Study findings, presented at the SLEEP 2009 annual meeting, indicate that severe nightmares are independently associated with elevated suicidal symptoms. This is true even after accounting for depression, but symptoms of insomnia don’t have the same significance.

The principal investigator in the study was Rebecca Bernert, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Florida State University. Bernert believes that the study findings emphasize the need for a more thorough assessment of sleep, which may lead to more opportunities for intervention.

For more information on identifying suicide risk factors, visit the National Institute of Mental Health.

(Image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

Nightmares Are Suicide Risk Factor

Depending on how well you keep up with sports news, you may or may not have heard about former England football legend Paul Gascoigne checking himself into a Roehampton rehabilitation clinic after a series of suicide threats and attempts. According to the UK’s Telegraph, Gascoigne “has struggled for years with alcoholism and depression and was detained under the Mental Health Act in February.”

I’m always just a tad bit hesitant to discuss celebrities’ mental health news in the media. On one hand, I feel these public announcements (the news stories that are just that – news stories, and not actual accounts from the celebrities themselves) are utterly disrespectful of the celebrities’ privacy. To broadcast someone else’s struggles for ratings or page views is tacky and shows serious lack of regard for your fellow human beings.

On the other hand, I realize that some news stories can actually help boost mental health advocacy and bust stigma. Many people may see their favorite singers, actors, or sports heroes going through the same things they’re going through, and feel less alone. Sometimes such stories also spark other helpful mental health tools, such as the suicide warning signs I offered after Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s suicide. (However, at the same time, there are media sources like TMZ that accomplish nothing other than promoting stigma with their ignorant stories about troubled celebrities such as Britney Spears.)

When the media first made Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt public, my heart went out to him. And when Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers finally explained why he’d been in a psychiatric ward for a serious sleep disorder, I wondered how frustrated he might have been to feel he should come forward and clear up rumors.

It’s difficult enough to deal with any kind of mental health situation without having to deal with the public’s opinions, too. I expect this turns out to be even more difficult for celebrities, because unlike the regular folk who make the news simply because of their mental health issues, celebrities have to continue being in the public eye long after the news of their problems hits the press.

I know the media will probably never stop reporting this kind of “news,” and, like I said above, sometimes it could actually be helpful (especially when the celebrities themselves publicly address the issue). However, before we start sensationalizing and sending the rumors flying, we should pause, realize that these people are fellow human beings who are going through the same things many of us go through, and take note of how we’d want to be treated.

Image: Newscom

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrities And Mental Health: Private Matters Or Public Domain?

It’s all over the news, so by now you’ve all probably heard about the notorious “D.C. madam,” Deborah Jeane Palfrey, committing suicide. I first learned of it when I opened my Yahoo! email account last night and was greeted with this Yahoo! News article: Police: ‘D.C. madam’ kills herself in Fla. coastal town.

There’s something about the way that article title is phrased that makes me grimace. She killed herself. The D.C. madam killed herself. This daughter, this friend, this human being killed herself. It’s a very raw way of saying it, but, it’s also very true.

I guess I wouldn’t have taken too much pause if it had read “D.C. madam commits suicide in Fla. coastal town,” but, what is suicide? Killing oneself.

Why sugarcoat it? No matter how you serve it, it’s a nasty dish.

The second thing that caused me to stop, reread, and reflect was this quote:

Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said.

In many cases, the warning signs of suicide are blatantly in our faces. Am I saying Blanche should have picked up on her daughter’s suicide warning signs? No. I’m not even saying Deborah exhibited signs that she planned on committing suicide (aside from telling writer Dan Moldea that she would commit suicide before going back to prison, which is a HUGE warning sign; however, she may not have told her mother that). I wasn’t there. I don’t know. Too often hindsight is 20/20, and we recognize the signs afterward.

But, I do know that this is as good a time as any to go over a few of the warning signs that a person may be contemplating suicide or already have a plan to commit suicide.

The list of possible suicide warning signs is a long and winding one that covers basically the same ground, while offering a different sign here and there depending on where you get the information. I’ve attempted to group them into a few categories for easier reading, and to help guide you to and through the potential warning signs of suicide as well as how to react, but I highly suggest you also visit the Web sites I’ve listed below.

Consider the person’s situation. Has the person recently gone through a potentially devastating situation, such as infidelity, divorce, rape, abuse, job loss, or the death of a loved one? Is the person facing, or has the person already experienced, a potentially humiliating situation, such as imprisonment, a secret being exposed, or gambling away the family business? If so, keep your eyes open. Obviously not everyone who goes through these situations is going to commit suicide; if that were the case, none of us would be here. However, these situations and feelings – devastation, humiliation, grief, hopelessness, betrayal, hurt, panic – are known triggers for suicide.

Pay attention to the person’s moods and personality changes. Has the person become withdrawn, isolated, depressed, irritable, tired, apathetic, hopeless, or anxious? Too, people who are planning suicide sometimes switch from being very sad to very happy (it’s been said they do this because they finally have an “answer,” a “way out” or a “solution” to their problem, i.e. they feel relieved because they’ve planned suicide and know they won’t be on earth much longer). You’re not a mind reader, but oftentimes you can get a feel for the person’s mood just by having conversations with or watching him or her.

Take note of any changes in behavior and interests. Has the person lost interest in activities s/he once enjoyed? Is the person sleeping too much or too little, or overeating or not eating enough? Has the person quit his or her job, or started spending way more money than usual? A change in personal appearance and hygiene can act as a suicide warning sign. Too, drug and alcohol abuse are almost always listed as possible warning signs. I’m not talking about your Uncle Cheech who still wears tie-dye and reminisces about 1969. I’m talking about the suburban mom who’s now frequenting back alleys making heroine deals. (Maybe not even that extreme.) The point is, the drug and alcohol abuse will most likely be a change in behavior and interests.

Also observe how the person treats his or her belongings. Many times people who have planned to commit suicide start to give away their possessions. They figure they won’t need them anymore, because they’ll be dead, so they want others to have them. (Sometimes they may even create wills – whether secretly or openly – and if you find such a will, or are told about such a will, it may be a warning sign.) They may also start putting their affairs in order in other ways, such as withdrawing funds and closing bank accounts, selling their homes or vehicles, and gathering up and organizing important documents their family members may need once they’re gone.

Finally, listen to the person. If the person starts saying things like “I’m through with life,” “Everyone would be better off if I were gone,” “I can’t do this anymore,” or “I want to die,” CONSIDER IT A WARNING SIGN. If the person outright tells you s/he has thought about, wants to, or has devised a plan to commit suicide, CONSIDER IT A WARNING SIGN.

The American Association of Suicidology offers a list of ways you can react and help someone who is considering suicide (or someone you think is considering suicide). My own bottom line, personal take on the matter can be summed up in two steps:

1. If you feel a person may be planning suicide, get help.
2. If you know for a fact a person is planning suicide, GET HELP.

I’ve mentioned before that there are two confidentiality deal breakers for me: plans to harm another person or plans to harm him/herself. With that being said, don’t ever let a person “swear you to secrecy” if s/he confides about suicide plans. I don’t care if she’s been your best friend since kindergarten or he was the one person who kept all your secrets in high school. The cold hard fact is that s/he is going to be dead if the plan is carried out.

And I promise you – I promise you with every fiber of my being – waking up the next morning with the knowledge that your friend is seriously pissed off at you because you called for help will be a hell of a lot easier to deal with than waking up to a phone call telling you your friend completed his or her suicide plan.

But what if my friend’s not really serious? you may be wondering. What if it’s all just blowing off steam and I’m wrong? Well, that’s a “wrong” you want to be. Wouldn’t you rather be wrong in thinking your friend is planning suicide than be wrong in thinking your friend is just blowing off steam? Yes.

For more information about the warning signs of suicide and how to handle suicidal situations, check out the following Web sites and pages:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• American Association of Suicidology
• Suicide.org
• SAMHSA’s Suicide Warning Signs
• WebMD’s Depression: Recognizing the Warning Signs of Suicide

If you have any experience with suicide and have helped or been helped by others, feel free to share your story and words of encouragement in the comments.

Image source: Newscom

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Suicide Warning Signs: In Light Of Deborah Jeane Palfrey