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Suicide-prevention effort focuses on gays
Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 23, 2006 by PERRY SWANSON THE GAZETTE
Advocates for suicide prevention in the Pikes Peak region are focusing new attention on gay people, a group experts say is at higher than average risk of suicide.
The Suicide Prevention Partnership last week put on its first training session for people from agencies that work with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.
Gay people contemplating suicide might feel more isolated because of the stigma surrounding their sexuality, trainers said. Other needs among gay people could be different because of conflicts over religious beliefs.
Trainer Lindsey Myers of the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment said those unique issues illustrate the need for other people to be prepared to respond.
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"My sense is that there is a supportive community here," Myers said. "Does that person know about it? Does that person have access to it?"
The Suicide Prevention Partnership's other efforts include meeting with young gay people to discuss suicide-prevention techniques, training people who answer a suicide-prevention hotline and a planned community forum on the issue.
An $8,000 grant from the Office of Suicide Prevention in the state Health Department is paying for the programs.
The partnership is a charity that runs a telephone line for people contemplating suicide and provides educational materials about suicide.
Nationally, about 31,000 people kill themselves every year, a rate of 11.1 per 100,000 in the overall population, said partnership director Joan Morrill. Colorado's suicide rate in 2004 was among the highest, at 15 per 100,000, and El Paso County's rate was even higher, at 16.
Data are hard to come by on the number of gay people who commit or attempt suicide, but activists say the risk among gays is two to three times higher than in the rest of the population.
"People who go into the hospital for a suicide attempt, they don't check a box that says 'I'm gay,' so it's hard to get solid data on it," Myers said.
The agency's first training session Wednesday attracted about 25 people, mostly volunteers for local groups that work with gay people, such as Inside/Out Youth Services.
Participants role-played scenarios involving people at imminent risk of suicide and discussed warning signs such as withdrawal from social activities and giving away possessions.
One participant was Daryl Miller, a volunteer supervisor of group discussions among gay young people for Inside/Out. Miller said he wanted reminders of how to respond when someone admits thoughts of suicide, a scenario he hasn't experienced.
"I think it's inevitable, especially with some of the youth that are homeless," he said.
Some gay people are at especially high risk for emotional problems as they disclose their sexuality to others, he said. The process of "coming out" is a frequent topic of discussion during group meetings.
"What can be really hard or a balancing act is: Do you start disclosing it to others before you reconcile it with yourself?" he said.
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0187 or pswanson@gazette.com
NEED HELP?
The Suicide Prevention Hotline for people in crisis is 596-5433. To schedule training about suicide prevention for a community group, call 573-7447.
Copyright 2006
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