Local Resources Available for Suicide Prevention

September is Suicide Prevention Month. While 1 in 20 U.S. adults have serious thoughts of suicide each year, many people struggle to talk openly about suicide- either sharing their own thoughts or reaching out to someone who might be struggling. Talking about suicide isn’t harmful — silence is. One honest conversation can be a turning point in someone’s life, and knowing about local resources can help prepare you for that conversation.

Myrtue Medical Center offers many resources to support mental health and suicide prevention. Myrtue has immediate mental health therapy support available through the Starting Point Group. Myrtue offers this therapy service on Mondays at 1 pm or Fridays at 9 am. Community members can call to schedule in advance or register the day of group. Starting Point focuses on core understanding and skills to support mental health, including guided practices during the session to reduce anxiety and build your capacity to handle stress.

No matter where you are in the country, the national suicide and crisis lifeline 988 is also a valuable option. You can call or text 988 for immediate, confidential support during a mental health crisis. 988 also has a chat option at chat.988lifeline.org. The 988 lifeline not only provides immediate crisis support; it also helps bridge to local resources.

Myrtue always has a mental health professional on-call to provide local assistance. If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, you can call the Myrtue Behavioral Health office at 712.755.5056 during office hours, or 712.755.5161 to reach the on-call provider after office hours. The after-hours number is through the emergency department. Let them know you need to speak to the on-call therapist, and they will take down your name and contact information, and have a mental health professional contact you right away.

Suicide prevention is much more than crisis response. Connecting with comprehensive mental health care is crucial. Other resources provided by Myrtue to support mental health include medication evaluation and management, substance abuse evaluation and treatment, individual, group, couples, and family therapy, and community support services.

The Senior Life Solutions program is a unique option for senior adults living with symptoms of age-related depression or anxiety, or dealing with difficult life circumstances and losses. Following an individual assessment, Senior Life Solutions participants meet three times per week in a supportive and encouraging group therapy setting.

We can all support suicide prevention by keeping the conversation going about mental health challenges and resources. For more information, call Behavioral Health Department at 712-755-5056 or Senior Life Solutions at 712-755-4327.

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