The Weekly Spark – Week of JUNE 17, 2011

The Weekly Spark – Week of JUNE 17, 2011

Following verbatim are the titles, ‘lede’ opening sentences and links (where available) of items posted online in The Weekly SPARK, June 17, 2011, published and e-distributed FYI by the ONLINE

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)

THE ONLINE COMPLETE June 17, 2011 *The Weekly Spark* IS FREELY AVAILABLE AT:

http://www.sprc.org/index.asp

The Weekly Spark – Week of June 17, 2011

Job opportunities at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
SPRC expects to receive funding to support the operations of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership of national leaders to advance the >National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

For more information http://www.sprc.org

~~~ AFSP sponsors Facilitating Suicide Bereavement Support Groups training – July 22 – 23, 2011, Houston, TX
This two-day training program combines lecture, interactive discussion and role-playing to help survivors of suicide loss, mental health professionals and others learn the “how-to’s” of creating and facilitating a suicide bereavement support group for adults. Registration deadline is July 6th.

For more information http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_ID=97BFAD06-0213-F8C1-332C37DE71480BA4

~~~SAMHSA releases report on mental illness and alcohol dependency
Based on data from the 2009 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, Alcohol Dependence is More Likely among Adults with Mental Illness than Adults without Mental Illness reveals that adults with mental illness are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency than adults without mental illness.
For more information http://oas.samhsa.gov/spotlight/Spotlight027AlcoholDependence.pdf

~~~ Teen Mental Health Screening in Primary Care webinar, June 30th, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Teen Mental Health Screening in Primary Care: Making it Work for Patients and Providers will discuss the following topics: communicating the value of screening to patients and parents; delivering screening results; managing referrals; and streamlining the screening process. Practicing pediatricians will offer hands-on tips and lessons learned.

For more information http://www.teenscreen.org/resources/events-webinars/webinar-teen-mental-health-screening-in-primary-care-making-it-work-for-patients-and-providers/

~~~Suicide and Socioeconomic Risk Factors

Two recent articles exploring the relationship between economic factors and suicide have important implications for suicide prevention. Both articles support the value of implementing suicide prevention strategies designed to reach people in economic distress.

This research summary drew from the following articles:

Luo, F, Florence, C, Quispe-Agnoli, M, Ouyang, L, & Crosby, A. (2011). Impact of business cycles on US suicide rates, 1928-2007. American Journal of Public Health, 101(6), 1139-1146.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2010.300010v1

Li, Z., Page, A., Martin, G., & Taylor, R. (2011). Attributable risk of psychiatric and socio-economic factors for suicide from individual-level, population-based studies: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 72, 608-616.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21211874

~~~National News ….. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia can reduce suicidal ideation, EurekAlert!, Jun. 7, 2011
New research from Stanford University suggests that treating insomnia with cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce suicidal ideation. About one in five research participants with insomnia reported suicidal ideation within the previous two weeks; participation in group cognitive-behavioral therapy produced a statistically significant reduction in suicidal ideation among this group. According to lead study author Rebecca Bernert of Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, “This suggests that a treatment focus on sleep disturbances may have important implications for the prevention of suicidal behaviors.” The research was presented at SLEEP 2011, the 25th anniversary meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). Spark Extra! Read the abstract (page A247, abstract no. 0716) http://www.journalsleep.org/Resources/Documents/2011abstractsupplement.pdf
Link to Article

Spark Extra! Read the abstract (page A247, abstract no. 0716) http://www.journalsleep.org/Resources/Documents/2011abstractsupplement.pdf

~~~State and Tribal News

Alaska : Young Inupiaq leaders tackle suicide in their communities, The Alaska Dispatch, Jun. 12, 2011
This article describes recent activities in Alaska that have brought attention to the problem of suicide. At Alaska’s first-ever conference on postvention, people from different villages came together to talk about community response and healing after suicide.
Link to Article

~~~Iowa : Crisis Center adds online chat to reach youth, The Daily Iowan, Jun. 9, 2011
The Crisis Center of Johnson County has launched a new online chat feature called Crisis Chat to supplement their 24-hour telephone crisis line. “The population we are not hitting [with the telephone service] right now are teenagers to college-age,” said the center’s communication and development coordinator, Brooke Anstoetter. The Crisis Chat feature is the first of its kind in Iowa. The Crisis Center answers 20 to 35 telephone calls a day and hopes to receive about one chat per day, which would put them in line with similar organizations that provide crisis chat service. Check out the Crisis Center’s website at
Link to Article

Spark Extra! Check out the Crisis Center’s website http://jccrisiscenter.org/

~~~International News… Japan: Japan disaster victims face mental health risks, The Sacramento Bee, Jun. 10, 2011
This year, the Japanese government’s annual policy paper on suicide prevention includes a special section on the psychological needs of disaster victims. The report notes that survivors of the March earthquake and tsunami may be experiencing shock, stress, survivor’s guilt, or depression, and advises aid workers and local mental health providers to reach out to them with mental health education, screening, and treatment. “Post-disaster mental care should be tackled for months and years,” said the report. “There is an urgent need for the overall region to strengthen its engagement with this issue.” The Japanese Red Cross has cited mental health as a “major concern” in Japan right now, especially for the 91,000 earthquake and tsunami victims still living in evacuation shelters. The organization plans to increase the number of psychosocial support teams working in evacuation centers and nursing homes.
Link to Article

~~~About the Weekly Spark

The Weekly Spark contains announcements and information about suicide, suicide prevention and mental health issues. We offer brief summaries of national, state and international news; analyses of relevant research findings; descriptions of funding opportunities, and links to additional resources. The Weekly Spark is written and edited by SPRC staff. Every effort is made to offer relevant and timely information with links to the original content as available.

We welcome your suggestions at [email protected]. In general, the Weekly Spark does not include editorials, opinion pieces or information on local events. Events may be listed in the SPRC Calendar http://www.sprc.org/featured_resources/trainingandevents/calendar/index.asp

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[posted FYI public service by private citizen to GovLoop by Moldeven

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