In response to Wyoming’s high rate of suicide across multiple age groups, every employee in the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) will be undergoing suicide prevention training.
The Wyoming Department of Health reported that suicide was the fifth highest cause of death in Wyoming in 2012, accounting for right fewer than three percent of all deaths in the state. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wyoming ranked highest in suicide in the country with a rate of 30 suicides per 100,000 people.
Jill Andersen, a communication analyst in the Wyoming DFS, underwent the training last July. She said the DFS would do everything they can to help lower the suicide rate in Wyoming and that this training program will help. She also said that the training covered what resources one has to help with people concerned with suicide, and even a section on the history of suicide.
“We at DFS feel that Wyoming is a very vulnerable population of people. We have the chance to save peoples lives by identifying some of the risk factor or warning signs to give them the help they need,” Andersen said.
She said that the training helped her realize that there are so many more signs and risk factors than most probably realize.
“Of course there are the vulnerable groups, kids that have divorced parents, kids in abuse or neglect situations, we know about those. It brings up a lot of things that we don’t think about,” Andersen said, “I remember an “aha” moment, when it talked about youth giving away prized possessions, you wouldn’t think anything of it, but really it could be a warning sign.”
Tony Lewis, senior business analyst at the DFS, said that the Wyoming DFS deals with some of the most vulnerable individuals and families that are stressed by work and providing for their families.
“It provides an opportunity to the staff who interacts with these populations to recognize the signs and symptoms, so that they can give referrals to mental health professionals or to get friends and family members to watch more closely,” Lewis said.
He said that there are a lot of factors to consider, such as whether or not a kid is in foster care, or if there are financial issues in the household.
“It comes down to a lot of really simple things. If a child who is in foster care or in any family situation is under the kind of stress that causes suicidal thoughts, just take them seriously,” Lewis said. “There are simple precautions to take, make sure there aren’t any guns around, it’s Wyoming—we’re a gun culture. If you see kids or parents indulging in drug escape behaviors, be concerned.”
He said that the training is universal and everyone can understand it. Lewis said that any amount of suicide reductions is huge and can change the state rankings drastically.
The Wyoming DFS is the first in the nation to train its entire staff in suicide prevention.
