HJLR May/Jun 2019

58 MAY / JUN 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK Wake-up Call InApril of 2015, the Governor and General Assembly proclaimed suicide as, “the lead- ing cause of injury death inArkansas and an urgent 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. What is mental illness? If I were to ask you if you have heard nega- tive words to describe mental illness, I’m sure you could list many. The reason for those terms may reflect a lack of understanding or empathy but they result in stigma, another factor that places Arkansans at risk. As healthcare professionals, we know that mental illness is defined as a diagnosable illness that affects a person’s thinking, emo- tional state, and behavior, with the capacity to disrupt the person’s ability to work, carry out daily actives, and engage in satisfying column Mental Health arkansans At Risk 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.