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Organization
to assist Nantucket following
teen suicides
(March 2008
Issue)
By Elinor Nelson
It's devastating for a community to cope with the death of a teenager.
But when the death is a suicide and it is quickly followed by more,
the entire community desperately needs help. Such is the case on
Nantucket in Massachusetts. In less than one year, three teenagers
have died; two are confirmed suicides and one is under investigation.
Residents wonder who will be next.
Robert Macy, Ph.D, executive director of Boston's Center for Trauma
Psychology, an organization that has formulated acute stress response
programs worldwide, has been called in to help. Strictly speaking,
he says, what's happening on Nantucket can't be called a "suicide
cluster" because that is measured for more than one year in time;
nevertheless, no one disputes that Nantucket is in trouble and requires
help. True clusters are rare, Macy states, but clusters have a large
impact on a community. "They have a life of their own."
While Macy acknowledges that children growing up on an island can
experience its isolation, he is reluctant to attribute the suicides
to that factor. "You could make the emotional or philosophical plea
that [island life] is difficult, but everyone knows one another
and this can lead to bonding and resiliency. We can't say why it
occurs. Suicide doesn't care if you're rich or educated," he says.
The plan, according to Macy, is to reduce the "body count," and
the idea is to be prepared by assuming there will be more suicide
attempts in the community. Macy will work with parents, teachers,
school administrators, coaches, medical personnel, youth workers
and "anyone who works with kids" to educate them on how suicides
occur, how they relate to mental illness and the fact that 50 percent
of all "completers" are successful on their first attempt. Macy
says that 95 percent of all attempters and completers "have major
mental illness at the time of the act," but the good news is that
most mental illnesses are treatable.
First, Macy says, "lethal means" must be removed and teenagers
are screened for mental health issues and placed in treatment. "Barriers
to entry for treatment" are eliminated, with the Department of Mental
Health paying for uninsured treatment and helping to create more
levels of care on Nantucket so that teenagers needn't leave the
island for care.
There will also be a Posttraumatic Stress Management course offered
to island residents. It will teach how to respond in the event of
another attempt, from training emergency room and EMT personnel,
to who would first respond to a suicide attempt at a school.
Macy is consulting with a newly-created committee on Nantucket,
whose goal is to choose effective programs and to help teenagers
access the services. Macy's work with the people of Nantucket is
expected to last for at least one year and is financed by the Department
of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health and private donors.
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