Stay vigilant
Loved ones of local suicide victims stress proactive approach
While local suicide rates are trending in a positive direction, healthcare professionals stress the need to remain on guard about the potential for deaths that can be prevented. Recent data for both Macomb and Oakland counties show a decline in the number of suicides. However promising, experts in the field of suicidology warn it is a multifaceted issue and mortality data can be deceptive. Death by suicide among young people between the ages of 10 and 24 is still trending upward at alarming rates.
What’s important is to remain diligent in efforts of suicide prevention initiatives.
Among the recommendations in a, report by the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is the need for the United States to establish better epidemiology around suicide, develop innovate methods for collecting data at scale so researchers can help us understand what’s happening and create some kind of national
standard for professionals who serve on the front lines.
“There is no national requirement for crisis response training among healthcare professionals despite suicide being the 11th (it was 10th until COVID-19) leading cause of death,” according to the AAS. “No national suicide care yet exists in the private healthcare system. It is left to individual health systems to make suicide-safe care a priority. Few regulatory bodies are currently invested in the research that would make such standards of care mandatory for every patient or client.”
Until then, healthcare professionals are left to choose what they see as the best treatment for someone who is suicidal.
“We lost Nick in 2017,” said Jojo Klingler of Troy. “He ran cross country for his high school. He had good grades. He had friends, but one day he just hit a wall.”
He never recovered and died by suicide at the age of 17.
“The real story starts 10 days prior to when he died,” Klingler said.
Normally, Nick had cross country practice after school. But he ditched practice and came home looking depressed so Jojo asked her son what was going on. It was then that he asked if he could see a psychologist he knew who had helped him with a previous problem. She texted the psychologist immediately and confirmed a date. She and her husband, Fritz, also considered taking Nick to the ER but the psychologist advised against it, saying it would be traumatic and that it’s not always the best course of action.
After that his situation changed dramatically.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Klingler said. “He had a girl that he liked — and they kind of broke up — but that wasn’t really the issue. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me,’ he said. ‘I have a great life. I have a family who cares about me. I can go wherever I want. I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.’”
“He was asking for help. He was willing to do anything,” she added.
Nick was able to see the psychologist and discussed how he was feeling. Nick agreed to a contract saying he would not hurt himself. However, it was evident at that point that he needed further help in the way of medications that could only be prescribed by a psychiatrist.
So, the Klinglers started making calls to find a professional who could provide the care their son, so desperately needed. But help proved to be difficult. Klingler called several psychiatrists but the earliest she could get him in was four months away. When that didn’t work she visited the offices in person and was basically pushed out the door. They did manage to get Nick in to see his pediatrician, who prescribed an antidepressant and recommended he see a psychiatrist, but had no connections to get him in earlier. Finally, after making 45 calls, Fritz found a psychiatrist in Ann Arbor willing to see his son.
After an evaluation he prescribed medication that would help with Nick’s state of depression — a boost as he called it — and assured his parents that he would be fine. That was Friday. On Sunday, Nick returned to his job at a fast food restaurant and afterwards seemed to be in a better mood.
“As a parent I felt hopeful, that he didn’t feel alone and that he was getting the help he needed,” Klingler said. “Looking back now, I think it was because he had found a solution and knew what he was going to do.”
It was that night that he took his life.
A day does not go by without Klingler thinking of her son.
The same is true of La Toya Bond of St. Clair Shores.
Not only does she think about her father but she mentions him every day during her podcast series, “Speaking of Love.” The Saturday show on Facebook aims to spread love and kindness around the world — as a means of preventing violence — in honor of her dad.
Herman McKalpain Jr., 66, and his wife were found shot to death in a condo in Sterling Heights in March of 2020. Police suspected it was a murder-suicide.
Recalling the fateful day, Bond said she woke up in the middle of the night to find her cell phone exploding with messages and knew that it had to be something to do with her father.
“But never in a million years did I think it would be something like that,” Bond said.
“My dad was a wonderful guy but he struggled with the pleasures of drinking,” Bond said of McKalpain, who worked as a WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) editor and photographer before leaving his job in 2007.
“He loved that job. He loved working there,” Bond said.
Not having that in his life anymore was a real struggle for McKalpain. He also had problems with obesity — although just before he died he lost a lot of weight and was looking great.
“We thought he was happy,” Bond said. “We didn’t realize he was still struggling.”
As with other people who lose someone to suicide, Bond has found herself looking for answers as to why he would do such a thing. He didn’t have his work but he had other rewards in his life — including a new marriage with a woman he knew in high school and as a volunteer basketball coach for a youth league in his community.
Bond does remember him saying things like, “I had a long day today and I’m looking for the Ambassador Bridge.” “I would say, why are you looking for the bridge and he would say because I’m looking to jump.”
Bond was concerned about her dad but he was in counseling and under a doctor’s care, just as Nick was.
“The reason we’re telling Nick’s story is because we definitely hit some barriers in getting him help,” Klingler said, “It’s these barriers that we need to eliminate in order to reduce the numbers.”
Bond is also hopeful her podcast and experience will help to turn the tide for others.
“If my voice can save the life of just one person, my work is not in vain,” said Bond, who also sells products that inspire love and kindness.
The numbers
Preliminary data in a report by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that while there was a 17.7% increase in overall deaths in the United States in 2020, there were 2,677 fewer suicides (44,834) than those reported in 2019 (47,511). Due to the number of COVID-19 related deaths, suicide dropped from the 10th leading cause of death to the 11th, but still ranks as the second leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds.
In Macomb County suicide rates dropped from 140 deaths in 2019 to 118 in 2020, according to the county health department.
Of those who died in 2020, 90 were males and 28 were females. The cause of death included:
Similar decreases were reported in Oakland County with suicide rates dropping from 149 deaths in 2020 to 145 in 2021.
Data for 2021 is not currently available for Macomb County but is expected to be similar to Oakland County.
The numbers are promising but experts say it is wise to remain cautious in the wake of recent declines. According to JAMA, suicides are misclassified as other manners of death and suicides are undercounted in areas of the U.S. that rely on elected coroners for death investigations. They are also undercounted for specific demographic groups and certain mechanisms of injury such as singular motor vehicle fatalities.
“If the above reasons could be ruled out as explanations for the reported decreases in suicide in 2019 and 2020, then that would provide greater confidence in the conclusion that these decreases are true decreases,” said Christopher Drapeau, PhD, HSPP, psychologist and adjunct faculty member at Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health in the report by the JAMA.
Getting it right
One of the steps in the right direction will be eliminating the barriers families like the Klinglers found themselves trying to overcome.
“Pediatricians should have access to emergency appointments with local psychiatrists for their patients,” Jojo Klingler said. “Psychologists should also have continuing education — just like other health care professionals — in order to be aware of new methods for suicide prevention being practiced.”
She also believes parents need to be made aware of the severity of the situation, so they can take the necessary precautions (like a 24hour suicide watch) and all health care professionals dealing with patients who are suicidal should have access to overnight mental health treatment centers.
Kevin’s Song
Many people seeking answers will benefit from Kevin’s Song “Virtual Conference on Suicide: Equity and Equality” taking place virtually, live and streamed Jan. 27-29.
The three-day event put on by the nonprofit founded in memory of Kevin Urso and dedicated to empowering communities to prevent suicide and offer hope to healing survivors is open to the general public and everyone from first responders and teachers to students, policy makers, veterans and support groups, loss survivors and attempted survivors. Also part of the conference on Thursday is a school summit tailored for those teachers and others involved in schools.
This year’s event picks up and expands on last year’s conversation about the challenges that contribute to inequalities regarding suicide prevention and offers solutions for change.
“Going into the second year of the pandemic, it has never been more important for us to provide support and awareness of mental health issues and the potential for suicide,” Gail Urso, Kevin’s Song co-founder said in a release. “In the current pandemic environment, many individuals are feeling isolated, depressed and anxious. Many have lost loved ones or seen them face health challenges while others have dealt with their own serious illnesses. Now, more than ever, we need to reach out and let them know they are not alone, especially those who have experienced cultural biases and other social inequities. We not only intend to address these challenges head on at this year’s conference but offer solutions for change as well.”
The conference, produced by Detroit Public Television, will feature a prestigious roster of leading experts in the field of suicide with general and breakout sessions and supportive resources available to attendees.
Jojo Klingler said it’s not the same old stuff. It’s new. It’s current and its information is shared by professionals.
“I went to one of the three day classes. It’s amazing how many people come to you for help because you’ve been through something they are going through. I just wanted to be able to speak intelligently about suicide prevention.”
If there was one day she would recommend it’s Thursday’s School Summit. “It’s about kids and it’s so informative,” said Klingler.
Registration for the conference is $150 for all three days and $100 for the School Summit only. For those who are only interested in attending the Saturday Survivor Program, which is free of charge, advanced registration is encouraged but the entire program can be viewed on Facebook.
For a complete roster of guests and topics, registration and more information visit kevinssong.org