Remarks by
A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.
Director
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Campus Suicide Prevention Grantee:
Technical Assistance Meeting
Opening Remarks
January 17, 2007
Gaithersburg, MD
Attached is the text prepared for delivery; however, some material may have been added or omitted at the time of delivery.
Good morning, and welcome everyone to SAMHSA’s technical assistance forum for campus suicide prevention.
The National Comorbidity Survey tells us that half of all serious adult psychiatric illnesses — including major depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse — start by 14 years of age, and three fourths of them are present by 25 years of age. Yet the majority of mental illnesses in young people goes unrecognized and untreated, leaving them vulnerable to emotional, social, and academic impairments during a critical phase of their lives. Thus, campus suicide prevention programs provide a critical stopgap for reaching our Nation’s youth who are experiencing the anguish and despair of mental illnesses.
I am honored to be here today to set the stage as you work to build or enhance your suicide prevention program for your campus community. I want to congratulate our new grantees on their recent award and this valuable opportunity to offer improved services for students with mental and behavioral health problems. We are very excited to now have 55 institutes of higher education boosting antisuicide efforts across the country…through our campus suicide prevention grant program made possible by the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act of 2004! In just a few minutes, you’ll be hearing from Senator Gordon Smith and learn how he turned his personal tragedy into action that ultimately benefited our entire Nation.
To last year’s grant recipients, I thank you for the hard work you are already doing to meet the challenges of suicide prevention on your campuses. Your
work on this high visibility program has not gone unnoticed. I also want to acknowledge the National Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the role they are playing in our suicide prevention initiative. SPRC is the nucleus for the development, implementation and evaluation of suicide prevention programs for all our States, Territories, Tribes, communities and SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services grantees. And finally, I want to recognize our contractor, ORC Macro, for the cross-site evaluation of the campus programs. This evaluation will enable us to demonstrate the effectiveness of the overall campus grant program, and it will help grantees connect with and learn from each other.
We are very proud of the Federal team we have assembled to help us take our suicide prevention efforts to the next level. Our National vision for suicide prevention hinges on collaboration and our ability to encourage all Americans to see suicide as a national public health problem that requires each and every citizen to be part of the solution.
Just a year ago, through the collaboration of 18 Federal partners, we were able to complete the Federal Action Agenda to identify the first practical steps that will initiate monumental change in suicide prevention. The Action Agenda responds to the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report, Achieving
the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. This report...the single most important document for the future of mental health care in America...is a clarion call from the highest levels of the national government to make suicide prevention in America an undisputed reality.
The Action Agenda proposed the full launch of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The Action Alliance is a public-private partnership that will reframe the goals and objectives of The
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention as measurable actions to be implemented by government, industry, general and specialty health care sectors, academia, communities, and consumers and families. It is designed to encourage and empower groups and individuals to work together.
This morning, I would like to remind you that suicide prevention—at the personal, local, state and national levels—is interconnected. SAMHSA is most excited to be connecting with the campus community. There is powerful resiliency in the campus community…and a real sense of interdependence. People depend on each other within the community and look to each other for help and assistance.
To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., “At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed is ‘ community:’ the mutually cooperative and voluntary venture of [people] to assume a semblance of responsibility for [others].”
Often it’s easier to get things done in smaller communities and connections can be made directly from one person to another with a lot less red tape. There is a great appreciation for the connection… a very strong awareness of one of the primary principles of complexity science—“Everything is connected to everything else.”
The campus community has the opportunity to reach students on so many levels. With the training of campus “gatekeepers,” —people at a school that interact daily with students such as faculty, chaplains, resident advisers and coaches—we can help so many more students who might be distressed. In workshops at this meeting, you will discuss issues involved in choosing, implementing, and evaluating existing gatekeeper programs, as well as some of the challenges and strategies in designing your own gatekeeper program.
Through campus outreach efforts, we can help students become more knowledgeable about mental health issues. It provides us with a tremendous opportunity to influence the next generation of leaders, employers, parents, and friends…to cultivate a new society that is understanding, accepting, and supportive of the prevention and treatment of behavioral and mental health disorders. Later in the program, we will have experts on hand to help you develop strategic messages and show you how to communicate effectively through mass media.
The U.S. Air Force was one of the first “communities” that took action to address the serious problem of youth suicide through prevention and early intervention programs. A workshop tomorrow will address how some college and universities are adapting the Air Force Model to their campus communities.
Training gatekeepers in risk management can make the difference between life and death. Last year, Joe, a serviceman at Walter Reed Army Hospital, was faced with a series of challenges that threatened to overwhelm him. He was about to be deployed to Iraq. He had suffered a back injury and become addicted to his pain medication. He was abusing alcohol and performing poorly at work. His wife was threatening to leave him and Joe began to talk about suicide.
Fortunately, Joe’s wife went to his commanding officer who accompanied Joe to the emergency room for a voluntary assessment. Joe was admitted to a detox program and a day treatment program, and entered therapy with his wife.
Knowledgeable suicide prevention gatekeepers were present within Joe’s intimate circle. Joe’s commanding officer was unafraid to deal with the subject. Joe had the care and support of his wife. And, finally, Joe was able to find his life…and find the sense of hopefulness that he needed to face life’s challenges.
Over the next three days, as you hone your skills, remember the Joe’s that may be on your campus. Remember to prepare for the issues and challenges that will make suicide prevention succeed on your college campus. Remember that when each of your returns to your community and shares your new-found knowledge, thousands of others can benefit.
Winston Churchill once said, “To every man (and woman!) there comes a time in his lifetime, that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered that special chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified to do the work which could have been his finest hour.”
I urge you to use this meeting, to advance the suicide prevention agenda and embrace the opportunities to do the important work of suicide prevention even better…and help restore hope to our students in need. Let’s ensure that we keep the momentum going. Together, we can fight this fight.
Thank you!
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