Tag Archives: suicide

Join us May 11 to raise awareness and erase mental health stigma

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StigmaFreeIdaho150

When it comes to mental health, many people confuse feeling bad with being bad. Mental illness is not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing.

Many factors out of one’s control influence whether someone develops a mental health condition: genetics, environment and lifestyle. Being a victim of a crime or having a stressful work or home life can make some people more susceptible.

Yet even though most people with mental illness can be successfully treated and live productive lives, less than half of the adults in the U.S. who need services or treatment get the help that can make a difference.

One reason: Stigma. The isolation, blame, fear and secrecy that is often associated with mental illness can discourage people from reaching out, getting the needed support and getting healthy. Continue reading →

Holiday stress? Give yourself a break!

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The overwhelming rush in the final countdown to the holidays has begun. And from the frenzied hum throughout the Treasure Valley and especially near its shopping malls, it sounds like we’re all caught up in it. It’s time to take a minute to consider all of the simple things you can do for yourself to reduce stress and enjoy the holidays.

If you’ve made it a goal to eat healthy, the holidays can be challenging, if not impossible. Should you stick to your goal, or surrender and start again in January?

Trying to eat healthy food at this time of year can challenge anyone’s fortitude — we’re going to parties and eating out more and have less control over what is being served. Generally, you should watch your portion sizes and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. But it IS the holidays, so you should allow yourself to splurge a little bit, especially for your favorites. Just don’t overdo it.  Continue reading →

Suicide Prevention Week highlights an important public health issue in idaho

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These numbers are fairly startling:

  • Idaho continually ranks in the top 10 states for number of completed suicides per capita.
  • Since 2003, suicide has been the eighth or ninth leading cause of death for all Idahoans.
  • In 2013, Idaho ranked 7th in the nation for suicides per capita and 6th in the nation for youth suicide.
  • And suicide is the second leading cause of death for Idahoans who are 15-34 years old, and for boys who are 10-14 years old.

As you can see, this is a sobering public health issue for Idaho. Continue reading →