Suicide. Survivor’s guilt. Trauma. PTSD. Our nation has been — and should be — engaged in conversation on these difficult topics this week after the apparent suicides of three people intimately tied to mass school shootings in Parkland, Fla. and Newtown, Conn. Their deaths echo the pain, grief and insensible trauma that continue to shock … Continue reading Suicide risk demands an open, compassionate response
Mental Health
For first responders, depression and suicide pose the greatest risk
When members of the public experience an emergency, they count on first responders — police, firefighters and EMS — to show up. First responders pride themselves on being the ones who head toward those situations, from car wrecks to fires and violent crime. But, frequent exposure to the trauma surrounding incidents like fatality accidents, suicides … Continue reading For first responders, depression and suicide pose the greatest risk
Using tragedy to fight opioids
ENID, Okla. — Gail Box, who recently was appointed to the board of Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, remains motivated daily by the untimely death of her son, Austin Box, who died of a prescription pain medication overdose on May 19, 2011. Box said Austin’s death was the culmination of a long … Continue reading Using tragedy to fight opioids
PANDAS and PANS: Families drawn together by rarely diagnosed diseases
ENID, Okla. — The families of Ryker Sutherland and Jett Hartling have long had a lot in common. Both boys now are 11 years old and sixth-graders at Waller Middle School. Both have been active boys, and both enjoy baseball. But over the last two years, the families have been drawn closer together by … Continue reading PANDAS and PANS: Families drawn together by rarely diagnosed diseases
Facing our demon: Mental illness
This column originally was published May 11, 2018 in the Enid News & Eagle. The data surrounding the issue of mental illness in this column is specific to Oklahoma, but the general themes hold true for America in general. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and few places need awareness of this issue more than … Continue reading Facing our demon: Mental illness
Sacrificing our children on the altar of greed and guns
This originally was published as an opinion column in the Feb. 16, 2018 Enid News & Eagle. By the time this prints, the fervor of media coverage surrounding the latest mass killing will have subsided. Funerals will be planned. Families will grieve. Survivors will suffer. A nation will shake its head in a collective “So … Continue reading Sacrificing our children on the altar of greed and guns
The drunken gutter show
The Oklahoma Legislature failed to pass a workable budget during its session that ended in May. Special session has come and gone without a $215 million hole in the budget being filled. The answer from our governor and legislators: rob from the state's poor, sick and elderly while energy companies retain incentives and tax breaks. … Continue reading The drunken gutter show
Listen, before it’s too late
This article originally was published in the Enid News & Eagle as part of a package of stories highlighting the silent threat of depression and mental illness, and the effects of suicide on family members left behind. If you recognize the signs in this article in someone you know, please take the initiative to connect … Continue reading Listen, before it’s too late
Bridging the Gap
What happens when indigent mental health patients are released from in-patient care? All-too-often, after being stabilized on medication and inpatient treatment, they are released with no medication, and weeks to wait for follow-on treatment. What follows is a predictable spiral back into the darkness, culminating in another trip to the emergency room, jail, or emergency … Continue reading Bridging the Gap
