SW Mental Health Center shares suicide information

The Southwestern Mental Health Center is helping more clients than ever, yet the workload continues to increase, according to CEO Scott Johnson who said suicide in the Midwest is a crisis.
“We’re doing more than ever before, but mental health needs at times overwhelm what we’re able to provide,” he said Thursday morning.
“So, we’re reaching out to build all kinds of partnerships around suicide, because it’s more than we can do ourselves.”
Johnson presented information about the Southwestern Mental Health Center Thursday morning during a Chamber “Love the Business” event, which helps Chamber members to learn about each other’s businesses.
SWMHC Inc. is a private, non-profit agency, licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. It was established in 1959 by Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties and now has office locations in each of those counties.
At that time, the maximum number of cases the agency could handle was 30.
Johnson said the number of active cases among the multiple locations has risen from 3,000 in 2013 to 5,000 in 2018.
“The whole time we’ve been watching the suicide rate and deaths by suicide continue to increase every year,” Johnson said.
Nationally the number has risen from nearly 37,000 in 2009 to more than 47,000 in 2017.
Locally suicide is gaining attention as the farming economy continues to falter.
“We’re in kind of a bull’s-eye here,” Johnson said. “The person at highest risk for suicide right now is a middle-aged man, and the highest-risk occupation is farming.”
Johnson said banks and other businesses that work with farmers have been getting involved with helping farm families.
“They’re calling us asking, ‘What can we do? What are you doing for farmers?’ We’re losing people,” Johnson said.
“Our own board members are telling us, ‘Hey, I lost a neighbor last night. What are we doing about this?’ We’re hearing it from all over … our farmers are in trouble.”
He added that the toll of suicide on family members and communities has a multiplier effect.
“Every one of those stories is sad and tragic and it severely impacts everyone around them. … They’re twice as likely themselves to commit suicide and have mental health problems of their own in response to the trauma,” Johnson said.
“Studies have shown that for every suicide, up to 100 others are affected, even with serious health impacts. For these folks in a small, tight-knit community, the effect of suicide is heightened even more.”
He said the impact of suicide is even broader than was previously believed.
“If we can prevent one of these, we’re literally protecting a hundred others,” Johnson said.
“It keeps percolating to the forefront right in our own area. We know we’re in a high-risk area at a very high risk time.”
He said professionals in mental health have learned that early action is paramount in saving lives.
“People have these feelings of hopelessness, and they’re (most vulnerable] in the first 5 to 10 minutes,” Johnson said.
“It’s such an impulsive thing … and we’ve got to get to people and their families before we get to this point.”
Johnson told the Chamber group gathered at the SWMH Thursday that he and his colleagues are focusing more attention on suicide and partnering with Avera and Canvas Health out of the Twin Cities.
Johnson said the need for crisis intervention is driving up mental health costs. The SWMHC is working to raise money for suicide prevention measures.
The organization hosted an event last week in Worthington that raised over $20,000, and Johnson is working with Sioux Falls singer and songwriter Dan Mahar on an event this fall in Luverne  to thank the community for 60 years of partnership and to benefit mental health services. (See the related story)
In addition to providing general outpatient mental health services, (psychiatric, psychological, counseling), SWMHC also staffs a 24-hour mobile crisis response team and crisis hotline at all its office locations.
The SWMHC 24/7 crisis hotline number is 1-800-642-1525 or text MN to 741741. Avera’s Farmer Stress hotline is 1-800-691-4336.
The organization is observing its 60th anniversary with the theme, “Seeds of Hope,” and the helpline numbers are printed on wildflower seed packets, which are being distributed free throughout the community.