10/28/2024
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Last month was Su***de Prevention Month and as we know, there is a close correlation between addictions of all kinds and suicidal ideation, closer than we may realize. Many of our frontline team members have undoubtedly experienced this occurrence with their patients and have had to bring them out of this negative mental space.
The connection between opioid addiction and suicidal ideation by the numbers:
30%: Overdose deaths that have been linked to su***de
21.5 million: People who had both a mental illness and Substance Use Disorder in 2022
48%: Estimate of lifetime su***de attempt rates among individuals with OUD
75%: Individuals with OUD that meet the criteria for at least one mental illness diagnosis
10-14x: The greater risk of su***de for individuals with SUD than the general public.
However, this important work is not being done by our organization alone. We would also like to highlight the efforts our team members are making to defeat the Silent Epidemic. Program Director Lisa Williams from our treatment center in Mobile has taken it upon herself to acquire her Certificate for Applied Su***de Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Training for Trainers. Lisa states, “It was honor to be in the class of 21 participants across the State of Alabama, who interviewed and were approved to attend the ASIST Train the Trainer (T4T) as we all made a commitment to support and partner with VitAL to empower our fellow Alabamians as we work together to enhance our caregiving abilities to assist a person with thoughts of su***de to keep-safe for now by providing life-assisting guidance.” The course required increasing their skills and confidence in providing Su***de First Aid.
