Opinion
WyoFile’s recent piece, “Amid Wyoming’s mental health struggles, governor hopes successor prioritizes the issue,” cites mental health access as a contributing factor to Wyoming’s high suicide rates. Integrating behavioral health into primary care is one best-practice that has improved mental health access in other states. Wyoming funded a few integration initiatives through its Rural Health Transformation Program. Yet, suicide risk reduction requires more resources for communities, not just healthcare systems.
Social factors drive suicide risk. When families start addressing these at home, the suicide rates will further decline. Do our Wyoming families know their vital role as part of the solution?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Wyoming children have higher rates of Adverse Childhood Events than the national average, ranking in the highest cohort with Montana and the top state, Oregon. Examples of these events include: not having enough food to eat, losing a parent to divorce or death (including suicide), living with someone who misuses alcohol or other substances, and suffering physical or verbal abuse by a parent. Research concludes four or more adverse childhood events render individuals 12-30 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those with zero events. Addressing these events in Wyoming remains critical to reducing suicide risk, possibly alleviating the mental health access problem in the long-term.
This is why First Lady Jenny Gordon tirelessly targeted food insecurity. When she began her initiative, 20% of Wyoming children had insufficient food to eat. It explains why Gov. MarkGordon has framed suicide as a social issue — not just a mental health one. His successor must propagate this message too. Unless suicide is discussed at home during the sensitive time period in which parents teach their children about other safety issues like avoiding drugs, not talking to strangers and “safe touches,” it’s doubtful that lasting risk reduction will occur. Suicide isn’t his problem or their problem, it is our problem. It is happening in our families, towns, schools and churches.
To be clear, Wyoming culture isn’t the problem; it is the solution.
If we teach our children how to cope with strong negative emotions, they may not drink as much alcohol when encountering hardships as teens and adults. We should normalize self-help instead of criticizing this as “weak.” Stop relying on “cowboy up” sentiments, which may have worked in years past but evidently fail among members of the younger generations. Let’s help cultivate a resilient generation by teaching them how to manage adversity. This means adults must set positive examples while shifting their life philosophies as they teach their children about overcoming adversity without resorting to substance misuse and suicide. Are Wyoming parents equipped, resourced and ready for this?
Leveraging Wyoming’s cultural values of independence and self-reliance, along with the appreciation of helping someone who is in a dangerous situation, helps reduce suicide risk across communities — the Wyoming way. But culture change takes time, and persistence.
There are signs that culture change has begun under Gov. Gordon. The rise in help-seeking demand signals cited in WyoFile’s recent article substantiate that culture is shifting. Help-seeking is on the rise, which is part of the solution. Increased referrals to behavioral health and rising calls to 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, are indicators of progress — not signals of things getting worse.
Can Wyoming parents, schools and faith communities increasingly help young people better cope with adversity early in life? Is the next governor willing to target adverse childhood events through parent education programs in schools? Will our faith communities help by partnering with nonfaith organizations?
Can we please provide support for bereaved families and friends after every single Wyoming suicide so that communities stop experiencing these deaths as trauma and we dissuade onlookers from believing suicide is a viable option to life’s worst days?
These are the upstream programs and initiatives that will reduce further suicide risk in Wyoming. Our strengths lie in our communities. I hope and pray the next governor will help the culture evolve by empowering and resourcing people locally.
