Maybe it is really just about relationships

A western Kansas community averts tragedy through its close nit relationships.

Turn on your TV, look at a newspaper, or open an internet browser and it won’t take you long to find a story about violence.

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.

Mental health: An issue on which we can unite

In week’s since the shooting in Newton, Conn. I have heard a lot about the need for mental health awareness and access. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback even changed his stance on providing public funds for mental health.

Brownback proposed a $10 million mental health initiative last month. In 2011 Brownback had proposed $10 million in cut’s to the states mental health programs.

The need for mental health services seems to be one both the right and left can get behind. As a state we have a unique opportunity to put our resources to use in a way that can help generations of Kansans who suffer from mental illness. I hope for everyone’s sake that genuine reform occurs. When it comes the mental health of Kansas everyone has a stake.

Last week Rev. Adam Hamilton represented Kansas in the inauguration festivities as he preached the Inaugural Prayer Service. Hamilton spoke about the importance of unity and vision in his message.

“A compelling vision unifies us,” Hamilton said to the President during the sermon. “We're in need of a new common national vision. Not one that is solely Democratic or solely republican. We need one or two goals or dreams that Americans on both sides of the aisle can come together and say, ‘Yes, that's what it means to be American.’ That's where we need to go."

I believe creating access to mental health services can be one of those unifying goals. And I think Kansas can be lead the way, as an example to other states.

I don’t agree with Gov. Brownback’s politics, but I sincerely hope he succeeds in this initiative.

This is not a problem that we can just throw money and expect to see an impact. Here are three areas that I think must be addressed to create a comprehensive mental health system that fosters a healthy society: 

 Psychiatrist shortage. The shortage of psychiatrists had not been part of the media’s post-Newton discussion on mental health. But this shortage is real and has already had an in pact on patients throughout the country. In 2008 only 4 percent of graduating medical students applied for residency programs in psychiatry. It can take up to three months for a first-time patient to get into a psychiatrists. Because of this delay most people who suffer from severe mental illnesses to not receive help until they are arrested or hospitalized. It’s no surprise that 38 percent of the adult correctional facility population in Kansas are mentally ill.

Licensed counselors in public school. As school districts’ budgets continue to shrink, school counselors are often the ones on the chopping blocks. Many elementary schools do not have full-time counselors and some don’t have counselors at all. The same is true for some middle schools and high schools. Concerned parents or students who might have turned to a professional they know and trust at their school no longer have that option. This make seeking help even more difficult. Because mental health is an issue that effects public safety and the state’s budget, it makes sense to invest in school counselors. Early interventions can keep these kids from becoming adults who end up in state correctional facilities or state mental health hospitals.

 Lack of an efficient referral systems. We need to work on a system that connects primary care providers to community mental health centers and psychiatric practices. Too often primary care providers overextend themselves by diagnosing mental illnesses and prescribing psychiatric medications. When primary care providers get the diagnosis wrong, instead of receiving much needed help the patient’s illness continues to worsen. We need to develop a system where psychiatric patients can easily be referred and treated by specialists.

These reforms may seem like only a dream, but I believe they can become reality. The Governor's Mental Health Services Planning Council meets tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the KNEA building. I will be live Tweeting the event. You can follow me on Twitter at @ArleysWords.