Suicide Prevention and the Role of the Social Determinants of Health
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Social determinants (e.g. lower economic status, poverty, substandard housing, unemployment, and poor nutrition) can lead to anxiety, insecurity, low self-esteem, social isolation and a range of health and mental health disorders.1 Long periods of anxiety and insecurity and the lack of supportive friendships are damaging in whatever area of life they arise. The lower people are in the social hierarchy of industrialized countries, the more common these problems become.
Economic turmoil (e.g., increased unemployment, foreclosures, loss of investments and other financial distress) can result in many negative health effects - impacting both physical and mental health. It can be particularly devastating to a person?s emotional well-being. Although each of us is affected differently by economic troubles, these problems can add tremendous stress, which in turn can substantially increase the risk for developing such problems as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance Abuse
- Compulsive Behaviors (over-eating, excessive gambling, spending, etc.)
- Suicidal thoughts and behavior
Unemployment and other kinds of economic distress do not "cause" suicide directly, but they can be factors that interact dynamically within individuals and affect their risk for suicide. These financial factors can induce strong feelings such as humiliation and despair, which can precipitate suicidal thoughts or actions among those who may already be vulnerable due to life-experiences or underlying mental health concerns that place them at greater risk of suicide.2
Suicide reaches across invisible lines that exist in all communities. Since communities are made up of several networks including education, health, judicial, family, faith, and social systems, it is important for organizations to work together across fields and disciplines to educate people on the importance of overall well being including mental health. Building communities and environments that support wellness, will deliver improved outcomes for people with mental health problems, and in turn affect the manner in which suicide prevention efforts are conducted and the success of those efforts.
Sources:
1 Friedli, Mental Health, resilience and inequalities. London, Social Exclusion Unit, Office of Deputy Prime Minister, World Health Organization, 2009.
2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. A SAMHSA Guide: Getting Through Tough Economic Times, Suicide Warning Signs, http://www.samhsa.gov/economy/#suicide. Last accessed May 2009.
Anara Guard
Anara Guard, MLS, is Deputy Director for the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center which is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In this capacity, she manages resource center functions, provides communications assistance to SAMHSA-funded youth suicide prevention grantees and oversees all grantee technical assistance. She previously was Director of Information and Marketing for Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health that promotes substance use disorders prevention and treatment through community strategies. Prior to that, she worked at Education Development Center for seven years, primarily with the Children’s Safety Network Injury and Violence Prevention Resource Center. She serves on the board of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Regional Poison Control Center and edits a regular column for the international journal, Injury Prevention. She has a master’s degree in library and information science and a certificate in maternal and child health.
Heidi Bryan
Heidi Bryan is the founder of Feeling Blue Suicide Prevention Council, a suicide prevention, education, and support nonprofit organization for Pennsylvania. Heidi has battled with depression most of her life, is a suicide attempt survivor, and lost her brother to suicide in 1995. Heidi was the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for SPAN USA and recipient of the Sandy Martin Grassroots Award in 2005. Ms. Bryan is a certified QPR gatekeeper and Master trainer, a provisional ASIST trainer, co-facilitator of a survivor of suicide support group, and co-chairman of Pennsylvania's Adult and Older Adult Suicide Prevention Coalition. She recently developed the booklet, After an Attempt: The Emotional Impact of a Suicide Attempt on Families, which was distributed to all the hospitals in Pennsylvania. Ms Bryan was also recently chosen to serve on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s Consumer/Survivor Committee and is a board member for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Through Heidi's efforts, Pennsylvania adopted a Suicide Prevention Week Resolution that coincides with the National Suicide Prevention Week. Ms. Bryan received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Cedar Crest College.
Diana Morales
Diana Morales joined the Mental Health America in May 2006, as vice president of public education. Diana has nearly two decades of experience in developing and managing health promotion programs. At Mental Health America, Diana is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of the organization’s national efforts to promote mental wellness. Key MHA educational programs that she oversees include Live Your Life Well from the Campaign for America’s Mental Health, featuring proven tools for protecting mental health and improving well-being; Dialogue for Recovery, designed to enhance recovery and quality-of-life for people with mental illnesses; FundaMENTAL Health, Bottomline Sense, aimed at addressing the impact of mental health conditions on the U.S. workforce; and mpower: musicians for mental health, meant to engage youth about mental health and reduce stigma. Prior to Mental Health America, Diana was senior vice president in the healthcare practice of Manning Selvage and Lee, New York, a leading global public relations firm. Diana earned a master’s in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She received a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism with a minor in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park.