Suicide prevention seeks catchier hotline number

Financial concerns and a lack of daily energy and motivation are some of the worries that Illinois Valley residents with depression experience. Another is knowing where to turn when depression becomes a personal emergency.

“One of the challenging things with depression, especially this time of year, is it can cause a lot of social withdrawal in addition to lack of interest and daily activities,” said Michael Miroux, who co-leads the Princeton Depression Ally Meetup group.

Miroux himself has experienced persistent depression disorder and generalized anxiety.

“I struggle with that a lot,” he said.

The Federal Communications Commission recently started the process of designating 988 as a new, nationwide, 3-digit number for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.

The idea is it will help ease access to crisis services, reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health conditions, and ultimately save lives.

The 988 number isn’t currently active.

The national suicide prevention lifeline at this time continues to be 800-273-TALK (8255), which provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources people.

The availability of a three-digit suicide prevention hotline would be easier to remember and make it easier for someone to access support while experiencing a mental health crisis or having suicidal thoughts, Miroux said.

“When someone is in that situation where they feel pretty hopeless and feel desperate, it’s unlikely they’ll have the insight to look up the lifeline (the current 1-800-273-8255 number) unless they’ve used it before or it’s programmed in their phone,” he said.

Camry Sarver of LaSalle thinks a three-digit suicide prevention hotline would be a great resource for those who feel like they can’t reach out to people in their everyday lives.

In December of 2017, Sarver had no indication a lifelong friend was depressed.

“I didn’t know at all,” Sarver said, of his friend, who died by suicide in December 2017.

“Always check in on the loved ones around you,” Sarver said. “You’d be surprised how many people keep it locked away.”

Suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States since 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From 1999-2017, the age-adjusted suicide rate increased 33 percent from 10.5 to 14.0 per 100,000, according to the CDC.

Sarver knows of others who struggle with depression and anxiety, and he knows that those people don’t like to reach out to people in their immediate life because it’s hard for them.

“I try to make it a key point to reach out to friends who struggle, because I know they don’t like to do it personally,” he said.

In the near future, Sarver plans to run in a marathon to raise money for suicide prevention as he has done in the past, too.

Don Leynaud of Peru thinks the idea of a 988 hotline is a “wonderful idea.”

Leynaud leads a depression and bipolar support group at Illinois Valley Community Hospital, DBSA Illinois Valley. DBSA stands for Depression Bipolar Support Alliance.

“I myself suffer from mild depression, anxiety and panic disorder,” he said, mentioning that this group helped him because the group offers an opportunity for members to talk and share what they think is important. Leynaud states that neither he nor anyone in the group a trained or certified mental health counselor or professional.

“Our support group uses DBT — dialectical therapy, commonly referred to as talk therapy, and CBT —cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT allows people with mental health disorders to think another way. If that path is blocked or broken, then let’s build a new one.

“More mental health resources are something this state and our country needs 24/7 as this problem is an ever-growing epidemic,” he said. “Sometimes, people just can’t handle stress and all of the accompanying baggage society unfortunately places upon us.

“When you’re depressed, bipolar or have a mood disorder, you are more likely to turn to mentally unhealthy vices that just make your mental health conditions even worse. Vices like excessive/binge alcohol use, cocaine, fentanyl, meth, marijuana, uncontrolled gambling/gaming, and excessive all night virtual reality gaming depriving one of necessary sleep time, to list a few, are just not helping mental health disorders to get any better,” he said.

“We need more accessible mental health care that deals with these issues and abuses.”

“We are so fortunate we have DBSA Illinois Valley in our area because we get people who come from 30 or more miles away to seek peer-supported mental health help because there isn’t anywhere else they can go to,” Leynaud said, adding that he and every person attending DBSA/IV is extremely grateful to IVCH.

“IVCH provides us with a wonderful, accommodating and safe meeting room and funds our annual dues to DBSA National,” he said.

The three-digit number would make it easier for supporters and bystanders to take action when helping someone through a mental health crisis, Miroux said.

Using three digits also could reduce some of the responsibility from first responders, such as EMS personnel and police officers, in responding to mental health crises, he said.

Miroux said the current lifeline (the 1-800-273-8255 number that people can currently call) is “very effective in reducing suicidal ideation.”

He said calling a lifeline gives someone the ability to connect with a trained crisis counselor and allows the caller to think about alternatives to resolving their problems and instills more hope in themselves.

Miroux works as a licensed clinical professional counselor with Gateway Services in Princeton.

His depression is one of the reasons he got involved with working with mental health.

Counseling and medication have been helpful for him, and the Princeton Depression Ally Meetup has been therapeutic, too.

“That sense of feeling you’re not alone is pretty empowering,” he said. “I can have both anxiety and depression, yet still have a pretty satisfying life.”