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| A western Kansas community averts tragedy through its close nit relationships. |
Murder and suicide are common place in our news streams. And these stories have everyone asking why.
What could prevent such tragedies? Increased gun regulation? Less violence in video games? Or perhaps putting “God” back in our schools?
We focus so much on what could prevent heinous acts in the aftermath of tragedy. Rarely do we have, or take, the opportunity to examine the success stories: the people who contemplated suicide or other acts of violence, but chose another path, the people who decided to get help, the people who were guided to a better path.
On Tuesday I had the opportunity to hear a story of success at the Governor’s Mental Health Services Planning Council.
A 15-year-old named Jace from Deerfield, Kan., allegedly planned to kill himself at the school in front of his classmates.
This boy, along with his parents, the school principal, the school counselor, and mental health professionals from western Kansas joined the planning counsel meeting via conference call.
As Jace and others recounted his story it didn’t take long to identify what enabled Jace’s story to have a happy ending instead of a tragic one.
Jace attends Deerfiled High School in a small, close nit community. His high school only has 75 students total. That means there are about 20 students in each graduating class. These kids know each other and they notice when things are off.
Deerfield school counselor Tammie Sabata serves as the student services director for the 272 students in the Deerfield School District.
Sabata said a concerned student told her about Jace’s suicidal thoughts. Sabata took these concerns seriously. She called Jace into the office. After an assessment with Sabata, Jace was sent to the emergency room and eventually admitted to the KVC Wheatland Psychiatric Hospital in Hays, Kan.
Jace spent two weeks at KVC, where he received treatment for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety.
He said the students and staff at Deerfield High welcomed him back without the stigma that is often associated with mental illness.
“They really made me feel like a person and not just a label,” Jace said. “They have been able to make me feel accepted and supported.”
So what made Jace’s story different from so many others?
This incident happened in a community in Western Kansas where the rate of poverty is high and resources are low. It’s not the kind of community we typically look to for best practices. Yet, the successful ending of Jace’s story shows that in this incident Deerfield High School’s practices were better than the best.
So what made the difference?
Deerfield HIgh School principal Nathan Reed attributes much of this success to the relationships among his students and staff. Jace felt comfortable enough to confide in a friend, who felt safe telling the school counselor, who knew the people to go to for mental health care.
“Relationships and communication are paramount in this type of situation,” Reed said.
These people know each other. They care about each other. And in Jace’s case, that seemed to make all of the difference in the world.
So how does that translate into public policy? Can you make people get to know their neighbors? Can you legislate people to care? Because if you could I believe much of the world’s problems could be solved over a cup a tea.
If you could, kids might realize they aren’t as isolated as they may sometimes feel. If you could kids might feel safe enough to cry out of help. If you could the adults around them might notice those cries. Perhaps it is all about relationships.
As for Jace, he is now plugged into the area mental health system, grateful for the community who rallied around him.
“The plan is to take one thing at a time,” he said.
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