wallen@communitycommon.com

The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board in cooperation with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation have established a suicide prevention coalition in Scioto County in 2008. The coalition is now looking to inform the community about the importance of suicide prevention and raise awareness.

"I attended a gatekeeper training (training designed regarding the warning signs of suicide and steps that can be taken to decrease the risk of suicide and learning about depression.) When I attended the training, I realized that they were starting a coalition and were struggling to find someone who had the time and willingness to chair it," Jamie Benedict, volunteer chairman of the Scioto Suicide Prevention Coalition said. "As a retired person with background, I thought I could help out the community."

"It's exciting to have the opportunity to help the people in the community. Depression is something that's treatable, for many years we did not understand that. With the science that we have now, we can see scans of the brain, we know what's happening. If you do not treat it, you do not get help it will get worse," Benedict said.

She said depression can effect people's physical and emotional lives in profound ways.

"This is a big project (Suicide Prevention Coalition), particularly in times of economic distress and struggle. With all of the transitions and changes that are happening all those stress factors really impact how well we as humans can cope," Benedict said. "One can suffer a loss that requires a grieving process, sometimes its really hard to get out of those places. If the circumstances continue to build up, and isolation occurs. You do not have community that's educated, and knows that they need to reach out when you see someone that you know is depressed."

She said instead of avoiding talking about the larger issue, and ask the difficult questions.

"One of the biggest risk factors for suicide, is isolation and people not reaching out," Benedict said. "Knowledge is key, we've (the community) had a strange relationship with the ideal of mental illness also with depression. Depression is a physical disease and has a real chemical process. With depression the longer you are depressed the more your brain shuts down. People who are profoundly depressed are not capable of advocating for themselves."

The coalition has sent out educational depression and suicide prevention packets, (152) to local physicians, public health nurses, mental health counselors, school counselors, clergy, law enforcement and first responders.

The coalition meets monthly at the ADAMHS Board Office (802 Chillicothe St.) at 1 p.m. for an hour. For those that are interested in more information or if you are interested in learning about ways to help.