Program offers insights into youth suicide

A consortium of community groups will present a public program on preventing youth suicide March 28 in Cathlamet.

The program will be at 6 p.m. in the Julius A. Wendt Elementary School Multi-purpose Room.

Sponsors are Wahkiakum Community Network, Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services and the Lower Columbia Chapter of Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Three goals for the program are

1. To raise awareness of suicide risk factors;

2. Where to find help in Wahkiakum County; and

3. To increase the effectiveness of current programs.

Guest speaker and program facilitator will be Mary Jadwisiak, regional coordinator of the state Youth Suicide Prevention Program.

In the first part of the program, Jadwisiak will lead program participants through the steps of learning to identify signs that a youth might want to commit self harm and how to respond.

In the second part of the program, representatives of local groups who respond to issues facing youth and to potential youth suicides will speak, and there will be time for public questions and answers.

The program will end with discussion of what steps the community would like to take, including the possible formation of a local youth suicide taskforce.

According to information from Jadwisiak, one in every eight adolescents may have depression. The majority of children and adolescents with depression do not get the help they need.

On Tuesday, the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners adopted a resolution recognizing March 28 as Youth Suicide Prevention Day.

The resolution spoke of risk factors that affect youth and recognized that raising awareness in the community about the significance of mental health and the importance of promoting treatment and education can save lives.

Refreshments will be served.

For additional information and to RSVP, contact Devonna Edwards at Wahkiakum Health and Human Services 795-8630.