer shared data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed the national rate of emergency department visits related to suspected suicide attempts increased by 24 percent for children 5-11 years old and 31 percent for children 12-17 years old through 2020.

Frederick County's Local Behavior Health Authority has reviewed data related to suicide deaths within its jurisdiction and assessed currently available suicide prevention and awareness resources to gain insight into what is needed in the community, Shearer said.

"It takes time to effectively build these programs and resources, and currently the local Behavioral Health Authority is in the initial stages of formulating targeted actions that are appropriate for the Frederick County community," she said.

Other jurisdictions Shearer has investigated have established coalitions and workgroups to help develop new suicide prevention strategies or have created websites that serve as a "central hub" for mental health resources. Some more rural counties she has spoken with have concentrated on reducing access to "lethal means" in their communities by building relationships with gun shop owners to promote gun-safe storage.

Moving forward, Shearer said she hopes to increase awareness of suicide within the community, help reduce the stigma that often plagues mental health issues and increase knowledge of already accessible resources, among other goals.

"To systematically address suicide throughout Frederick County, suicide prevention programs require a comprehensive approach that includes collaborative efforts amongst all community stakeholders," she said.

Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier

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