September is National Suicide Prevention Month, which spotlights the issues in Connecticut and across the U.S.

Although suicide rates in Connecticut are low, there still are ways to prevent those deaths.

Andrea Duarte, co-chair of the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, said it can be challenging for physicians to spot signs that a person might be considering suicide.

While a physician might suspect there is something wrong from changes in patients' health, there are other methods of seeing how close someone is to committing suicide.

But, Duarte said, how a person thinks of suicide can change depending on their current circumstances.

"Some people may struggle chronically with suicidal thinking - just like you have a chronic, other type of disease," said Duarte. "And there will be ups and downs and ebbs and flows to that, and sometimes you'll have increased levels of severity and sometimes you'll have less. It's important to understand the spectrum of thinking."

One tool that has become easy for physicians to utilize is the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. This is a short list of questions that can tell a clinician where a person's mental health is at that moment.

Doing this can help a doctor understand the right course of action for providing a person with the proper course of mental-health treatment.

Although mental health has come a long way over the last decade, there are some worries over stigmas surrounding suicide. According to Mental Health America, about 25% of adults in the U.S. are experiencing some kind of mental illness.

Duarte said she finds that despite the progress made to destigmatize mental health, there's more to be done.

"Sometimes, it depends on population," said Duarte. "You can have certain populations that feel that having a mental illness or poor mental health is a sign of weakness or that thinking of suicide is a sign of weakness. Or, even is against a religion. So, there's a lot of stigma built up around mental health."

Duarte said it doesn't have anything to do with weakness. Rather, people might be traumatized from their current circumstances resulting in poor mental health, or a history of trauma.

It can be challenging to overcome these stigmas due to the culture that has built up over the years. She said that just as with physical health, everyone has mental health.

In July, the National Suicide Hotline established a simpler phone number for people to call - 988. However, Connecticut residents have multiple options for reaching the National Suicide Hotline - such as dialing 211 or using the original Suicide Hotline number.

She said she hopes people will understand that dialing this number isn't just for those with severe thoughts of suicide, but for those on the spectrum of suicidal thinking.

"It's important that people understand that the majority of people who call," said Duarte, "are not necessarily having to be referred for what we call an active rescue because they're not at imminent risk."

Duarte said she hopes anyone who is suffering from suicidal thoughts does contact 988 or look into mental-health treatment options. For more information, visit preventsuicidect.org.

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.