N.M., plagued by suicide, likely to see spike in 2020

Pandemic’s mental health toll has big impact on teens, young adults

A legislative report released in December gave a dire warning: New Mexico, which has struggled with the highest suicide rate in the nation, could see a spike in 2020.

Much of the blame goes to COVID-19 and the heavy toll the coronavirus has taken on families in the state, from illnesses and deaths to lost jobs and isolation.

The pandemic’s effect has been particularly taxing on children, teens and young adults. Their lives were turned upside down in 2020, with schools shuttered, sports and other activities canceled, and large gatherings with friends prohibited. The result could be concerning in New Mexico, where 29 percent of the deaths of young people ages 15 to 24 were due to suicide between 2014 and 2018, according to the legislative report — and the numbers were rising.

Even in 2019, when overall suicide numbers in the state slightly declined, deaths for young people in this age group continued to increase.

Younger children in New Mexico also have taken their own lives in recent years, alarming their small communities and the state.

The deaths of two 11-year-olds, in December 2018 and February 2019, were due to school bullying, according to friends and family of Delia Watson of Grants and Anjelita Estrada, a Farmington girl who had moved to Connecticut just months before she died.

The parents of an 11-year-old Hobbs boy who died by suicide in April have said they believe his struggle with isolation during the pandemic could be what drove him to take his life.

James and Katrina Fuller have spoken with local and national media about the death of their son, Landon, and have urged parents to

BY THE NUMBERS

A December report by the Legislative Finance Committee found New Mexico lacks a suicide prevention strategy and urged officials to create a plan to reduce suicides in the state by 10 percent in five years. The report found:

◆ More than 500 people a year in New Mexico have died by suicide in each of the last two years.

◆ In 2018, New Mexico had the highest suicide rate in the U.S., at 25.6 per 100,000 residents, and experienced a faster increase than the nation.

◆ From 2014 to 2018, New Mexico’s suicide rate increased by 19 percent, more than double the national increase of 9 percent

◆ Suicides are more prevalent among white and Native American residents in the state, and men account for a majority of suicide deaths.

◆ Suicides account for 29 percent of the deaths of 15- to 24-year-olds in the state, and over 10 percent of high school students report attempting suicide.

◆ Firearms were used in over half of all suicide deaths in New Mexico in 2019.

Child access protection laws and permit requirements for gun purchases can reduce suicides, but New Mexico has not enacted such measures. In Connecticut, changes to “permit to purchase” legislation reduced firearm suicides by over 15 percent.

◆ Suicide costs the state over $650 million in lost productivity and medical expenses.

◆ New Mexico’s Medical Advisory Team expects the need for behavioral health services to increase by 15 percent to 20 percent due to COVID-19.

talk with their children about how they are feeling, especially during the pandemic.

The Legislative Finance Committee’s recent report said that as the state braces for a possible rise in suicides related to the pandemic, it lacks a prevention strategy. The report urged officials to create a plan aimed at reducing suicide deaths by 10 percent over the next five years and recommended more data monitoring, increased access to behavioral health services, laws limiting lethal means of carrying out a suicide — such as firearms, used in 55 percent of suicides in the state in 2019 — and expanded training in schools to recognize signs a student could be feeling suicidal.

Susan O’Brien, director of student wellness at Santa Fe Public Schools, is familiar with the rise in teen anxiety and suicidal ideation.

“Our kids are sad and having a hard time,” she said. “Anecdotally, even students who never had anxiety or hopelessness are having it now. The pandemic has had an impact because their whole social life has changed drastically.”

O’Brien’s office heads a growing youth-led initiative called WAVE that focuses, in part, on suicide prevention. Formerly known as SWAT, the 20-year-old program is offered in all K-8 schools and high schools in the district and has expanded to charter schools in the city and the private St. Michael’s High School.

WAVE, which stands for Wellness Ambassadors to Voice and Empower, is “youth-driven and youth-led,” said its director, Jenn Jevertson. “We pivot according to what kids tell us. And everything pivots around prevention.”

Brandon Gomez, a senior at

HOW TO GET HELP

If you or someone you know is experiencing severe depression or has thoughts of suicide, call one of the following hotlines, staffed 24 hours a day, to get help:

◆ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK)

◆ New Mexico Crisis and Access Line: 855-662-7474 (855-NMCRISIS)

For detailed information about suicide prevention, visit wearespur. com/org.

The following local organizations offer crisis response services, counseling, peer support groups and other suicide prevention efforts for youth:

◆ The Sky Center/New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project, based at Ortiz Middle School; 505-473-6191, nmsip.org.

◆ Gerard’s House, 505-424-1800, gerardshouse.org.

the district-chartered Academy for Technology and the Classics and a member of WAVE, said, “It’s draining to just sit in front of a computer screen and attend classes. With kids not able to socialize as much as before because we have to stay home, a lot of kids might be struggling more.”

WAVE’s value, he says, lies in “having someone closer to your age talk about these issues. It encourages them to discover more about this issue, and makes them think they can do it, too.”

Longtime local nonprofits, such as Gerard’s House and The Sky Center, also offer suicide prevention and counseling services for youth, and a new program was launched in December at the Life Healing Center in Santa Fe, a residential behavioral health treatment facility.

Jason Foundation Inc., based in Tennessee, established an affiliate office at the center to provide materials for schools, parents and teens on how to prevent teen suicide.

BJ Coleman, Life Healing Center’s CEO, said the facility has had an increase in patients during the pandemic, “which is in line with what many crisis lines and other mental health providers have experienced . ... As it continues to be difficult or dangerous to see friends and loved ones during the holiday season and winter months ahead,” he said, “it’s reasonable to expect a similar surge into 2021.”

Coleman said the new Jason Foundation space at the center “will serve as a hub where parents, teachers, guidance counselors, students, churches and other community organizations can find educational materials and learn about the training programs available through JFI. The public can access all of these materials at no cost.”

State health official Billy Jimenez, who served as acting secretary of the Department of Health for several weeks this year, said in November the decline in overall suicides in New Mexico in 2019 — to 515 from 535 the prior year — was encouraging.

But he and other officials cautioned the numbers likely would rise in 2020.

Initial data doesn’t show a rise in suicides in 2020, the Legislative Finance Committee report said, but it cited factors that could affect early numbers: “The length of time required for medical investigations to determine suicide as the cause of death or because behavioral health problems may take time to present after a traumatic situation.”

Like the legislative report, Jimenez cited a need for policy changes to tackle the issue head-on.

“Suicide can be prevented, and the Department of Health is committed to working with our statewide partners to create a standard of care that recognizes when a patient seen in an emergency room setting is in need of a behavioral health follow-up,” he said in late November.

“We know outreach works,” he added. “When people are having thoughts of suicide, they feel relief after someone talks with them in a caring way.”

That’s where programs like WAVE come in.

“It’s peers helping peers,” said Apryl Miller, executive director of The Sky Center, which collaborates with Santa Fe Public Schools and WAVE, and also oversees a program called Natural Helpers, in which middle school kids provide support for peers.

“We try to get them to be the eyes and ears of their schools,” Miller said. They’re good at connecting with adults and trying to reach out. They get other kids to a counselor if they need one.”

Enzo Abbate, a 10th-grader at Monte del Sol Charter School and a member of the WAVE program there, said he believes the initiative helps spread awareness — not only among youth but among adults as well.

“I feel like I can be the small voice for young people and make their concerns feel heard and valid,” he said.