ASIST

This last week I had the opportunity to attend an ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and I would like to briefly share some of the skills I learned. One thing that really stuck with me was the idea of CPR ++, a tool that can help one remember what to do when someone admits to being suicidal. First, now that it is ALWAYS okay to ask someone if they are suicidal. If someone you love is showing signs and symptoms of depression, ask them, "Are you thinking of committing suicide?" If the answer is, "Yes." Start CPR ++. The "C" stands for "Current Plan of Action." This is when you can asked your loved one. "Do you know how or when you would commit suicide?" If they have a plan of action, disable it. This may mean removing pills, guns, or other dangerous items from their possession. The "P" stands for "Pain." Allow your loved one to express their pain, no matter how hard it is to hear it. You must listen to their reasons for wanting to die before they will open up to reasons for living. The "R" is "Resources." Ask the person if there is anyone else they have told about how they are feeling, or if there is anyone they would be willing to open up to. It is not reasonable for you to become a person's counselor unless you are trained to do so but it will be helpful to set them up with resources that can offer them long term support, a counselor and a 24 hour hotline at a minimum. The "++" represent two other important questions to ask, "Have you ever tried to commit suicide before?" and "Have you ever been to a counselor before?" These questions can be pertinent to their recovery. I encourage everyone to seek out a training like this because this is only a brief overview of what I learned. You never know when you may need to employ these tactics to save a life!

Outsiders: Misfits, Miscreants, and Monsters

When I speak to young people dealing with depression, I ask them what names they have been called at school. "Freak", "Emo", "Goth", "Weirdo" are classic answers that always assault my ears, these are the same words that I was called - among other things - when I was in junior high and high school. When a person is dealing with depression it is no surprise that they feel different from their peers, "Everyone else is happy, but I'm not. What is wrong with me that I'm so different?" The feeling of being different many times leads to dressing different, listening to music that isn't mainstream, watching movies that aren't sell outs at the box office; one can feel drawn to these things as an expression of what they are feeling inside. I am currently in a wonderful literature class called, "Outsiders: Misfits, Miscreants, and Monsters in Literature and Film." How wonderful to have an entire class dedicated to iconic characters that have been ostracized from society! To those of you who feel different, EMBRACE IT! Some of the most celebrated creative minds were not the most popular people in their high school, they defied norms and refused to hide their differences. Go and do the same! YOU have an interesting and unique story to tell, and if you have lived a difficult life, you have insight that many others do not possess. Refuse to listen to those words that others call you and replace them with words like, "Unique", "Creative", "Artistic", "Insightful." You are all of these things and you deserve to be recognized for them!

I just finished an amazing book by the reporter Pete Earley, the title is Crazy. When Earley's son began acting strangely, Earley traveled to New York, where his son "Mike" was attending college and drove him to an emergency room in their hometown of Fairfax, Virginia. At the emergency room they were denied treatment because Virginia state law prohibits the treatment of mentally ill patients against their will. Mike insisted that there was nothing wrong, but Pete soon learned this was the start of a long journey of caring for his mentally ill son. Infuriated by the doctor's unwillingness to treat Mike, Pete dove into the world of mental health care, and learned that state laws such as the one prohibiting the doctor from treating Mike were just the start of many holes in the mental health care system. Earley decided to investigate one of the most mentally ill cities in the country, Miami. There he learned that many of our mentally ill are housed in our jails, not in hospitals, and that very few are being treated for their diseases. Pete Earley's book is one that not only educated me, but made my blood boil and further incensed my desire to stand up for my peers, my mentally ill community, and make sure that we are all treated. Our lives do not have to be an endless cycle of jail time, recovery, and relapse. The more we educate ourselves, the more we can learn what needs to be done to make sure that everyone is able to live the best life possible.

A Different Kind of Lifeguard

As Miss South Dakota International 2012 I have made it my mission to educate as many people as possible through my platform, A Different Kind of Lifeguard: Blowing the Whistle on Depression, Self-Injury, and Suicide. In the United States someone commits suicide every 17 minutes. To me this is unacceptable as each of these deaths are completely preventable. Through this blog I hope to educate an even wider demographic outside of the South Dakota schools, hospitals, and media that I speak to. I in no way want to infer that I consider myself an expert on mental illness, but I am an expert on my own life, which has been greatly affected by a severe depressive disorder that I have fought over the past 11 years. My dream is to bring hope and inspiration to others living with mental illness. If I can affect one life, I will feel as if there is some sense in my having this disease. With this blog I will share my platform, philosophies on life, and aides that I have found helpful and inspiring. If you are reading this, please know that you are not alone, I am hoping that you realize I would not be writing this if I did not deeply care for you, even without knowing you, I care, even if it seems no one else does. Hang on because you will do great things, share your own story to inspire others and know that you - YOU - have the power to save a life.