Latest news with #CrisisLifeline
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man found dead, burned on Stone Mountain determined to die in suicide
On Saturday morning, Stone Mountain Park Police responded to reports of a burned body found at the top of the mountain near the Sky Lyft. On Sunday, Park Police said a preliminary determination found the death was a suicide. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in Saturday to assist with the investigation. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police at the time told Channel 2 Action News they were only able to determine the body found was a dead man. In a statement shared Sunday, police said the driver's license of the deceased, a man in his 20s, was found at the scene. TRENDING STORIES: Arrest made in deadly shooting at St. Vincent de Paul charity GBI investigating deadly shooting involving officer in southwest Atlanta Minors injured in shooting at Gwinnett County park Park Police used the information to find his family, who gave investigators a note detailing a suicide plan, including the method and location. Police said it was consistent with the death scene at Stone Mountain. Park Police said they would not be releasing the name of the dead man due to the sensitivity and the possible impact about reporting suicides. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A Fresno mother shares her journey with schizophrenia advocacy
Editor's note: This op-ed contains mentions of suicide and mental illness. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. My son died of schizophrenia when he took his own life at the age of 32. I first heard that term 'schizophrenia' applied to my child when he was 22. A psychiatrist sat opposite me at a huge empty conference table and said the word. The effect was total shock. But also total bewilderment. I had considered myself an educated person, but that word, hanging in the air, was beyond my understanding. Where knowledge should have been I found only a blur of misconceptions and movie plots that led to one inevitable conclusion: I had caused this. The doctor did not seem to feel that an explanation was required, so I was left on my own to learn about serious mental illness, a category with a blurry definition. 'Serious mental illness' is something that families come to recognize as we meet with other families facing similar problems. Touch points in our shared stories include involuntary psychiatric holds, jail, homelessness, refusal to shower and, of course, refusal to take medications. We talk about the voices our loved ones hear, the signals they receive — from cars, or cats, or grocery carts. Strangeness becomes familiar. We begin to believe we can't be shocked. But I recently learned something that astonished me: An expert declare that more Americans have schizophrenia than have Type I diabetes. That sounded ridiculous, so I looked it up — and it's true. Johns Hopkins says that about 1% of the population has schizophrenia, while Type I diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is found in only 0.55% of the population. Odd, then, that there's so much research on diabetes, but so little on schizophrenia. Odd, too, that medical approaches are so different for the two illnesses. A diabetes diagnosis is likely to come with education, training and treatment, whereas a diagnosis of serious mental illness is a voyage into the abyss. There are medical and legal reasons for this discrepancy. In past eras, mothers were the single medically acknowledged cause of schizophrenia. So that's the medical precedent that may have led us here. On the legal side is patients'-rights legislation, well-intentioned law that can backfire for families like ours. A family member trying to get treatment for a loved one with serious mental illness — the way a family member of someone with Type I diabetes would seek access to insulin — will undoubtedly be frustrated. One of the hallmark symptoms of serious mental illness is anosognosia, the inability to understand that one is ill. Our loved ones with life-threatening illnesses are, by their own reckoning, not sick. Knowing themselves to be perfectly healthy, they logically refuse treatment. And this is where things get dicey, because this refusal is their legal right, even when it is clearly not in their best interest. They can be desperately ill but not meet the criteria for involuntary treatment. And there is nothing family members can do. Jerri Clark is a mother whose attempts to get treatment for her son were futile. As she has explained in advocating for changes to the law, 'my son met criteria for involuntary treatment the moment that he stepped off the roof of a hotel and plunged to his death.' Clark, now on staff at the Treatment Advocacy Center, is careful to use the wording 'no-fault diseases of the brain' when speaking of serious mental illness. 'No-fault' gets to a central problem in the world of serious mental illness, which is the impulse to blame someone — the patient, for exhibiting terrifying symptoms; the family, for having raised a person who now exhibits terrifying symptoms — for this disease. When they do consent to treatment, our loved ones are most often still being treated with drugs developed in the '50s. Research on serious mental illness is scant. John Snook, director of government relations at the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, has warned about professional indifference to serious mental illness, despite alarming mortality rates. According to one study, the death rate among those with schizophrenia is four times higher than what is seen in the general population. Snook and other advocates have worked long but so far fruitlessly to get schizophrenia classified as a brain disease like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's instead of as a mental illness. 'The science is clear,' Snook says. 'It's a neurological condition.' Yes. It is. But treatment of our loved ones with serious mental illness does not yet reflect this reality. This neurological condition deserves research, understanding and treatment. Julia Copeland is a retired arts administrator who volunteers at her local National Alliance on Mental Illness office in Fresno.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Autopsy shows 6-year-old Columbus girl had trace amount of fentanyl, strangulation injuries
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7. To reach the 24/7 Crisis Text Helpline, text 4HOPE to 741741. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A 6-year-old girl in east Columbus died of 'homicidal violence,' including injuries from blunt force trauma, strangulation, and sexual assault, according to the Franklin County Coroner's Office. Eva Bretz was admitted to a hospital in April after being unresponsive at home, according to the coroner's office. She required care in the intensive care unit and died about six hours after she was admitted. The girl's evaluation was 'consistent with hemorrhagic shock' and other blunt force trauma injuries, like rib and pelvis fractures and a trace amount of fentanyl, according to the coroner's office. OSU researcher: $700K grant canceled when DOGE misunderstood use of 'climate' 'These injuries demonstrate a pattern of violence occurring for at least weeks, and probably months prior to the child's death,' the autopsy report reads. The girl's mother, Ashley Fagan, 32, and her boyfriend, Blake Hutchinson, 24, were charged in connection with her death. When approached by law enforcement, Hutchinson died by suicide. Watch previous coverage in the player above. Police said both made false statements as to what occurred the night of Bretz's hospitalization, nor did they account for how the injuries were sustained while Bretz was in their care. According to Franklin County Children Services, the organization said a case was open on Bretz's behalf at birth in 2019 when reports of a positive drug test were received. A second report was received related to concerns about neglect in 2020. Both cases were closed after the family met with caseworkers and the children were assessed to be safe, the FCCS said. Why Ohio flags will fly at half-staff beginning May 27, 2025 FCCS caseworkers have also responded to reports of abuse and neglect to Bretz' brothers and sister, whose ages are unknown. An ongoing investigation was open at the time of Bretz's death. The FCCS said that Fagan and her children were repeatedly encouraged to take advantage of numerous supportive services and assistance, made available to families in our care who are facing difficulties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Las Cruces school district says support will continue for those impacted by shooting
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Las Cruces Public Schools continues to offer support and counseling following the weekend shooting at Young Park that left three teenagers dead and 15 other people injured. Twenty-year-old Tomas Rivas and three juveniles are facing murder charges in the shooting on Friday, May 21. Las Cruces Police have not publicly identified the juvenile suspects. The victims who died in Friday's shooting have been identified as Andrew Madrid, 16; Jason Gomez, 17; and Dominick Estrada, 19. Madrid and Gomez died at the scene. Madrid was a sophomore at Centennial High School where he was a member of the school's junior varsity baseball team, his coach told KTSM. 'Las Cruces Public Schools continues to offer additional support and counseling resources following the March 21 fatal shooting that involved current and former students of the district. The incident, which reportedly happened at Young Park in Las Cruces, took the life of a Centennial High School student and injured many others, including some LCPS students,' the district said. LCPS Superintendent Ignacio Ruiz added: 'We are deeply saddened at this news and offer our condolences to all the families impacted by this senseless tragedy. The events that unfolded over the weekend are difficult to understand, especially for our young people. Our schools need to be a safe space for our students and staff, and we are committed to ensuring that.' Here is the rest of the district's statement: 'Over the weekend, LCPS administration worked with local mental health agencies to provide additional support at all school campuses Monday morning. Saturday, the district communicated with all staff, reaffirming those resources. 'District officials reminded staff, students and families that LCPS is working closely with law enforcement and any information related to the investigation should be shared directly with police using the non-emergency number provided over the weekend, (575) 526-0795. 'The Doña Ana County Office of Emergency Management has set up in-person crisis counseling, victim advocacy, spiritual counseling and connection to financial resources to anyone impacted by this incident. They will be at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave., Monday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional dates and times may be announced. 'Parents were additionally given the Crisis Lifeline number for emotional support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone needing assistance can call or text 988 for free, confidential support. The Kidz Talk line is also available for phone calls and text messages at (575) 636-3636 or via email, kidtalk@ 'Families looking for resources from the National Association of School Psychologists on how to talk to children about violence can find more information on their website. 'In support of the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Office of Emergency Management and the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparations Commission, the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico has established the Together Las Cruces Crisis Action Fund for those who wish to provide safe and secure monetary assistance. More information on the fund can be found here.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Crisis services haven't adapted to 988 suicide hotline, study says
Most community crisis services did not expand after the launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, potentially blunting the effectiveness of the hotline, a new study says. Walk-in psychiatric services, mobile crisis response units and suicide prevention programs all declined following the launch of the 988 line in July 2022, researchers reported in a new study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. "The lack of meaningful growth in most crisis services may limit the long-run success of 988, in particular if callers feel that reaching out to 988 fails to result in access to appropriate sources of care," lead investigator Jonathan Cantor, a policy researcher at the nonprofit research organization RAND, said in a news release. The 988 Lifeline provides a single easy-to-remember phone number for people in a suicidal or mental health crisis. It replaced the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which had been reachable through a 10-digit 800 number. The line is intended to help counsel people in crisis and, if necessary, connect them with a variety of mental health services. However, researchers suspected that mental health emergency response systems might not have been able to rapidly beef up their operations to handle the potentially increased workload from an easier-to-use crisis line. For example, the U.S. continues to have a shortage of psychiatric beds in many regions, as well as a limited and unevenly distributed mental health care workforce, researchers noted. For the new study, they analyzed federal data regarding the availability of crisis services offered by mental health treatment facilities between November 2021, prior to the 988 lifeline's launch, and June 2023. They found that: • Emergency psychiatric walk-in services declined from 32% to 29% at facilities. • Mobile crisis response dropped from 22% to 21% of facilities. • Availability of suicide prevention services declined from 69% to 68%. The only type of psychiatric assistance that increased following 988's launch involved peer support services, which connects people in crisis with others who have lived through similar situations. Those programs increased from being available at 39% of facilities to 42%. Public mental health facilities had the highest odds of offering these four crisis services, followed by not-for-profit facilities. For-profit mental health facilities consistently offered the most limited services when it came to crisis response, researchers found. Those constitute about a quarter of all mental health facilities in the United States. Researchers noted that in 2023, only eight states set aside money for mental health services in response to 988's launch. "Mental health officials and policymakers should consider strategies to boost the financing and availability of crisis services at mental health treatment facilities to meet increased demand generated by the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline," Cantor said. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. More information The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has more about services offered by the hotline. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
