HJAR Sep/Oct 2019

52 SEP / OCT 2019 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Wake-up Call InApril of 2015, the Governor and General Assembly proclaimed suicide as “the leading cause of injury death inArkansas, and an ur- gent and serious public health and welfare problem in the state.”At the time, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in Arkansas, and over twice as many people died by sui- cide annually than from homicide. In 2018, the American Foundation for Suicide Pre- vention ranked suicide as the tenth leading cause of death amongArkansans and ranked Arkansas 14th in the nation. Although there are many initiatives in place to prevent sui- cide, there are factors that place Arkansans at risk of suicide. Mental Wellness In the prior issue, I suggested that by talk- ing about suicide in an informed manner, we can play a vital role in promoting prevention efforts and saving lives. But it takes more than talking about suicide; we must act. In order to create a better social world together, we must change our behavior, specifically the way in which we communicate, both listening and talking, about mental health. I encourage you to not just reframe the conversation, but to become trained as a mental health sup- porter, engage as a mental health advocate, and aspire to be empathetic. COLUMN MENTAL HEALTH BECOME AMENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTER It would be irresponsible of me to write about mental health and not provide you with resources. Some of this content may cause uncomfortable feelings and thoughts. If so, please contact a mental health professional or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.