BOISE, Idaho - Idaho's already high suicide rates could worsen as the COVID-19 crisis stretches into the winter months, and state officials are relying on technology for some outreach efforts.

In 2017, around 22 suicide deaths per 100,000 Idahoans put the state among the top five in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Center for Drug Overdose and Suicide Prevention, Program Manager Palina Louangketh works on drug overdose and suicide prevention.

She said she predicts social isolation, job loss and uncertainty will have mental health consequences long after the pandemic ends. But she said technology is allowing Idaho's seven public health districts to team up and continue to help people.

"Especially for rural Idaho, because we don't often get to go to out into those spaces physically," said Louangketh. "But with the online and increasing use of WebEx and Zooms and other teleconference features, we're able to connect to all those areas."

She added the agency is also partnering with suicide prevention leaders in Washington state and Oregon to expand outreach in the Mountain West.

Anyone can call or text Idaho's suicide prevention hotline at 208-398-4357. It's staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2018, the state launched a plan aimed at reduced Idaho's suicide rate by 20% by 2025. Louangketh said the biggest task has been reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental-health or substance-abuse issues.

She said the Department of Health and Welfare's website has a list of resources, including suicide-prevention training materials.

"And then we also have a training opportunity that folks can access too," said Louangketh. "It's an online platform called QPR training, gatekeeper training, to help people become become a little bit more proficient and comfortable familiarizing themselves with knowing what the signs are for possible suicide or risk of suicide."

She pointed out that reaching people at risk in remote, rural areas is a challenge, and says now more than ever, neighbors and community members should check in on one another, and not hesitate to ask for help.

"If you think about what the pandemic has done for not just Idaho, but across the nation and across the world, we really had to figure out an active way to come together," said Louangketh.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Idahoans ages 15 to 34, and for men up to age 44.


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Indiana families are preparing kids for back-to-school season, and mental-health experts say emotional readiness is just as important as school supplies.

Beth Trammell, a psychologist and professor at Indiana University East, said kids often carry anxiety into the new school year. She encouraged parents to help children identify those fears.

"We as parents or caregivers think, 'Don't worry, or don't stress.' Instead, we might want to say, 'OK, well, let's talk about what it is you're worried about. What is the worst thing you think could happen?' If we draw it out of them," she said, "it may give them space to kind of let that out."

Helping kids feel heard can reduce stress. But experts also urge balance, keeping mornings calm, easing into routines, and not overloading schedules the first few weeks.

Nicole Brady, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare, said mental-health support should remain a priority throughout the year.

"Though we want our kids to be involved in activities and be social," she said, "we have to watch their academic performance, their mood, those sleep patterns, and making sure that those are staying healthy."

Brady added that parents should talk regularly with kids, model healthy coping and seek help early if warning signs appear.


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After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the Billings area to build the state's second forensic facility.

For people involved in Montana's justice system whom a judge has deemed not mentally fit for their own defense, there are 53 beds in the state's only forensic facility in Galen. The daily waitlist hovers at about 100 people.

Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Montana, said it is not meeting the immense need.

"It's just a really bad situation for the people that are in the jails, for the people that are caring for them, for the taxpayers," Kuntz outlined. "It just doesn't work for anybody."

At a recent commission meeting, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the state is identifying a location for a new facility. The department received nearly $27 million from the state in April to fund project planning.

Kuntz noted the Montana Legislature passed many bills this session centered on mental health care.

"We really were able to get big wins in access to outpatient care, access to crisis care and for people in need of forensic hospital," Kuntz explained. "Overall, it was really an amazing legislative session for Montanans with mental health conditions."

Other mental health legislation will boost school-based services, youth in residential care, the state's 988 crisis line and certified community behavioral health clinics.


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The California Parent and Youth Helpline is in serious jeopardy after Gov. Gavin Newsom cut it from the new state budget, saying the money was needed to support medical services.

Advocates said they are puzzled because the governor has championed the helpline for years, and lawmakers approved $3 million from a separate fund dedicated to mental health, which does not affect the deficit.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said it is still operating 24/7, for now.

"We're holding on for the next month or so," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "But we need the state to step up, or one of these well-off philanthropists who cares about having that immediate help for emotional support, which is so vital."

Advocates are hoping funding can be restored via a budget trailer bill in the next few weeks. People can call or text and reach the helpline's trained counselors at 877-427-2736. The free helpline has connected with more than 120,000 people since its inception five years ago, and the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org has reached a million more.

Pion-Berlin noted a study in the Journal of Technology in Human Services found a call to the helpline can quickly ease parents' suffering and feelings of isolation.

"The research said that 85% of the callers in less than 30 minutes feel more positive, more hopeful and able to address their issues," Pion-Berlin reported. "There is no other service or pill I know that can do that in 30 minutes or less."

Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups to steer parents and kids through emotional crises of all kinds.