Why is it when its too late with the loss of a loved one that we take action? This is a question that I ask myself over and over when I read of a tragic loss of a person affected by depression which results in a horrible suicide. I am posting the following Editorial that I found to send a loud and clear message to family and friends -- and will be advocating for our New Jersey Legislators to take action on this serious issue. Please take a moment to read this Editorial: Editorial: Suicide prevention bill can save lives Vacaville Reporter Former Palo Alto Councilman Vic Ojakian and his wife, Mary, became suicide prevention crusaders for the saddest possible reason: Their 21-year-old son, Adam, took his own life 10 years ago when he was a student at UC Davis. Who knows how many lives the Ojakians have saved since then, pressing for expanded counseling services at universities where pressure to succeed is intense and depression is all too common. When youre driven to a cause in such a powerful way, you learn things most people dont realize. For example, today some, and perhaps many, mental health practitioners are operating under outdated guidelines for recognizing and helping the suicidal, even as the number of suicides is growing. So, Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, drafted AB 2198 to require course work on suicide prevention as part of the states legal requirements for licensing, and then make it part of requirements for continuing education. The bill passed the Assembly but may be in trouble in the Senate. Some mental health professional organizations are fighting it, claiming their members receive sufficient training. But many groups that are on the front lines coping with the devastating consequences of a suicide epidemic disagree. So this is a plea to Bay Area lawmakers: Join together and fight for this one. Supervisors in the various counties should make some calls, since most of the people they hire to provide mental health services are urging passage. Some of the suicides in our communities have made news, many others passed quietly, here today and gone tomorrow. What a tragedy. The heartbreak for the people who loved them or knew them or knew of them spreads like ripples from a rock thrown in still water. Every one of them represents a terrible and unnecessary loss. And thats just the kids. In a recent op-ed in our sister paper the Mercury News, Ojakian argued that we make a huge fuss about diseases that claim nowhere near as many lives. Its true. West Nile virus throws us into a tizzy, but there is no comparable preventive push on suicides. AB 2198 could begin to remedy that. We are hopeful that this legislation can be a start that will lead to more awareness and understanding. State Sen. Jerry Hill, representing parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, is a co-author. So is Darrell Steinberg, the outgoing president pro tem of the Senate. Others should join them. If nonprofits dealing with this crisis are so convinced of the need, the Legislature should listen.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 02:42:01 +0000
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