1 00:00:01,346 --> 00:00:03,555 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:03,589 --> 00:00:05,798 Support your local PBS station. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:16,119 --> 00:00:19,157 [light music] 6 00:00:19,191 --> 00:00:21,469 - Lonely. Really lonely. 7 00:00:22,574 --> 00:00:23,851 When you're depressed, man, 8 00:00:23,885 --> 00:00:26,405 the only thing you can think about is yourself. 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:27,924 I did have a lot of people there for me, 10 00:00:27,958 --> 00:00:29,512 but I was just pushing them away, you know, 11 00:00:29,546 --> 00:00:31,272 not even giving them a chance. 12 00:00:31,307 --> 00:00:34,310 [rhythmic music] 13 00:00:35,656 --> 00:00:38,590 - The community has the role to play in preventing suicide. 14 00:00:39,798 --> 00:00:41,938 You can come around that individual 15 00:00:41,972 --> 00:00:45,079 to remind them they're worthy. 16 00:00:45,114 --> 00:00:48,427 There is help, there's a way through any challenge. 17 00:00:49,842 --> 00:00:51,948 - If you're thinking about killing yourself, 18 00:00:51,982 --> 00:00:55,158 just know that you're loved, know that you're cared for. 19 00:00:56,401 --> 00:00:59,645 Today might be hard, but tomorrow's a new day. 20 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,304 Well, do they know I'm Navajo? It's all good. 21 00:01:03,339 --> 00:01:06,687 [gentle hopeful music] 22 00:01:08,413 --> 00:01:11,519 [soft pensive music] 23 00:01:12,795 --> 00:01:15,661 [whistle blasting] 24 00:01:23,876 --> 00:01:26,086 [players screaming] 25 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,881 [crowd screaming] 26 00:01:33,714 --> 00:01:37,131 - [Narrator] From all appearances 18-year-old Greg Whitesell 27 00:01:37,166 --> 00:01:38,719 was having an awesome year. 28 00:01:40,341 --> 00:01:42,136 [crowd cheering] 29 00:01:42,170 --> 00:01:45,174 A standout point guard, Greg was co-captain 30 00:01:45,208 --> 00:01:47,452 of a legendary high school basketball team, 31 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:49,902 the Arlee Warriors, 32 00:01:51,352 --> 00:01:54,459 the pride of Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation. 33 00:01:54,493 --> 00:01:57,462 [crowd cheering] 34 00:02:00,292 --> 00:02:02,501 - What do you call a guy with a rubber toe? 35 00:02:03,709 --> 00:02:05,228 - [Greg] Roberto! 36 00:02:07,989 --> 00:02:09,336 - That's the thing about Greg. 37 00:02:10,923 --> 00:02:15,238 He's the only class C boy in the entire state of Montana 38 00:02:16,688 --> 00:02:20,209 to ever play in four-state championships. 39 00:02:20,243 --> 00:02:21,382 No other kid's ever done it. 40 00:02:21,417 --> 00:02:23,419 He started, he played in all four of them. 41 00:02:26,111 --> 00:02:29,356 - [Narrator] In 2017, the Arlee Warriors 42 00:02:29,390 --> 00:02:33,877 won Montana's fiercely contested division C state title. 43 00:02:33,912 --> 00:02:35,845 - [Crowd] Arlee! Arlee! 44 00:02:37,226 --> 00:02:40,298 - [Narrator] In 2018, Greg and his team 45 00:02:40,332 --> 00:02:42,921 were expected to make lightning strike again, 46 00:02:42,954 --> 00:02:47,512 using their secret weapon, a super fast brand of the sport 47 00:02:47,546 --> 00:02:49,928 sometimes called Indian basketball. 48 00:02:55,244 --> 00:02:59,248 Native rancher, Zanen Pitts, coached the Arlee Warriors 49 00:02:59,281 --> 00:03:01,215 through their most winning seasons. 50 00:03:03,424 --> 00:03:07,048 - Indian basketball, it's extremely poetic to me. 51 00:03:08,291 --> 00:03:11,329 I love the way that kids understand the rotations, 52 00:03:11,363 --> 00:03:13,331 how they understand how to transition with the ball 53 00:03:13,365 --> 00:03:15,850 to get it out, and that everyone's constantly in a flow, 54 00:03:15,885 --> 00:03:18,232 and it's kind of like herding Buffalo, 55 00:03:18,267 --> 00:03:20,269 and you can get behind a big bull Buffalo, 56 00:03:20,303 --> 00:03:22,443 and then bringing him out of the mountains or something. 57 00:03:22,478 --> 00:03:26,240 There's lanes. And you gotta see those lanes. 58 00:03:26,275 --> 00:03:27,517 It's like basketball. 59 00:03:27,552 --> 00:03:29,243 Like I'm constantly telling these boys, like, 60 00:03:29,278 --> 00:03:32,108 put more pressure to push your defender this way 61 00:03:32,142 --> 00:03:34,386 or to take pressure off or to get the basketball 62 00:03:34,421 --> 00:03:35,629 in front of the defense. 63 00:03:35,663 --> 00:03:38,735 [crowd cheers] 64 00:03:38,770 --> 00:03:42,049 - [Narrator] As a standout basketball and football player, 65 00:03:42,083 --> 00:03:43,602 Greg held nothing back. 66 00:03:45,190 --> 00:03:46,466 - [Guy] Let's go! 67 00:03:47,986 --> 00:03:50,575 - [Zanen] He played with fire in his eyes at all times. 68 00:03:52,922 --> 00:03:55,649 - [Raelena] You know, he's had many concussions 69 00:03:56,650 --> 00:03:59,480 through football, basketball, 70 00:04:00,447 --> 00:04:03,381 and the doctors would say, okay, you know, 71 00:04:03,415 --> 00:04:04,451 let him rest, and stuff like that. 72 00:04:05,314 --> 00:04:07,626 But then he would get released. 73 00:04:07,661 --> 00:04:12,044 But you know, as a mom, I would always be afraid. Scared. 74 00:04:15,324 --> 00:04:18,292 - [Narrator] Athletes have a lot to fear from concussions. 75 00:04:18,327 --> 00:04:21,744 [whistle blasting] 76 00:04:21,778 --> 00:04:24,298 - When Greg got the head injury, 77 00:04:24,332 --> 00:04:28,647 it put him into a state of depression in a really bad way. 78 00:04:28,682 --> 00:04:30,131 And he always has been a person 79 00:04:30,166 --> 00:04:31,512 that can get kind of emotional. 80 00:04:31,547 --> 00:04:34,619 He can get really aggressive and really timid 81 00:04:34,653 --> 00:04:37,277 in drastic measures quickly. 82 00:04:37,311 --> 00:04:41,384 But he also is super caring and super loving. 83 00:04:44,387 --> 00:04:47,287 - [Narrator] To Greg's mom, her son seemed fine. 84 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:50,842 - I didn't know he was depressed. 85 00:04:50,876 --> 00:04:54,639 I should have saw the signs 'cause he was always in his room 86 00:04:54,673 --> 00:04:57,020 and just kept to himself. 87 00:04:57,055 --> 00:04:59,851 But you know, I didn't think anything of it. 88 00:04:59,885 --> 00:05:01,335 You know, I thought, oh, he's a teenager, 89 00:05:01,370 --> 00:05:04,614 just going through it, and you know, he's just teenager. 90 00:05:04,649 --> 00:05:05,891 'Cause I have five kids. 91 00:05:08,998 --> 00:05:11,345 - [Narrator] That year mental health issues 92 00:05:11,380 --> 00:05:14,659 took a heavy toll on the Flathead Indian Reservation. 93 00:05:16,764 --> 00:05:18,870 Montana's suicide rates 94 00:05:18,904 --> 00:05:21,321 are nearly double the national average. 95 00:05:21,355 --> 00:05:23,253 Greg Whitesell's depression hit 96 00:05:23,288 --> 00:05:26,395 as suicide spiked in the town of Arlee 97 00:05:26,429 --> 00:05:28,017 and surrounding communities. 98 00:05:30,088 --> 00:05:33,436 There would be 20 deaths in just 12 months. 99 00:05:34,437 --> 00:05:37,198 [drum banging] 100 00:05:38,407 --> 00:05:40,857 [man vocalizing] 101 00:05:40,892 --> 00:05:44,344 Some in the community drew strength from traditions. 102 00:05:46,898 --> 00:05:49,797 [group vocalizing] 103 00:06:00,946 --> 00:06:03,673 [person vocalizing] 104 00:06:03,708 --> 00:06:06,400 [axes hitting] 105 00:06:08,264 --> 00:06:11,301 - As long as your bottom straight, then you're good to go. 106 00:06:13,407 --> 00:06:14,960 - Pow Wow, committee. 107 00:06:14,995 --> 00:06:17,411 [group cheers] 108 00:06:17,446 --> 00:06:20,241 Thank you, creator, for bringing us all together today. 109 00:06:20,276 --> 00:06:22,865 We're gonna make some, we're gonna do some moccasins. 110 00:06:22,899 --> 00:06:26,282 I'll help you wherever you want help. 111 00:06:26,316 --> 00:06:29,423 When we do something like this, 112 00:06:29,457 --> 00:06:31,149 we do it with really good hearts 113 00:06:31,183 --> 00:06:33,289 and good thoughts on our mind. 114 00:06:33,323 --> 00:06:38,259 And I kid you not, you start making a design like this 115 00:06:38,294 --> 00:06:40,469 and you start thinking thoughts about somebody 116 00:06:40,503 --> 00:06:42,436 that aren't very nice, 117 00:06:42,471 --> 00:06:45,439 I don't know about you guys, but my needle knots 118 00:06:45,474 --> 00:06:46,578 in about 30 seconds. 119 00:06:46,613 --> 00:06:48,477 [Kathy laughs] 120 00:06:48,511 --> 00:06:51,825 And it's like, okay, get rid of that thought. 121 00:06:51,859 --> 00:06:55,794 Have some good thought, good medicine. 122 00:06:55,829 --> 00:06:57,451 [gentle music] 123 00:06:57,486 --> 00:07:00,937 Put it together. This is what you're gonna sew. 124 00:07:00,972 --> 00:07:02,352 And there's the moccasin. 125 00:07:04,044 --> 00:07:06,495 - [Narrator] Making moccasins is a traditional craft 126 00:07:06,529 --> 00:07:08,428 that encourages sharing feelings. 127 00:07:09,359 --> 00:07:10,809 - [Patty] Don't waste- 128 00:07:10,844 --> 00:07:12,639 - [Narrator] The suicides on the reservation 129 00:07:12,673 --> 00:07:15,124 were foremost in many people's thoughts. 130 00:07:16,401 --> 00:07:18,783 - He didn't wanna afflict his anger and those emotions 131 00:07:18,817 --> 00:07:20,301 on anybody else. 132 00:07:20,336 --> 00:07:23,443 He thought he was sparing us that, you know? 133 00:07:23,477 --> 00:07:24,478 - I miss him. 134 00:07:25,893 --> 00:07:27,654 When those cops went out to my house, 135 00:07:27,688 --> 00:07:31,416 I kept telling, "You need to go get him." 136 00:07:32,382 --> 00:07:34,523 I wasn't sure what he was gonna do. 137 00:07:36,076 --> 00:07:37,836 I tried to impress that on his pastor that I said, 138 00:07:37,871 --> 00:07:39,459 "You know, it's no accident-" 139 00:07:39,493 --> 00:07:41,771 - [Narrator] For Michelle Matt, everything changed 140 00:07:41,806 --> 00:07:44,498 the day she asked a friend to look for her brother. 141 00:07:45,499 --> 00:07:48,260 - And he was driving up behind the house. 142 00:07:49,365 --> 00:07:51,401 He saw my brother walking. 143 00:07:51,436 --> 00:07:52,713 He got out and he yelled. 144 00:07:52,748 --> 00:07:54,715 He said, "John, where are you going? 145 00:07:54,750 --> 00:07:56,372 Where are you going, John?" 146 00:07:56,406 --> 00:07:59,582 And he kept following him. And John, he said, kept walking. 147 00:08:00,756 --> 00:08:02,620 But when he got there, my brother had... 148 00:08:02,654 --> 00:08:03,690 He was already dead. 149 00:08:04,725 --> 00:08:07,659 [somber music] 150 00:08:07,694 --> 00:08:11,421 That moment though, I tell you what, 151 00:08:11,456 --> 00:08:14,217 the moment I saw was that was... 152 00:08:14,252 --> 00:08:17,669 It just hurt. It hurt so bad. 153 00:08:20,085 --> 00:08:22,743 Oh God, it was awful. [sobs] 154 00:08:24,365 --> 00:08:26,436 [birds chirping] 155 00:08:26,471 --> 00:08:29,336 - [Narrator] Almost everyone knew someone 156 00:08:29,370 --> 00:08:31,614 who had taken their own life. 157 00:08:33,582 --> 00:08:35,480 They were dear friends and neighbors, 158 00:08:37,895 --> 00:08:39,414 parents... 159 00:08:41,624 --> 00:08:42,486 ...schoolmates. 160 00:08:44,385 --> 00:08:48,735 Who wouldn't be saddened by such tragic news day after day? 161 00:08:57,157 --> 00:08:59,953 Greg Whitesell was close to many who had died. 162 00:09:01,437 --> 00:09:04,405 He too, developed thoughts of killing himself. 163 00:09:05,890 --> 00:09:07,719 - [Anna Whiting Sorrell]I could cry now thinking about that, 164 00:09:07,754 --> 00:09:11,551 because he should have been protected from it. 165 00:09:13,449 --> 00:09:15,624 He comes from a great family. 166 00:09:15,658 --> 00:09:19,559 He was, you know, this successful basketball player. 167 00:09:20,801 --> 00:09:23,148 My husband and I have been in this gymnasium 168 00:09:23,183 --> 00:09:26,117 watching him play, and he was my favorite. 169 00:09:26,151 --> 00:09:28,913 [crowd cheers] 170 00:09:28,947 --> 00:09:30,742 - [Narrator] When teens are suffering, 171 00:09:30,777 --> 00:09:32,951 they are more likely to confide their feelings 172 00:09:32,986 --> 00:09:35,298 to their friends than to adults. 173 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:39,786 Peers have a unique opportunity to step in 174 00:09:39,820 --> 00:09:40,994 and make a difference. 175 00:09:42,858 --> 00:09:45,136 Greg's friends were no exception. 176 00:09:51,383 --> 00:09:56,009 One night, Greg sent a text to two of his closest teammates. 177 00:09:56,043 --> 00:09:58,563 [uneasy music] 178 00:10:05,328 --> 00:10:09,470 They raced across the reservation. 179 00:10:14,027 --> 00:10:16,546 - [Thomas Joiner, PhD]Suicide is a catastrophe for families. 180 00:10:16,581 --> 00:10:19,929 And I don't think catastrophe is an exaggeration. 181 00:10:19,964 --> 00:10:23,346 I think it's very apt to call it that, 182 00:10:23,381 --> 00:10:28,386 because it just shocks and stunts individuals and families. 183 00:10:30,250 --> 00:10:35,255 They are confused and feeling searing emotional pain 184 00:10:36,566 --> 00:10:39,880 for months, if not years, sometimes even decades. 185 00:10:39,915 --> 00:10:43,781 And this reverberates throughout generations. 186 00:10:43,815 --> 00:10:48,648 - The CDC is approaching suicide as a public health crisis, 187 00:10:48,682 --> 00:10:52,237 because the rate in the United States has been on the rise 188 00:10:52,272 --> 00:10:53,998 since about 1999. 189 00:10:55,724 --> 00:10:59,244 - [Narrator] Across the US, suicide kills more people 190 00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:04,284 than car crashes and twice as many people as homicides, 191 00:11:06,044 --> 00:11:08,357 about 47,000 a year. 192 00:11:11,843 --> 00:11:14,846 For scientists, doctors, and therapists 193 00:11:14,881 --> 00:11:18,436 that raises a crucial question. 194 00:11:18,470 --> 00:11:19,748 - Okay. 195 00:11:19,782 --> 00:11:21,163 - [Narrator] How can we identify the people 196 00:11:21,197 --> 00:11:24,476 who are most at risk and how can we help them? 197 00:11:25,754 --> 00:11:27,997 - We have to develop a stabilization plan. 198 00:11:28,032 --> 00:11:29,378 So you never have to go 199 00:11:29,412 --> 00:11:31,311 through an awful night like that again. 200 00:11:32,761 --> 00:11:34,728 Suicide is ubiquitous. 201 00:11:34,763 --> 00:11:37,904 No socioeconomic group, no subculture is immune. 202 00:11:37,938 --> 00:11:41,252 [rhythmic drums music] 203 00:11:52,781 --> 00:11:56,370 - In the US, the largest number of suicides occur 204 00:11:56,405 --> 00:11:58,407 among middle aged and elderly white men. 205 00:12:00,443 --> 00:12:03,826 In rural areas, many of those men are farmers. 206 00:12:08,658 --> 00:12:12,248 - Welcome Dr. Michael Rosmann, farmer, psychologist 207 00:12:12,283 --> 00:12:14,803 to have a little two-hour meeting here about a subject 208 00:12:14,837 --> 00:12:18,392 that's important and often overlooked sometimes. 209 00:12:18,427 --> 00:12:21,119 So we'll turn over to him, and thank you for coming. 210 00:12:22,465 --> 00:12:25,952 - Thank you, Darren. [audience applauds] 211 00:12:27,194 --> 00:12:29,093 Oh, you people are very kind. Thanks. 212 00:12:30,301 --> 00:12:33,891 This morning, we're going to talk a little bit 213 00:12:33,925 --> 00:12:38,171 about how farmers view their stress level currently 214 00:12:38,205 --> 00:12:40,414 and your wellbeing. 215 00:12:40,449 --> 00:12:45,454 The signs of distress begin with worry. 216 00:12:47,042 --> 00:12:52,047 Worry makes us gear up to deal with the threats. 217 00:12:53,186 --> 00:12:56,706 If the stress does not remit or decrease, 218 00:12:56,741 --> 00:12:59,640 then we just completely wear ourselves out 219 00:12:59,675 --> 00:13:03,023 to the point that depression sets in. 220 00:13:03,058 --> 00:13:05,681 [gentle music] 221 00:13:07,752 --> 00:13:12,239 - Chris and I got married on a fall September day. 222 00:13:13,585 --> 00:13:16,209 The sun was shining. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. 223 00:13:16,243 --> 00:13:18,418 It wasn't too hot. Wasn't too cold. 224 00:13:23,043 --> 00:13:25,839 Kalee was born in September of 2006, 225 00:13:25,874 --> 00:13:29,187 and then we had Kahne in November of 2008. 226 00:13:32,018 --> 00:13:33,088 Everybody buckled up? 227 00:13:34,537 --> 00:13:37,333 And then it took me some work to convince Chris 228 00:13:37,368 --> 00:13:39,473 to have our third child. 229 00:13:39,508 --> 00:13:42,718 And Kolbe came in November of 2013. 230 00:13:46,204 --> 00:13:48,966 I felt like when we were living in town, 231 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,209 my dreams were reality. 232 00:13:51,244 --> 00:13:55,696 We had the perfect family. We both had day jobs. 233 00:13:55,731 --> 00:13:58,768 We had our evenings and weekends holidays 234 00:13:58,803 --> 00:14:01,771 free to spend together as a family. 235 00:14:01,806 --> 00:14:02,876 Life was great. 236 00:14:04,119 --> 00:14:07,536 [upbeat rhythmic music] 237 00:14:15,268 --> 00:14:19,893 But Chris had an itch to want to start farming 238 00:14:19,928 --> 00:14:21,826 because he had grown up on a farm. 239 00:14:23,414 --> 00:14:24,933 And I was very reluctant, 240 00:14:24,967 --> 00:14:27,383 because I was happy with the life that we had. 241 00:14:29,385 --> 00:14:32,285 We eventually moved to the farm in February of 2017. 242 00:14:33,976 --> 00:14:36,496 [gentle music] 243 00:14:40,396 --> 00:14:42,398 Oh look, the baby lambs. 244 00:14:48,818 --> 00:14:52,443 The farming was difficult from the moment we started. 245 00:14:54,169 --> 00:14:57,310 Here's where we put the sows that are gonna be bred. 246 00:15:01,624 --> 00:15:04,144 Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! 247 00:15:04,179 --> 00:15:08,390 [light music] [sheep bleating] 248 00:15:08,424 --> 00:15:12,325 - Lots of good memories spent with Chris in here. 249 00:15:12,359 --> 00:15:13,636 Lot of long days. 250 00:15:15,707 --> 00:15:17,433 Just the joy of seeing new life 251 00:15:17,468 --> 00:15:19,366 when we'd have the baby lambs. 252 00:15:22,473 --> 00:15:23,543 Had so much joy. 253 00:15:26,477 --> 00:15:28,997 I do feel Chris present when I come here. 254 00:15:30,999 --> 00:15:34,415 It can be overwhelming emotionally at times. 255 00:15:34,450 --> 00:15:36,970 But other times it brings me joy, 256 00:15:37,005 --> 00:15:38,627 'cause it reminds me of how hard he worked 257 00:15:38,661 --> 00:15:39,939 day in and day out. 258 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:43,665 Such a hard worker. 259 00:15:48,395 --> 00:15:53,400 - What do you think is the most stressful circumstance 260 00:15:55,368 --> 00:15:59,993 that can cause farmers the greatest amount of stress? 261 00:16:00,028 --> 00:16:03,169 Anybody wanna take a crack at that and say what you think? 262 00:16:04,549 --> 00:16:06,034 Financial burden. 263 00:16:08,898 --> 00:16:11,315 - Chris's main worry was the finances, 264 00:16:12,523 --> 00:16:13,903 and how bills were gonna get paid. 265 00:16:15,319 --> 00:16:19,392 He didn't make it apparent to me about being depressed 266 00:16:19,426 --> 00:16:23,223 until probably the first part of May. 267 00:16:24,155 --> 00:16:26,399 [uneasy music] 268 00:16:26,433 --> 00:16:27,469 [sheep bleating] 269 00:16:27,503 --> 00:16:29,678 [Amber sighs] 270 00:16:29,712 --> 00:16:32,474 Chris would send me text messages, 271 00:16:32,508 --> 00:16:36,650 Snapchats just about being sad and how he felt worthless 272 00:16:36,685 --> 00:16:39,412 and he didn't know how things were gonna work. 273 00:16:42,449 --> 00:16:46,005 One of the last Snapchats that I received from Chris 274 00:16:46,039 --> 00:16:49,560 was a picture of him tightening his belt 275 00:16:49,594 --> 00:16:51,424 to the last belt loop. 276 00:16:53,081 --> 00:16:55,393 He had lost so much weight. 277 00:16:58,431 --> 00:17:01,537 - So what are the key symptoms that we look for? 278 00:17:03,091 --> 00:17:07,405 For suicide, the first is when we become so upset 279 00:17:09,131 --> 00:17:12,962 for at least three weeks that we have not laughed at all. 280 00:17:14,446 --> 00:17:16,896 We've not done anything that gives us pleasure. 281 00:17:18,243 --> 00:17:23,249 A second danger signal is a feeling of hopelessness. 282 00:17:25,388 --> 00:17:27,805 - Chris was worried about losing the farm 283 00:17:27,839 --> 00:17:30,325 and not being able to pass it on to his kids. 284 00:17:31,602 --> 00:17:33,949 Chris would've been the third generation farmer 285 00:17:33,983 --> 00:17:37,539 and he did feel pressure of wanting to succeed, 286 00:17:37,573 --> 00:17:39,265 because his grandpa and his dad 287 00:17:39,299 --> 00:17:40,852 both had succeeded at farming. 288 00:17:44,097 --> 00:17:45,961 - [Narrator] Rural communities across America 289 00:17:45,995 --> 00:17:49,033 face a critical shortage of mental health professionals. 290 00:17:51,794 --> 00:17:53,417 Chris was lucky. 291 00:17:53,451 --> 00:17:56,247 His family found help and he was treated 292 00:17:56,282 --> 00:17:58,525 at a behavioral health center for four days. 293 00:18:00,148 --> 00:18:02,667 [thunder booming] 294 00:18:02,702 --> 00:18:06,223 Then he insisted on returning to the farm. 295 00:18:06,257 --> 00:18:09,053 [thunder booming] 296 00:18:10,054 --> 00:18:11,676 - The night before he died, 297 00:18:11,711 --> 00:18:14,162 we had just finished up with chores. 298 00:18:16,336 --> 00:18:18,166 Such a long conversation. 299 00:18:21,445 --> 00:18:23,550 I never imagined it'd be my last one. 300 00:18:29,004 --> 00:18:30,419 [gentle music] 301 00:18:30,454 --> 00:18:32,835 [phone rings] 302 00:18:38,531 --> 00:18:42,638 So at 8:12, my cell phone rang and it was our neighbor. 303 00:18:43,881 --> 00:18:47,471 And Jim said to me, "Chris is breathing. 304 00:18:47,505 --> 00:18:49,231 He's really slowed down." 305 00:18:50,508 --> 00:18:53,580 I said, "What do you mean his breathing is slowed down?" 306 00:18:55,237 --> 00:18:57,653 And he said, "Didn't Carol call you?" 307 00:18:57,688 --> 00:19:00,518 And I said, "No, what's going on?" 308 00:19:00,553 --> 00:19:03,211 He said, "Oh, Amber, Chris shot himself." 309 00:19:03,245 --> 00:19:06,317 [solemn music] 310 00:19:06,352 --> 00:19:09,562 I remember crying to God, "I need a miracle." 311 00:19:11,115 --> 00:19:13,842 'Cause I knew he wasn't gonna make it with what he did. 312 00:19:17,363 --> 00:19:20,020 This was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life 313 00:19:20,055 --> 00:19:22,989 to this day was to tell my kids 314 00:19:23,023 --> 00:19:25,198 that their dad was never coming home again. 315 00:19:27,235 --> 00:19:30,099 [woman vocalizing] 316 00:19:37,348 --> 00:19:39,350 Chris is gonna miss out on a lot of things, 317 00:19:40,731 --> 00:19:45,149 graduations, weddings, grandkids. 318 00:19:46,633 --> 00:19:50,568 But I know he's keeping an eye and watching over us. 319 00:19:53,295 --> 00:19:54,365 [audience applauds] 320 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:55,849 - [Michael] And thank you very much 321 00:19:55,884 --> 00:19:58,093 and enjoy the Shelby county fair. 322 00:20:00,751 --> 00:20:03,719 - [Narrator] Each year, some 15 million Americans 323 00:20:03,754 --> 00:20:05,756 think about taking their lives. 324 00:20:07,551 --> 00:20:10,278 Many thousands, like Chris Dykshorn, do. 325 00:20:12,418 --> 00:20:15,904 But many thousands more are pulled back from the brink 326 00:20:15,938 --> 00:20:17,733 by someone who steps in to help. 327 00:20:19,010 --> 00:20:20,426 - [Michael] What do you wanna see Dave? 328 00:20:20,460 --> 00:20:23,705 - Well, it's kind of a half circle. 329 00:20:23,739 --> 00:20:27,433 So maybe we just head down to the tent or the show ring. 330 00:20:27,467 --> 00:20:28,779 - Okay. 331 00:20:28,813 --> 00:20:31,437 [phone rings] 332 00:20:33,335 --> 00:20:35,026 Hello, This is Mike Rosmann. 333 00:20:36,442 --> 00:20:40,998 One person I know was so distressed that his wife called me 334 00:20:41,032 --> 00:20:43,828 and she said, "Can you come right over and help me?" 335 00:20:46,314 --> 00:20:49,696 - That was the low of my life. 336 00:20:51,215 --> 00:20:54,770 But I probably didn't sleep any of the night before. 337 00:20:54,805 --> 00:20:59,637 So I was exhausted physically and mentally. 338 00:21:00,466 --> 00:21:02,571 I couldn't think straight. 339 00:21:02,606 --> 00:21:07,231 I remember yelling, "Lord, I've gotta have some help. 340 00:21:08,128 --> 00:21:09,682 I've gotta have some help." 341 00:21:09,716 --> 00:21:11,684 - [Michael] That that's a darn good animal there. 342 00:21:11,718 --> 00:21:12,581 - [David] Yeah. 343 00:21:13,651 --> 00:21:16,171 - [Narrator] Dr. Rosmann made a house call 344 00:21:16,205 --> 00:21:18,518 and listened to Dave describe his pain. 345 00:21:20,313 --> 00:21:23,903 Together they came up with a plan to help him, fast. 346 00:21:25,042 --> 00:21:27,424 - And then we found a way for him 347 00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:31,359 to get into the hospital immediately for evaluation. 348 00:21:31,393 --> 00:21:35,328 And he remained there for several days of treatment 349 00:21:35,363 --> 00:21:36,985 that has followed up 350 00:21:37,019 --> 00:21:41,714 with occasional reliance on medications. 351 00:21:44,061 --> 00:21:45,959 - When I think about what would've happened, 352 00:21:45,994 --> 00:21:50,999 if I had not gotten help, no way would I be alive today. 353 00:21:52,241 --> 00:21:53,829 I don't know what would've happened 354 00:21:53,864 --> 00:21:57,730 to end my life or whatever, 355 00:21:57,764 --> 00:22:00,457 but I know that I wouldn't be alive today 356 00:22:00,491 --> 00:22:01,837 if I hadn't gotten help, 357 00:22:03,045 --> 00:22:05,220 because I couldn't live with that pain. 358 00:22:08,292 --> 00:22:09,845 If I run into somebody 359 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,814 that I'm seeing some signs of depression 360 00:22:12,848 --> 00:22:16,404 or any mental health issue, 361 00:22:17,750 --> 00:22:21,512 I would try to get them in a personal conversation 362 00:22:21,547 --> 00:22:25,378 'cause I've led people to that same hospital 363 00:22:25,413 --> 00:22:29,278 that I know too, that had real good success. 364 00:22:29,313 --> 00:22:30,210 - [Man] How you doing? 365 00:22:30,245 --> 00:22:31,384 - [David] Enjoying the fair? 366 00:22:31,419 --> 00:22:32,523 - [Man] Yep. 367 00:22:32,558 --> 00:22:34,076 - [Michael] Not as much bad weather, really. 368 00:22:34,111 --> 00:22:36,285 - [David] Not, that's right. We've had fewer tornadoes out. 369 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:37,494 - Dave, don't jinx us- 370 00:22:37,528 --> 00:22:38,840 [Dave laughing] 371 00:22:38,874 --> 00:22:41,118 [people talking over each other] 372 00:22:41,152 --> 00:22:45,398 - He has learned how to turn his turmoil 373 00:22:45,433 --> 00:22:48,367 into an act of benefit to others. 374 00:22:48,401 --> 00:22:51,404 He wants as his life's work partly 375 00:22:51,439 --> 00:22:56,064 to keep other people from becoming so depressed 376 00:22:56,098 --> 00:22:58,377 that they contemplate ending their lives. 377 00:23:01,725 --> 00:23:04,417 - [Narrator] Dave's story and many like it 378 00:23:04,452 --> 00:23:07,144 show that suicide can sometimes be prevented 379 00:23:07,178 --> 00:23:08,628 with interventions and support 380 00:23:08,663 --> 00:23:10,354 from family and professionals. 381 00:23:13,081 --> 00:23:15,083 And scientists hope they can point the way 382 00:23:15,117 --> 00:23:18,466 to helping people earlier, before they're in a crisis. 383 00:23:19,639 --> 00:23:22,642 - That's 15 million 384 00:23:24,437 --> 00:23:26,474 Americans in 2019 385 00:23:28,303 --> 00:23:29,822 with serious thoughts of suicide. 386 00:23:32,445 --> 00:23:34,447 - [Narrator] It's a complicated challenge, 387 00:23:34,482 --> 00:23:37,243 because suicide results from a mix of causes, 388 00:23:37,277 --> 00:23:39,935 which are often different from one person to another. 389 00:23:42,490 --> 00:23:46,010 But one factor is almost always present: 390 00:23:46,045 --> 00:23:48,496 a mental health condition like depression 391 00:23:48,530 --> 00:23:50,498 or substance abuse disorder. 392 00:23:51,706 --> 00:23:53,949 - There are other risk factors as well, 393 00:23:53,984 --> 00:23:58,989 things that relate to impulsivity, aggression, 394 00:24:00,335 --> 00:24:04,339 experiences from the past, adversity, trauma, abuse. 395 00:24:05,374 --> 00:24:08,377 So it is really important to understand 396 00:24:08,412 --> 00:24:12,451 that suicide has multiple risk factors 397 00:24:12,485 --> 00:24:14,763 that converge, that come together, 398 00:24:14,798 --> 00:24:17,214 and it's not really ever going to be 399 00:24:17,248 --> 00:24:19,906 one issue that causes suicide. 400 00:24:21,701 --> 00:24:24,704 - [Narrator] Suicide's many causes make it hard to identify 401 00:24:24,739 --> 00:24:27,466 who is at risk and how to help them. 402 00:24:29,571 --> 00:24:32,505 Scientists are investigating these questions 403 00:24:32,540 --> 00:24:37,372 from different angles, probing human behavior, trauma, 404 00:24:38,546 --> 00:24:40,548 and the role of drugs and alcohol. 405 00:24:44,172 --> 00:24:48,072 For neuroscientists, there's only one place to start: 406 00:24:48,107 --> 00:24:49,349 in the human brain. 407 00:24:53,284 --> 00:24:55,908 - My name is John Mann and I'm a professor 408 00:24:55,942 --> 00:24:58,048 of translational neuroscience 409 00:24:58,082 --> 00:24:59,877 in the departments of psychiatry and radiology 410 00:24:59,912 --> 00:25:01,500 at Columbia University. 411 00:25:01,534 --> 00:25:04,019 [light music] 412 00:25:06,125 --> 00:25:10,439 So we started examining the biology of depression 413 00:25:11,682 --> 00:25:14,340 through collecting the brains of individuals 414 00:25:14,374 --> 00:25:15,755 who died by suicide. 415 00:25:17,550 --> 00:25:19,207 This is the front of the brain, 416 00:25:19,241 --> 00:25:20,449 here's the back of the brain. 417 00:25:20,484 --> 00:25:22,555 We cut the brain into big slices 418 00:25:22,590 --> 00:25:24,661 about the thickness of my hand. 419 00:25:24,695 --> 00:25:26,766 And then we cut very fine slices 420 00:25:26,801 --> 00:25:28,457 that we mount on the slide. 421 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,945 So the tissue dries on the slide, 422 00:25:32,979 --> 00:25:37,397 and then we can do a variety of things in order to study 423 00:25:37,432 --> 00:25:42,437 what is exactly going on, structural and functional changes 424 00:25:43,714 --> 00:25:47,442 in the slice of brain of people who have depression 425 00:25:47,476 --> 00:25:48,616 and people who die by suicide 426 00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:50,894 in order to determine exactly what's wrong. 427 00:25:53,275 --> 00:25:55,036 - [Narrator] Slides dyed blue 428 00:25:55,070 --> 00:25:57,417 show the cellular structure of the tissue. 429 00:25:58,626 --> 00:26:01,594 Other slides indicate the presence of serotonin. 430 00:26:04,010 --> 00:26:06,565 Serotonin is a neurotransmitter 431 00:26:06,599 --> 00:26:09,222 that is involved in regulating mood, 432 00:26:09,257 --> 00:26:11,708 decision making, and sleep, 433 00:26:11,742 --> 00:26:14,434 three important components of suicide. 434 00:26:17,783 --> 00:26:20,889 Specialized nerve cells, or neurons, 435 00:26:20,924 --> 00:26:23,202 release serotonin into the brain. 436 00:26:24,513 --> 00:26:27,586 Too few of these neurons, scientists once thought, 437 00:26:27,620 --> 00:26:31,003 make depression and even suicide likely. 438 00:26:31,037 --> 00:26:32,867 They were in for a surprise. 439 00:26:34,454 --> 00:26:36,940 - For years we thought the depression 440 00:26:36,974 --> 00:26:39,770 is due to a deficit of serotonin. 441 00:26:39,805 --> 00:26:41,600 And when we actually went 442 00:26:41,634 --> 00:26:43,671 and tried to count the number of neurons 443 00:26:43,705 --> 00:26:46,018 and look at the amount of serotonin 444 00:26:46,052 --> 00:26:48,814 that was in those neurons, we found to our surprise 445 00:26:48,848 --> 00:26:52,369 it's the opposite that you have more serotonin neurons 446 00:26:52,403 --> 00:26:53,404 than the average person. 447 00:26:56,131 --> 00:26:57,477 - [Narrator] But why did these brains 448 00:26:57,512 --> 00:26:59,410 have more serotonin neurons? 449 00:27:00,584 --> 00:27:03,311 And why didn't those neurons relieve depression? 450 00:27:05,589 --> 00:27:08,557 Mann and his colleagues think they have the answer. 451 00:27:10,836 --> 00:27:12,941 To overcome a serotonin deficit 452 00:27:12,976 --> 00:27:15,944 that could result in depression or suicide, 453 00:27:15,979 --> 00:27:18,498 the scientists suspect the brain creates 454 00:27:18,533 --> 00:27:20,915 more serotonin producing neurons, 455 00:27:22,226 --> 00:27:24,297 but in depressed and suicidal patients, 456 00:27:24,332 --> 00:27:26,541 the strategy doesn't work. 457 00:27:26,575 --> 00:27:28,888 The neurons produced by their brains 458 00:27:28,923 --> 00:27:30,545 don't function correctly. 459 00:27:31,719 --> 00:27:33,341 - This is part of the brain 460 00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:35,723 where all the serotonin neurons are located, 461 00:27:35,757 --> 00:27:37,483 and you can see the serotonin neurons, 462 00:27:37,517 --> 00:27:41,314 they're these black blobs on both sides of this cleft. 463 00:27:41,349 --> 00:27:46,388 We can use the computer to count the individual neurons 464 00:27:46,423 --> 00:27:49,944 in every section systematically all the way through. 465 00:27:52,015 --> 00:27:53,499 - [Narrator] When they counted the neurons 466 00:27:53,533 --> 00:27:55,363 and mapped their location, 467 00:27:55,397 --> 00:27:58,193 they found another twist in the story. 468 00:27:59,643 --> 00:28:01,265 In one part of the brain 469 00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:03,716 the irregularity is related to depression. 470 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:07,893 In another part, the irregularity is connected 471 00:28:07,927 --> 00:28:10,723 to thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts. 472 00:28:12,207 --> 00:28:15,176 People with a brain profile that favors depression 473 00:28:15,210 --> 00:28:17,350 may never consider suicide. 474 00:28:17,385 --> 00:28:19,283 A lot of patients with the abnormality 475 00:28:19,318 --> 00:28:21,527 causing suicidal thoughts 476 00:28:21,561 --> 00:28:24,530 probably won't die by suicide either. 477 00:28:24,564 --> 00:28:27,947 But when someone has both abnormalities, 478 00:28:27,982 --> 00:28:30,053 Mann found something surprising. 479 00:28:31,813 --> 00:28:34,126 The two abnormalities combined 480 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:35,644 indicate the brain of a person 481 00:28:35,679 --> 00:28:38,440 who may be at increased risk for suicide. 482 00:28:41,478 --> 00:28:44,619 And brain differences like these may help explain 483 00:28:44,653 --> 00:28:49,106 why people in a crisis suffer from a kind of tunnel vision. 484 00:28:49,141 --> 00:28:53,386 They see fewer reasons for hope and few options 485 00:28:53,421 --> 00:28:54,663 other than suicide. 486 00:28:56,079 --> 00:29:00,324 - The world is more threatening, more critical, 487 00:29:00,359 --> 00:29:03,258 and less helpful and understanding. 488 00:29:04,466 --> 00:29:06,641 And then they're more vulnerable to criticism, 489 00:29:06,675 --> 00:29:10,610 which is why you see reports that bullying, 490 00:29:10,645 --> 00:29:14,442 critical comments at school have driven somebody 491 00:29:14,476 --> 00:29:16,962 to try and take their own lives. 492 00:29:16,996 --> 00:29:19,447 And you may think, why would they have done that? 493 00:29:19,481 --> 00:29:23,209 It's because what you see is not what they see. 494 00:29:25,039 --> 00:29:26,350 - [Narrator] Mann is well on his way 495 00:29:26,385 --> 00:29:29,215 to applying his discoveries to save lives. 496 00:29:30,699 --> 00:29:33,599 He'll look deeper into the brains of living patients 497 00:29:33,633 --> 00:29:35,532 with 3D scanning techniques. 498 00:29:37,292 --> 00:29:39,812 He hopes to catch abnormalities in the brain 499 00:29:39,847 --> 00:29:42,125 before they can threaten someone's life. 500 00:29:45,749 --> 00:29:47,406 But a big question remains: 501 00:29:48,856 --> 00:29:51,479 where did the risk of suicide come from to begin with? 502 00:29:55,586 --> 00:29:58,520 [water murmuring] 503 00:30:01,351 --> 00:30:04,216 If you are thinking about suicide or if you 504 00:30:04,250 --> 00:30:07,840 or someone you know is in emotional crisis, please- 505 00:30:08,703 --> 00:30:10,463 - Call 988. 506 00:30:10,498 --> 00:30:12,741 - Call 988. 507 00:30:14,502 --> 00:30:17,401 - [Narrator] Call or text 988 any time 508 00:30:17,436 --> 00:30:19,887 for confidential free crisis support. 509 00:30:21,785 --> 00:30:24,892 [cheerful band music] 510 00:30:33,210 --> 00:30:35,316 What many have long suspected 511 00:30:35,350 --> 00:30:37,490 has been confirmed by researchers: 512 00:30:37,525 --> 00:30:39,907 suicide runs in families. 513 00:30:41,391 --> 00:30:44,394 Some of the evidence comes from studies with twins. 514 00:30:45,913 --> 00:30:50,400 In one study, researchers looked at 176 pairs of twins 515 00:30:51,573 --> 00:30:53,921 in which one or both died by suicide. 516 00:30:55,025 --> 00:30:57,579 They made an important discovery. 517 00:30:57,614 --> 00:31:01,411 The risk of suicide was higher in identical twins 518 00:31:01,445 --> 00:31:03,378 who have identical DNA. 519 00:31:04,932 --> 00:31:07,866 The findings can only mean one thing. 520 00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:11,421 Some of the risk of suicide passes through genes. 521 00:31:13,216 --> 00:31:18,152 - About 50% of the risk for suicide is heritable. 522 00:31:20,430 --> 00:31:22,915 - You look at the Hemingway family, for example, 523 00:31:22,950 --> 00:31:25,538 and the genogram of that particular family, 524 00:31:25,573 --> 00:31:28,956 and there's depression and suicide and alcoholism, 525 00:31:30,095 --> 00:31:32,752 a family just plagued with tragedy 526 00:31:32,787 --> 00:31:35,410 and way too many suicides. 527 00:31:35,445 --> 00:31:39,932 - So if you are someone who has a family history of suicide 528 00:31:39,967 --> 00:31:43,315 and you have some genetic loading for suicide risk, 529 00:31:43,349 --> 00:31:45,144 you may not know that 530 00:31:45,179 --> 00:31:48,596 because we haven't become very sophisticated yet 531 00:31:48,630 --> 00:31:53,428 as a society about recognizing like we do for heart disease. 532 00:31:54,533 --> 00:31:55,706 We're much better at that. 533 00:31:58,019 --> 00:32:00,849 - [Narrator] Most people with a family history of suicide 534 00:32:00,884 --> 00:32:02,644 never try to take their lives. 535 00:32:04,129 --> 00:32:07,235 But those who have inherited a risk must be vigilant 536 00:32:07,270 --> 00:32:09,341 about additional risks in their environment. 537 00:32:11,377 --> 00:32:15,278 Scientists know that it's genes plus life experiences 538 00:32:15,312 --> 00:32:16,900 that add up to suicide. 539 00:32:20,490 --> 00:32:21,801 - There are a number of risk factors 540 00:32:21,836 --> 00:32:23,700 that are both internal and external, 541 00:32:23,734 --> 00:32:25,495 a family history of suicide, 542 00:32:25,529 --> 00:32:28,360 a prior suicide attempt, substance abuse. 543 00:32:28,394 --> 00:32:31,777 And then there's these other pieces like unemployment, 544 00:32:31,811 --> 00:32:34,366 economic problems, financial problems, 545 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,334 relationship problems, legal problems. 546 00:32:37,369 --> 00:32:39,129 All of these are risk factors 547 00:32:39,164 --> 00:32:41,545 that put you at greater risk of suicide. 548 00:32:41,580 --> 00:32:43,133 Again, it's important to remember 549 00:32:43,168 --> 00:32:47,103 that most people can survive and live through those. 550 00:32:47,137 --> 00:32:48,173 Some can't. 551 00:32:49,484 --> 00:32:53,350 - A significant proportion of the risk is genetic, 552 00:32:53,385 --> 00:32:55,387 but a significant proportion of the risk 553 00:32:55,421 --> 00:32:58,217 is also environmental, 554 00:32:59,356 --> 00:33:03,705 due to experiences that modify their genes 555 00:33:04,948 --> 00:33:08,365 in a process that we call epigenetics. 556 00:33:10,954 --> 00:33:14,406 - [Narrator] As we age, the genes that we were born with 557 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:17,996 are modified by our choices and life events, 558 00:33:18,030 --> 00:33:22,586 like what we eat, where we live, and our levels of stress. 559 00:33:23,691 --> 00:33:26,590 [train rumbling] 560 00:33:26,625 --> 00:33:30,042 The discovery that experiences can change our genes 561 00:33:30,077 --> 00:33:34,529 was revolutionary and explains a lot about suicide. 562 00:33:36,186 --> 00:33:39,258 It means that trauma, like an abusive childhood 563 00:33:39,293 --> 00:33:44,056 or alcohol use disorder, can influence gene expression 564 00:33:44,091 --> 00:33:46,438 and contribute to suicidal behavior. 565 00:33:51,132 --> 00:33:56,137 In Montana, Greg Whitesell had no family history of suicide, 566 00:33:57,414 --> 00:33:58,967 but he had suffered recent concussions, 567 00:33:59,002 --> 00:34:01,349 and the tragedies on unfolding around him 568 00:34:01,384 --> 00:34:02,799 added to his depression. 569 00:34:05,388 --> 00:34:09,599 Fortunately for Greg, he was part of a close knit community 570 00:34:09,632 --> 00:34:12,360 in a rich, sustaining culture. 571 00:34:12,395 --> 00:34:15,743 [gentle pensive music] 572 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:28,480 [man drumming and vocalizing] 573 00:34:46,498 --> 00:34:47,809 - Strawberry Hill, we go. 574 00:34:49,501 --> 00:34:52,435 - [Narrator] Today, Greg Whitesell and Darshan Bolan 575 00:34:52,469 --> 00:34:54,989 are two years out of high school. 576 00:34:55,023 --> 00:34:57,336 They reminisce about the best and worst times 577 00:34:57,371 --> 00:34:58,510 of their lives. 578 00:34:59,890 --> 00:35:02,238 - Do you miss high school, bro? You miss high school? 579 00:35:02,272 --> 00:35:03,791 - Yeah, I do. 580 00:35:03,825 --> 00:35:04,654 Miss it so much. 581 00:35:06,380 --> 00:35:08,865 I wish I would've got more outta high school, you know? 582 00:35:08,899 --> 00:35:11,592 - Yeah, I wish I actually tried in high school. 583 00:35:11,626 --> 00:35:12,869 - That's what you think. 584 00:35:12,903 --> 00:35:14,871 You know, you're like, I wish I actually tried. 585 00:35:14,905 --> 00:35:17,322 I wish I could go back. 586 00:35:17,356 --> 00:35:19,496 [both laughing] 587 00:35:19,531 --> 00:35:20,946 Yep. 588 00:35:20,980 --> 00:35:22,050 - You know, there's not a lot of things to do here, 589 00:35:22,085 --> 00:35:23,328 but there's a lot of back roads 590 00:35:23,362 --> 00:35:25,537 and there's a lot of mountains, so 591 00:35:25,571 --> 00:35:27,504 it's just nothing better than that. 592 00:35:31,336 --> 00:35:34,097 [upbeat music] 593 00:35:35,305 --> 00:35:37,169 - We got news, bro. 594 00:35:37,204 --> 00:35:38,066 - Really? 595 00:35:39,378 --> 00:35:41,484 Oh, we talk about everything. 596 00:35:41,518 --> 00:35:43,520 Bro, what- - Yeah. Yeah, dude. 597 00:35:43,555 --> 00:35:44,728 I, so- - Dude, 598 00:35:44,763 --> 00:35:47,317 I would've been like, bro, calm down! 599 00:35:47,352 --> 00:35:51,183 About our feelings, about last night's game, 600 00:35:51,218 --> 00:35:52,529 about us playing ball. 601 00:35:52,564 --> 00:35:55,394 I mean nothing's off the boards with us, you know, 602 00:35:55,429 --> 00:35:57,189 we're not afraid to talk about our feelings 603 00:35:57,224 --> 00:35:58,363 or anything like that. 604 00:35:58,397 --> 00:35:59,640 [both laughing] 605 00:35:59,674 --> 00:36:00,917 - She hit me though. 606 00:36:00,951 --> 00:36:03,057 So I was just checking, see where she's like. 607 00:36:04,369 --> 00:36:05,577 We gotta come up here in the winter again, man. 608 00:36:05,611 --> 00:36:07,303 That's so fun. 609 00:36:07,337 --> 00:36:08,511 - What's up? 610 00:36:08,545 --> 00:36:10,513 - I'm gonna start wearing that hat, dude. 611 00:36:10,547 --> 00:36:12,100 It's pretty hard. 612 00:36:15,794 --> 00:36:18,348 [doors slam] 613 00:36:19,522 --> 00:36:22,387 Therapy, bro. Like a hard reset. 614 00:36:22,421 --> 00:36:24,354 And can you do on your phone? 615 00:36:24,389 --> 00:36:27,599 This is my hard reset on my life to come out here. 616 00:36:29,290 --> 00:36:30,774 Take in everything. 617 00:36:30,809 --> 00:36:33,846 [cow mooing] 618 00:36:33,881 --> 00:36:35,607 What do you call a cow with no legs. 619 00:36:36,573 --> 00:36:37,643 - Um... 620 00:36:39,542 --> 00:36:40,405 A walrus? 621 00:36:42,061 --> 00:36:43,408 - Ground beef, bro. 622 00:36:43,442 --> 00:36:44,961 - [Darshan] Oh. [chuckles] 623 00:36:44,995 --> 00:36:46,411 - Bet you didn't know that one. 624 00:36:46,445 --> 00:36:49,448 A walrus? I don't even know what a walrus is. 625 00:36:49,483 --> 00:36:51,933 - [Darshan] Those big, those big freaking- 626 00:36:51,968 --> 00:36:53,211 - [Greg] A hippo? 627 00:36:53,245 --> 00:36:54,350 - [Darshan] No, not a hippo. Walrus. 628 00:36:54,384 --> 00:36:55,627 - [Greg] What? 629 00:36:55,661 --> 00:36:56,869 - [Darshan] Yeah. They got like the big fangs. 630 00:36:56,904 --> 00:36:57,698 - Oh, from Ice Age? 631 00:36:57,732 --> 00:36:59,251 - Age. Yeah, it swims. 632 00:36:59,286 --> 00:37:00,148 Yeah. It swims. 633 00:37:01,391 --> 00:37:02,944 It has like no legs. 634 00:37:02,979 --> 00:37:06,085 - Is he right? Sound the truth. 635 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:08,605 [crowd cheers] 636 00:37:10,089 --> 00:37:13,610 - [Narrator] In the winter of 2018, Greg, Dar, 637 00:37:13,645 --> 00:37:17,027 and the Arlee Warriors should have been on top of the world. 638 00:37:18,097 --> 00:37:19,409 [crowd cheers] 639 00:37:19,444 --> 00:37:22,654 They were expected to be state champions again, 640 00:37:22,688 --> 00:37:26,002 but a lot more was riding on the title than just a trophy. 641 00:37:29,833 --> 00:37:33,320 The suicides on the reservation numbered in the teens, 642 00:37:34,424 --> 00:37:35,805 soon to reach 20. 643 00:37:37,634 --> 00:37:39,291 Watching the Warriors play 644 00:37:39,326 --> 00:37:42,156 gave the community a few hours of relief 645 00:37:42,190 --> 00:37:44,434 from the ordeal outside the gym. 646 00:37:45,711 --> 00:37:48,921 For the players, it raised the stakes even higher. 647 00:37:48,956 --> 00:37:52,408 [crowd cheers] 648 00:37:52,442 --> 00:37:56,101 - Their success started to excel at such a fast rate, 649 00:37:56,135 --> 00:37:58,655 it created a lot of pressure on them. 650 00:37:58,690 --> 00:38:00,416 [judge whistles] 651 00:38:00,450 --> 00:38:02,349 It was hard on those boys that definitely know 652 00:38:02,383 --> 00:38:07,388 that they got to where they didn't want let anybody down. 653 00:38:08,700 --> 00:38:13,360 - I remember the Arlee Warriors right in the beginning 654 00:38:13,394 --> 00:38:17,812 of those suicides, and we're trying to encourage 655 00:38:17,847 --> 00:38:21,437 and be supportive of the basketball team and support them. 656 00:38:21,471 --> 00:38:23,542 ♪ There we go, Warriors, there we go ♪ 657 00:38:23,577 --> 00:38:28,513 - And it was like, we got to just step out of that, 658 00:38:29,479 --> 00:38:34,312 all that sadness and just be in a place 659 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,970 that we could just do what we love 660 00:38:38,005 --> 00:38:39,696 and that's watch basketball. 661 00:38:39,731 --> 00:38:42,354 Watch our Indian kids play basketball. 662 00:38:42,389 --> 00:38:44,839 [crowd cheers] 663 00:38:49,499 --> 00:38:52,191 - [Narrator] The Arlee Warriors had become a light 664 00:38:52,226 --> 00:38:55,367 against the darkness that was overtaking the reservation. 665 00:38:57,576 --> 00:39:01,028 Suicides came faster than caregivers could deal with them. 666 00:39:01,062 --> 00:39:04,203 [light switches clicking] 667 00:39:04,238 --> 00:39:06,274 [siren blaring] 668 00:39:06,309 --> 00:39:09,485 - [Responder] Unit two to respond. Suicidal. 669 00:39:09,519 --> 00:39:11,314 [indistinct] by himself at this time. 670 00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:15,180 - [Narrator] Anna Whiting Sorrell 671 00:39:15,214 --> 00:39:17,182 was the reservation health official 672 00:39:17,216 --> 00:39:19,149 in charge of community response. 673 00:39:21,220 --> 00:39:24,776 - I convened people together in my office saying, 674 00:39:24,810 --> 00:39:26,778 "What are we going to do?' 675 00:39:27,986 --> 00:39:29,919 And then there was another suicide. 676 00:39:29,953 --> 00:39:31,921 And then there was another suicide. 677 00:39:31,955 --> 00:39:36,960 And before, I don't even know if we ever said, 678 00:39:37,789 --> 00:39:39,342 "I think we're in an epidemic." 679 00:39:40,481 --> 00:39:43,104 I mean, so we went from one to two to three 680 00:39:43,139 --> 00:39:48,144 and then I remember 17 and 18 and them being together, 681 00:39:49,421 --> 00:39:52,424 and we reached out to what we thought were the experts 682 00:39:52,459 --> 00:39:55,427 and really found that there wasn't really much 683 00:39:55,462 --> 00:39:57,740 out there for us to hang our hat on. 684 00:40:00,984 --> 00:40:03,470 - [Narrator] As the suicide crisis deepened, 685 00:40:03,504 --> 00:40:05,333 the Flathead Indian Reservation 686 00:40:05,368 --> 00:40:07,474 suffered a common problem in America: 687 00:40:08,992 --> 00:40:11,685 not enough access to mental health professionals, 688 00:40:13,307 --> 00:40:15,792 and those who needed help, hesitated to ask for it. 689 00:40:17,345 --> 00:40:20,348 - All of us have trouble reaching out and asking for help. 690 00:40:22,523 --> 00:40:25,802 But I also think for Native people, it's deeper. 691 00:40:27,355 --> 00:40:31,774 My grandma had polio when she was young, and she, 692 00:40:34,121 --> 00:40:39,126 I loved her, she died when I was five years old, 693 00:40:39,885 --> 00:40:41,439 and we have no idea if she died 694 00:40:41,473 --> 00:40:45,097 of a intentional drug overdose or not. 695 00:40:45,132 --> 00:40:46,409 She was 42. 696 00:40:47,410 --> 00:40:51,310 My mom died at 57 from cancer. 697 00:40:51,345 --> 00:40:55,211 She had been recovering from her own substance abuse 698 00:40:55,245 --> 00:40:58,283 for maybe 10 years. 699 00:40:58,317 --> 00:41:02,977 And I bring that up because I don't think 700 00:41:04,427 --> 00:41:09,190 that people really understand the deep historic trauma 701 00:41:10,502 --> 00:41:11,986 that Native people have gone through. 702 00:41:16,646 --> 00:41:20,408 - [Narrator] Historical trauma is the psychological harm 703 00:41:20,443 --> 00:41:24,343 inflicted upon individuals and even whole cultures 704 00:41:24,378 --> 00:41:28,934 by harrowing experiences like slavery, the Holocaust, 705 00:41:30,453 --> 00:41:32,110 and violent colonization. 706 00:41:35,354 --> 00:41:38,496 Through our genes that trauma can be expressed 707 00:41:38,530 --> 00:41:42,396 in alcoholism, mental illness, even suicide. 708 00:41:44,571 --> 00:41:47,539 [person drumming and vocalizing] 709 00:41:47,574 --> 00:41:50,922 Historical trauma, contributes to why Natives 710 00:41:50,956 --> 00:41:54,857 have a suicide rate up to 10 times the national average. 711 00:41:59,378 --> 00:42:03,417 - If you can't teach your own kids your own language, 712 00:42:03,451 --> 00:42:05,833 think about the trauma about then. 713 00:42:05,868 --> 00:42:08,387 If you can't teach 'em your religion, 714 00:42:09,561 --> 00:42:12,426 if you can't teach 'em your songs 715 00:42:12,460 --> 00:42:14,393 or the music that you love, 716 00:42:17,638 --> 00:42:20,607 that's our most intrinsic belief system, right? 717 00:42:23,299 --> 00:42:25,888 [woman humming] 718 00:42:30,789 --> 00:42:33,792 [gentle reed music] 719 00:42:41,904 --> 00:42:46,322 I would say that returning to our cultural ways 720 00:42:46,356 --> 00:42:49,325 is our only way out to get 721 00:42:49,359 --> 00:42:54,157 to the health and healing that we need. 722 00:42:54,192 --> 00:42:58,990 And that is really what will prevent the next suicide. 723 00:43:01,164 --> 00:43:06,169 [wind swooshing] [uneasy music] 724 00:43:15,938 --> 00:43:17,974 - I knew we're gonna gonna fall for that. 725 00:43:22,634 --> 00:43:23,462 Shot. 726 00:43:24,947 --> 00:43:27,984 I've known about 10 people who have killed themselves. 727 00:43:28,019 --> 00:43:30,262 I was already kind of in a bad space, you know, 728 00:43:30,297 --> 00:43:33,024 I was already going through some things off the field. 729 00:43:34,335 --> 00:43:37,891 It was just really hard time going on in my life. 730 00:43:41,032 --> 00:43:44,035 Lonely, really lonely. 731 00:43:46,244 --> 00:43:47,521 When you're depressed, man, 732 00:43:47,555 --> 00:43:48,936 the only thing you can think about is yourself. 733 00:43:48,971 --> 00:43:51,318 And the only thing you can think about is, you know, 734 00:43:51,352 --> 00:43:55,771 what's killing you and what's eating you up inside. 735 00:43:55,805 --> 00:43:57,807 And you know, I did have a lot of people there for me, 736 00:43:57,842 --> 00:43:59,464 but I was just pushing them away, you know, 737 00:43:59,498 --> 00:44:01,293 not even giving them a chance. 738 00:44:01,328 --> 00:44:03,882 [gentle music] 739 00:44:03,917 --> 00:44:06,367 - [Narrator] But in the end, Greg pulled through. 740 00:44:07,990 --> 00:44:10,889 His text reached two close friends and teammates. 741 00:44:18,345 --> 00:44:20,485 - You know, two seconds after I sent that text, 742 00:44:20,519 --> 00:44:24,006 it felt like my two friends were right there, you know. 743 00:44:25,386 --> 00:44:27,561 It's just, it's crazy to think about, 744 00:44:27,595 --> 00:44:29,356 'cause I know I wouldn't be here 745 00:44:29,390 --> 00:44:31,013 if they would didn't come through 746 00:44:31,047 --> 00:44:32,773 and if they didn't knock on my door. 747 00:44:34,533 --> 00:44:37,744 - [Narrator] One of his rescuers was Darshan Bolan. 748 00:44:39,297 --> 00:44:43,439 - Yeah, like imagine just like driving up here by yourself 749 00:44:43,473 --> 00:44:44,612 and being able to look over that. 750 00:44:44,647 --> 00:44:46,718 Have you came over here by yourself before? 751 00:44:47,788 --> 00:44:48,962 - Yeah. A couple times. 752 00:44:50,791 --> 00:44:52,482 I don't think we lost the game. 753 00:44:53,449 --> 00:44:56,038 - Well, peer to peer communication 754 00:44:56,072 --> 00:44:59,731 can play a really important role in youth mental health 755 00:44:59,766 --> 00:45:03,286 and suicide prevention, because among youth 756 00:45:03,321 --> 00:45:05,530 who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, 757 00:45:05,564 --> 00:45:08,913 about half of them are not telling anyone. 758 00:45:08,947 --> 00:45:11,570 Among those who do, two thirds of them 759 00:45:11,605 --> 00:45:13,607 are only telling a peer. 760 00:45:13,641 --> 00:45:15,195 They have a gut feeling about it. 761 00:45:15,229 --> 00:45:16,437 Their friends are telling them 762 00:45:16,472 --> 00:45:18,405 about the hard stuff going on in their life. 763 00:45:20,683 --> 00:45:23,134 - [Narrator] Often friends are concerned, 764 00:45:23,168 --> 00:45:25,032 but unsure how to help. 765 00:45:25,067 --> 00:45:27,310 - [Raelena] Should we set the table outside? 766 00:45:27,345 --> 00:45:28,656 - Yeah. What do you need out there? 767 00:45:28,691 --> 00:45:30,210 Come on. 768 00:45:30,244 --> 00:45:31,729 - [Narrator] Fortunately, Greg's friends knew 769 00:45:31,763 --> 00:45:33,351 they needed to reach him fast. 770 00:45:34,835 --> 00:45:37,596 Later, his mother took him to the emergency room. 771 00:45:39,667 --> 00:45:44,327 He began therapy, ending his suicidal crisis. 772 00:45:44,362 --> 00:45:49,229 And so, unlike some-20 others in his community that year, 773 00:45:49,263 --> 00:45:50,851 Greg didn't take his life. 774 00:45:52,301 --> 00:45:53,681 - That's my bad, Thor. 775 00:45:53,716 --> 00:45:55,649 - Remember that last week I threw it way up there 776 00:45:55,683 --> 00:45:57,099 and it landed up in the tree there. 777 00:45:57,133 --> 00:45:58,514 - Yes. [Raelena chuckles] 778 00:45:58,548 --> 00:45:59,446 Woohoo. 779 00:46:01,034 --> 00:46:02,138 That's mine, sir. 780 00:46:03,484 --> 00:46:05,521 Let go, let go. 781 00:46:06,349 --> 00:46:07,765 I'll make yours, you make mine? 782 00:46:07,799 --> 00:46:08,904 - Okay. 783 00:46:08,938 --> 00:46:09,767 Um, no. 784 00:46:11,458 --> 00:46:12,700 It's good. Pretty good. 785 00:46:12,735 --> 00:46:14,461 - In my head, I was only worried about myself, 786 00:46:14,495 --> 00:46:17,982 but my mom would be living the rest of her life without me. 787 00:46:18,016 --> 00:46:20,536 [pensive music] 788 00:46:20,570 --> 00:46:22,331 You know, my pain would be just be ending, 789 00:46:22,365 --> 00:46:25,023 but everybody else is around me would just be starting. 790 00:46:27,715 --> 00:46:29,303 If you're thinking about killing yourself, 791 00:46:29,338 --> 00:46:31,823 just know that you're loved, 792 00:46:31,858 --> 00:46:33,549 know that you're cared for. 793 00:46:34,757 --> 00:46:37,864 Today might be hard, but tomorrow's a new day. 794 00:46:37,898 --> 00:46:40,176 You never know what's gonna happen tomorrow. 795 00:46:43,870 --> 00:46:46,389 - [Narrator] If you are thinking about suicide 796 00:46:46,424 --> 00:46:48,012 or if you or someone you know 797 00:46:48,046 --> 00:46:51,394 is in emotional crisis, please- 798 00:46:51,429 --> 00:46:53,189 - Call 988. 799 00:46:55,019 --> 00:46:57,228 - Call 988. 800 00:46:58,505 --> 00:47:03,441 - [Narrator] Call or text 988 anytime for confidential, 801 00:47:04,097 --> 00:47:05,546 free crisis support. 802 00:47:07,894 --> 00:47:11,345 - But yeah, we had the same fight song as Notre Dame 803 00:47:11,380 --> 00:47:13,002 and we just changed the words. 804 00:47:15,246 --> 00:47:17,696 That's why when I hear Notre Dame's fight song, 805 00:47:17,731 --> 00:47:19,077 I think about Hunter Huss. 806 00:47:20,872 --> 00:47:23,150 - [Narrator] For those who thought about suicide, 807 00:47:23,185 --> 00:47:25,394 friends can be a powerful force. 808 00:47:26,257 --> 00:47:27,396 And so can family. 809 00:47:30,019 --> 00:47:33,333 In Gastonia, North Carolina, Fonda Bryant 810 00:47:33,367 --> 00:47:37,855 and her son, Wesley literally stroll down Memory Lane 811 00:47:37,889 --> 00:47:40,927 in the neighborhood where Fonda and her relatives grew up. 812 00:47:42,411 --> 00:47:45,276 - This is where I know you think your mom came here grown, 813 00:47:45,310 --> 00:47:49,383 but this is where many a day that when Spankie and Tut 814 00:47:49,418 --> 00:47:51,938 would come to when we were just little kids, 815 00:47:51,972 --> 00:47:55,631 and we'd come up here and hang out with grandma. 816 00:47:55,665 --> 00:47:58,151 That was your great-grandmother. 817 00:48:00,429 --> 00:48:04,053 And we'd come up here, sit on the porch and talk. 818 00:48:04,088 --> 00:48:06,262 But we would just come out here and just run around. 819 00:48:06,297 --> 00:48:08,575 And grandma still chopped wood 820 00:48:08,609 --> 00:48:10,094 and something that you would've loved, 821 00:48:10,128 --> 00:48:12,786 she fixed biscuits every day. 822 00:48:12,820 --> 00:48:14,098 But she- 823 00:48:14,132 --> 00:48:15,444 - [indistinct] would make them every day. 824 00:48:15,478 --> 00:48:17,101 - Because back in the day that's what they made. 825 00:48:17,135 --> 00:48:20,380 She still had a wood stove and I never will forget one time, 826 00:48:20,414 --> 00:48:23,831 she tried to put a TV dinner in a wood stove 827 00:48:23,866 --> 00:48:26,731 and burn my TV dinner slap up. 828 00:48:26,765 --> 00:48:29,320 Yeah. I think that's what a well sat right there. 829 00:48:29,354 --> 00:48:30,977 Yeah. That's the well. 830 00:48:31,011 --> 00:48:34,463 I didn't know they put something on here. 831 00:48:34,497 --> 00:48:37,604 It says, "Be happy, for every minute you are angry, 832 00:48:37,638 --> 00:48:40,952 you lose 60 seconds of happiness." 833 00:48:40,987 --> 00:48:42,920 Imma take a picture of that. 834 00:48:42,954 --> 00:48:44,404 That is really something. 835 00:48:44,438 --> 00:48:48,201 Remind me of doing better when I'm not having a good day. 836 00:48:49,650 --> 00:48:52,101 So when I was growing up in Gastonia, 837 00:48:52,136 --> 00:48:55,139 one of my classmates, Lisa, never will forget her. 838 00:48:56,312 --> 00:48:58,694 I had on some shoes that had holes in them. 839 00:49:02,456 --> 00:49:06,184 And I had put some cardboard in it to keep the dirt out. 840 00:49:08,738 --> 00:49:11,500 Well, you know, when you walk, your whole shoe comes up 841 00:49:11,534 --> 00:49:13,019 and people can see it. 842 00:49:13,053 --> 00:49:16,091 So Lisa asked me to walk in front of her 843 00:49:16,125 --> 00:49:18,300 so she could make fun of my shoes. 844 00:49:18,334 --> 00:49:20,716 And I could hear the kids laughing in the background. 845 00:49:20,750 --> 00:49:22,476 And that really, really hurt me 846 00:49:22,511 --> 00:49:23,822 'cause it hurt me for the fact 847 00:49:23,857 --> 00:49:25,341 that I had to go to school like that 848 00:49:25,376 --> 00:49:27,274 and it hurt me because I felt like my mom 849 00:49:27,309 --> 00:49:29,311 was doing the best that she could. 850 00:49:29,345 --> 00:49:33,729 So Lisa set the tone for my reason why I love shoes. 851 00:49:33,763 --> 00:49:35,317 And I didn't even realize that. 852 00:49:35,351 --> 00:49:36,904 It took me years to kind of realize 853 00:49:36,939 --> 00:49:38,423 why I love shoes so much. 854 00:49:40,563 --> 00:49:43,463 These are really nice, 'cause they're kinda like heels, 855 00:49:43,497 --> 00:49:45,879 but they're not, and they're very comfortable. 856 00:49:45,913 --> 00:49:49,227 They got the little sparkly stuff across the foot. 857 00:49:49,262 --> 00:49:51,229 I actually have these in two colors. 858 00:49:51,264 --> 00:49:55,406 This pair is just, it's kind of self-explanatory, 859 00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:57,511 and thank God they were marked down. 860 00:49:57,546 --> 00:50:00,652 The color green for mental health stands for hope. 861 00:50:00,687 --> 00:50:04,518 So of course, I had to have a pair of shoes with green. 862 00:50:06,106 --> 00:50:09,316 I think probably the onsite of depression maybe started 863 00:50:09,351 --> 00:50:12,147 when I was around 15-16. 864 00:50:12,181 --> 00:50:15,253 [airplane swooshing] 865 00:50:16,599 --> 00:50:19,361 My first suicide attempt was when I lived in Savannah. 866 00:50:20,879 --> 00:50:23,503 My mom was, whew, it was difficult living with my mom. 867 00:50:23,537 --> 00:50:25,229 I mean I lived with her, 868 00:50:25,263 --> 00:50:27,162 but then I moved up the street from her, 869 00:50:27,196 --> 00:50:29,716 and first off, I didn't even wanna live in Savannah. 870 00:50:31,200 --> 00:50:34,962 When I moved down there, I hated it. 871 00:50:37,448 --> 00:50:40,451 So altogether, probably about two times 872 00:50:40,485 --> 00:50:43,109 where I actually had a plan 873 00:50:43,143 --> 00:50:45,939 and two times where I seriously thought about 874 00:50:45,973 --> 00:50:47,596 this would be the best way for me. 875 00:50:49,460 --> 00:50:53,360 Well, I guess, if I can have people to visualize the pain, 876 00:50:53,395 --> 00:50:57,123 I've had wisdom teeth removed, abscessed tooth, 877 00:50:57,157 --> 00:51:02,093 open heart surgery, hysterectomy, knee surgery, 878 00:51:02,128 --> 00:51:05,234 you could put all the pain together from all my surgeries 879 00:51:05,269 --> 00:51:08,410 that I've had growing up and combine them together, 880 00:51:08,444 --> 00:51:09,652 and it would not touch the pain 881 00:51:09,687 --> 00:51:13,277 that I felt on February 14th, 1995. 882 00:51:15,244 --> 00:51:16,625 I had just had it. 883 00:51:16,659 --> 00:51:19,145 And my mind was telling me, 884 00:51:19,179 --> 00:51:20,836 "You know, if you just take these pills, 885 00:51:20,870 --> 00:51:24,426 if you just go to sleep, everything will be over with. 886 00:51:24,460 --> 00:51:28,223 Your son will be better off. Nobody's going to care." 887 00:51:28,257 --> 00:51:29,638 And that's how I felt. 888 00:51:32,330 --> 00:51:35,402 But before I did that, I said, man, you know, 889 00:51:35,437 --> 00:51:37,439 somebody's gotta know about my pain. 890 00:51:40,373 --> 00:51:41,857 And I called my Aunt Spankie. 891 00:51:44,031 --> 00:51:48,139 We grew up three years apart, always been close, 892 00:51:48,174 --> 00:51:50,452 and I simply said, "You can have my shoes." 893 00:51:50,486 --> 00:51:51,832 That's all I told her. 894 00:51:51,867 --> 00:51:53,489 Hey, Spankie. 895 00:51:53,524 --> 00:51:54,525 Hey, I didn't know you got your yard done, 896 00:51:54,559 --> 00:51:56,423 your thing done like that. 897 00:51:56,458 --> 00:51:57,666 I knew you were gonna do it. 898 00:51:57,700 --> 00:52:00,013 I knew you were gonna change stuff. 899 00:52:01,221 --> 00:52:03,050 - During the course of the conversation 900 00:52:03,085 --> 00:52:06,399 she said, "You can have my shoes." 901 00:52:07,469 --> 00:52:09,781 That was an instant indication 902 00:52:09,816 --> 00:52:11,162 that there was something wrong. 903 00:52:11,197 --> 00:52:13,026 'Cause we are serious about shoes. 904 00:52:13,992 --> 00:52:18,445 And I eventually asked her, 905 00:52:18,480 --> 00:52:22,380 was she planning to hurt herself? And she said yes. 906 00:52:22,415 --> 00:52:25,556 - But then she went into action like a super hero. 907 00:52:25,590 --> 00:52:26,833 She took out the papers for me 908 00:52:26,867 --> 00:52:28,766 to be involuntarily committed. 909 00:52:30,561 --> 00:52:32,149 There was a knock at the door 910 00:52:32,183 --> 00:52:35,704 and there was this big Black CMPD police officer, 911 00:52:35,738 --> 00:52:38,155 Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer. 912 00:52:38,189 --> 00:52:40,157 "Are you Fonda Bryant?" And I said, yes. 913 00:52:40,191 --> 00:52:43,021 He said, "I came to take you to mental health facility." 914 00:52:43,056 --> 00:52:44,816 And I'm like, "No, you're not." 915 00:52:44,851 --> 00:52:46,404 - I just did what I did. 916 00:52:46,439 --> 00:52:49,304 I didn't stop to think about who would be affected 917 00:52:49,338 --> 00:52:50,753 or who would be mad or... 918 00:52:50,788 --> 00:52:52,686 I guess I really didn't care. 919 00:52:52,721 --> 00:52:55,275 [uneasy music] 920 00:52:56,552 --> 00:52:59,314 - [Narrator] Fonda fought the policeman. 921 00:52:59,348 --> 00:53:03,870 She gave up only after her son, then 12, pleaded, 922 00:53:03,904 --> 00:53:06,769 "Mom, you need help." 923 00:53:09,082 --> 00:53:12,223 - There used to be two service providers 924 00:53:12,258 --> 00:53:15,502 Black Americans did not want showing up to your doors. 925 00:53:15,537 --> 00:53:16,779 One was a psychiatrist. 926 00:53:18,056 --> 00:53:20,127 The other one was a police officer. 927 00:53:20,162 --> 00:53:22,889 And the concern was they both can lock you up. 928 00:53:25,063 --> 00:53:29,758 Then you have the history of violence among Black Americans, 929 00:53:29,792 --> 00:53:32,070 particularly in police custody, 930 00:53:32,105 --> 00:53:35,281 where individuals were suggested that they hung themselves, 931 00:53:35,315 --> 00:53:36,937 they killed themselves. 932 00:53:36,972 --> 00:53:38,594 So these sort of history plays out 933 00:53:38,629 --> 00:53:40,769 into the common experience of Black Americans 934 00:53:40,803 --> 00:53:43,047 and have an impact on their perceptions 935 00:53:43,081 --> 00:53:44,324 about mental health services. 936 00:53:45,981 --> 00:53:49,916 - [Narrator] After her traumatic experience, Fonda got help. 937 00:53:51,297 --> 00:53:53,299 - I've got your caseworker. How about this? 938 00:53:53,333 --> 00:53:56,233 How about we let you sit in the car and get you warmed up. 939 00:53:57,475 --> 00:53:59,305 - [Narrator] And today efforts are being made 940 00:53:59,339 --> 00:54:02,308 to have law enforcement and mental health practitioners 941 00:54:02,342 --> 00:54:03,964 work together more closely. 942 00:54:07,140 --> 00:54:08,417 - [Fonda] Why didn't he call Wesley? 943 00:54:08,452 --> 00:54:09,798 - [Narrator] Although Spanky had helped her 944 00:54:09,832 --> 00:54:13,180 through the crisis, Fonda's depression didn't let up. 945 00:54:14,354 --> 00:54:16,183 - We don't realize something as simple 946 00:54:16,218 --> 00:54:17,840 as brushing my teeth, 947 00:54:17,875 --> 00:54:21,085 combing my hair or taking a shower, takes- 948 00:54:21,119 --> 00:54:23,605 - [Narrator] Strong forces had converged in her life 949 00:54:23,639 --> 00:54:26,021 to bring her to the brink of killing herself. 950 00:54:27,781 --> 00:54:30,267 They were forces one psychologist 951 00:54:30,301 --> 00:54:33,511 has spent his professional life trying to understand. 952 00:54:35,306 --> 00:54:39,793 - You and Morgan are in a postdoc office together. 953 00:54:39,828 --> 00:54:42,658 - [Narrator] Thomas Joiner is a clinical psychologist 954 00:54:42,693 --> 00:54:45,937 and researcher who studies the behavior and beliefs 955 00:54:45,972 --> 00:54:47,905 of people who die by suicide. 956 00:54:49,734 --> 00:54:52,461 His examination of hundreds of patients 957 00:54:52,496 --> 00:54:55,533 inspired him to create a groundbreaking theory 958 00:54:55,568 --> 00:54:58,709 for explaining why people kill themselves 959 00:54:58,743 --> 00:55:02,506 and to help identify those who are at risk. - It feels like a bear is squeezing the life outta you and- 960 00:55:08,477 --> 00:55:10,445 - [Narrator] It's called the interpersonal theory 961 00:55:10,479 --> 00:55:14,172 of suicide, and it suggests how social 962 00:55:14,207 --> 00:55:15,622 and psychological conditions 963 00:55:15,657 --> 00:55:18,487 can combine with tragic results. 964 00:55:20,109 --> 00:55:23,527 - And she asked me again, "Are you going to kill yourself?" 965 00:55:23,561 --> 00:55:24,942 And I said, yes. 966 00:55:26,426 --> 00:55:30,016 - The interpersonal theory of suicide in a nutshell 967 00:55:30,050 --> 00:55:33,744 points to three processes that are key. 968 00:55:33,778 --> 00:55:36,091 And the idea is that when those three processes 969 00:55:36,125 --> 00:55:39,405 all converge in the same individual, 970 00:55:39,439 --> 00:55:42,718 that's when death by suicide becomes likely. 971 00:55:44,927 --> 00:55:47,965 - [Narrator] The first process is perceived burdensomeness. 972 00:55:48,793 --> 00:55:51,348 That's the idea that one's death 973 00:55:51,382 --> 00:55:55,386 will be worth more than one's life to other people. 974 00:55:55,421 --> 00:55:58,389 The perception of this feeling is true, 975 00:55:58,424 --> 00:56:01,358 though in reality it is almost never true. 976 00:56:04,464 --> 00:56:07,053 Her depression convinced Fonda Bryant 977 00:56:07,087 --> 00:56:10,367 that her beloved son Wesley, then a child, 978 00:56:10,401 --> 00:56:12,127 would be better off without her. 979 00:56:13,956 --> 00:56:16,373 - The perceived burdensomeness is the idea 980 00:56:16,407 --> 00:56:21,447 that everyone would be better off if you were gone. 981 00:56:22,482 --> 00:56:24,450 That's the perception. 982 00:56:24,484 --> 00:56:27,694 It's important to underline that word perceived, 983 00:56:27,729 --> 00:56:30,490 because they're mistaken about that. 984 00:56:33,493 --> 00:56:36,116 - [Narrator] The second process in Joiner's theory 985 00:56:36,151 --> 00:56:38,395 is called thwarted belongingness. 986 00:56:39,672 --> 00:56:42,468 That's the idea that you are alienated from others 987 00:56:42,502 --> 00:56:45,574 and hopeless that you'll ever reconnect. 988 00:56:47,369 --> 00:56:48,612 - You might need to redo the barb wire. 989 00:56:48,646 --> 00:56:50,165 - [Narrator] Though he was surrounded 990 00:56:50,199 --> 00:56:53,720 by a loving family and friends, Greg Whitesell was racked 991 00:56:53,755 --> 00:56:57,344 by feelings of loneliness and isolation. 992 00:56:57,379 --> 00:57:00,762 - Thwarted belongingness is really just a long way 993 00:57:00,796 --> 00:57:02,833 of saying loneliness. 994 00:57:02,867 --> 00:57:06,250 They feel disconnected and alienated. 995 00:57:06,284 --> 00:57:11,289 Even if the exterior world around them is people. 996 00:57:12,498 --> 00:57:17,503 For instance, they're popular, say, high school students 997 00:57:18,504 --> 00:57:22,093 or college students who are objectively popular. 998 00:57:22,128 --> 00:57:26,788 And yet they feel very lonely and die by suicide at times, 999 00:57:26,822 --> 00:57:29,963 leaving everyone so puzzled. 1000 00:57:29,998 --> 00:57:32,379 How could that be? They were popular. 1001 00:57:33,795 --> 00:57:36,694 And those two things, burdensomeness in low belongingness, 1002 00:57:36,729 --> 00:57:40,215 when those co-occur, misery results 1003 00:57:40,249 --> 00:57:43,080 and suicidal desire results. 1004 00:57:46,083 --> 00:57:48,465 - [Narrator] According to Joiner's theory, 1005 00:57:48,499 --> 00:57:52,399 the desire to die by suicide results from the combination 1006 00:57:52,434 --> 00:57:54,954 of feeling that you are a burden 1007 00:57:54,988 --> 00:57:56,852 and feeling intensely lonely. 1008 00:57:58,440 --> 00:58:01,443 But he argues that a suicide requires a third ingredient, 1009 00:58:02,582 --> 00:58:04,411 the capacity to go through with it. 1010 00:58:05,723 --> 00:58:07,553 - Suicide's hard. 1011 00:58:07,587 --> 00:58:12,212 It's very fearsome, physically difficult. 1012 00:58:12,247 --> 00:58:15,526 It's really, really against our natures 1013 00:58:15,561 --> 00:58:17,873 to stare death in the face. 1014 00:58:17,908 --> 00:58:20,669 And yet that's what suicide entails. 1015 00:58:20,704 --> 00:58:23,085 Some people are able to do it. Others are not. 1016 00:58:23,914 --> 00:58:27,193 And when somebody has capability 1017 00:58:27,227 --> 00:58:28,815 and they're miserable enough 1018 00:58:28,850 --> 00:58:30,748 because they feel so much like a burden 1019 00:58:30,783 --> 00:58:32,750 and so alienated from others, 1020 00:58:32,785 --> 00:58:35,201 that's when those three processes come together 1021 00:58:35,235 --> 00:58:39,516 and that's when we see these tragic catastrophes. 1022 00:58:42,760 --> 00:58:45,452 - [Narrator] A deeply personal catastrophe 1023 00:58:45,487 --> 00:58:47,420 prompted Thomas Joiner's work. 1024 00:58:48,594 --> 00:58:52,943 - When my father was 56, he died by suicide. 1025 00:58:52,977 --> 00:58:56,740 This theory, this day to day work 1026 00:58:56,774 --> 00:58:59,915 really is not about my dad's suicide anymore. 1027 00:59:01,123 --> 00:59:02,746 What it's about is the fact 1028 00:59:02,780 --> 00:59:07,267 that tomorrow in the United States over 100 families 1029 00:59:07,302 --> 00:59:11,409 are going to be bereaved by this, a hundred just tomorrow. 1030 00:59:11,444 --> 00:59:13,032 And then, the next day. 1031 00:59:13,066 --> 00:59:16,069 And then, the next day after that. And so on and so forth. 1032 00:59:16,104 --> 00:59:18,313 And that's just in our one country. 1033 00:59:18,347 --> 00:59:22,489 That's a human tragedy, and I want to prevent that. 1034 00:59:24,008 --> 00:59:27,149 [light tense music] 1035 00:59:35,433 --> 00:59:37,470 - [Narrator] Caregivers and scientists 1036 00:59:37,504 --> 00:59:41,543 seek to stop preventable tragedies that strike every day. 1037 00:59:43,441 --> 00:59:46,306 Others focus on public health strategies 1038 00:59:46,341 --> 00:59:48,930 that keep people from ever considering suicide 1039 00:59:48,964 --> 00:59:49,862 to begin with. 1040 00:59:51,553 --> 00:59:53,106 Everyone engaged in the fight 1041 00:59:53,141 --> 00:59:55,522 agrees about the importance of one thing: 1042 00:59:57,007 --> 00:59:59,803 seeing the signs of a suicide before it occurs. 1043 01:00:01,011 --> 01:00:02,978 - I think the biggest sign to look out for 1044 01:00:03,013 --> 01:00:04,635 is if they're just not themselves. 1045 01:00:04,670 --> 01:00:06,464 I mean, if you can definitely tell that, 1046 01:00:06,499 --> 01:00:08,501 you know, they're acting different, 1047 01:00:08,535 --> 01:00:10,952 they're not talking as much, 1048 01:00:10,986 --> 01:00:12,747 they're kind of isolating themselves. 1049 01:00:12,781 --> 01:00:16,371 - That means now they're really in their rooms, right? 1050 01:00:16,405 --> 01:00:18,545 They're really locking themselves up. 1051 01:00:18,580 --> 01:00:21,169 All the things they used to bring them joy 1052 01:00:21,203 --> 01:00:23,550 don't bring them the same level of joy. 1053 01:00:23,585 --> 01:00:27,106 And at all times they might begin to express, 1054 01:00:27,140 --> 01:00:29,729 and this is important, "I'm fine." 1055 01:00:32,214 --> 01:00:33,043 "I'm fine." 1056 01:00:34,561 --> 01:00:37,150 - Anybody talking about a sense of being hopeless, 1057 01:00:37,185 --> 01:00:39,394 like there's no hope anymore for them, 1058 01:00:39,428 --> 01:00:41,845 there's no future for them 1059 01:00:41,879 --> 01:00:44,399 or that there's no purpose for them to be alive, 1060 01:00:44,433 --> 01:00:46,056 no reason for them, 1061 01:00:46,090 --> 01:00:48,714 they don't have anything left to contribute to their family, 1062 01:00:48,748 --> 01:00:51,889 to their friends, to society, or to the world. 1063 01:00:53,166 --> 01:00:53,960 [bat hits] 1064 01:00:53,995 --> 01:00:55,548 - [Man] There you go. 1065 01:00:55,582 --> 01:00:58,931 - The community has a role to play in preventing suicide. 1066 01:00:59,690 --> 01:01:04,384 Teachers have eyes on our youth for more hours of the day 1067 01:01:04,419 --> 01:01:07,525 than probably most other adults. 1068 01:01:07,560 --> 01:01:09,251 Parents know their kids 1069 01:01:09,286 --> 01:01:11,150 and their kids' patterns of behavior 1070 01:01:11,184 --> 01:01:12,496 and what makes them tick. 1071 01:01:12,530 --> 01:01:14,532 Coaches are around our kids. 1072 01:01:16,362 --> 01:01:19,676 You can come around that individual with greater attention 1073 01:01:19,710 --> 01:01:23,334 to what they may be going through and to remind them 1074 01:01:23,369 --> 01:01:25,716 that they are loved, they're worthy. 1075 01:01:27,269 --> 01:01:30,238 There is help, there's a way through any challenge. 1076 01:01:31,860 --> 01:01:34,242 - [Narrator] An aware, engaged community 1077 01:01:34,276 --> 01:01:37,935 may the most important defense of all against suicide. 1078 01:01:40,213 --> 01:01:43,423 Greg Whitesell's friends quickly reacted to his text. 1079 01:01:46,979 --> 01:01:51,431 Fonda Bryant couldn't hide her signs from her aunt Spankie, 1080 01:01:51,466 --> 01:01:55,573 and Spanky instinctively did something experts urge us to do 1081 01:01:55,608 --> 01:01:58,335 when we suspect someone is a danger to themselves. 1082 01:02:00,233 --> 01:02:02,063 - Ask the question. 1083 01:02:02,097 --> 01:02:04,065 - Ask the question. 1084 01:02:04,099 --> 01:02:06,412 - Ask the question. 1085 01:02:06,446 --> 01:02:07,654 - Ask the question, 1086 01:02:07,689 --> 01:02:10,761 "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" 1087 01:02:13,005 --> 01:02:16,284 - The critical thing is to ask them directly, 1088 01:02:16,318 --> 01:02:19,874 ask them very clearly, Are you thinking about suicide? 1089 01:02:19,908 --> 01:02:22,462 Do you just want to die? Do you not wanna live anymore? 1090 01:02:22,497 --> 01:02:23,498 And I know that's really hard 1091 01:02:23,532 --> 01:02:26,397 and I know people don't do this often 1092 01:02:26,432 --> 01:02:27,295 and they don't like to do it, 1093 01:02:27,329 --> 01:02:28,296 they're uncomfortable with it. 1094 01:02:28,330 --> 01:02:29,849 Even doctors don't like to do it. 1095 01:02:33,335 --> 01:02:35,890 - If you open the door 1096 01:02:35,924 --> 01:02:38,651 of asking whether someone's come to the point 1097 01:02:38,685 --> 01:02:40,480 where life isn't worth living, 1098 01:02:40,515 --> 01:02:43,794 where they've considered dying by suicide, 1099 01:02:43,829 --> 01:02:46,521 then there are a series of things that you can inquire 1100 01:02:46,555 --> 01:02:51,250 about, in terms of, have you reached out to anyone else? 1101 01:02:51,284 --> 01:02:54,529 Is there, you know, family or friends or others 1102 01:02:54,563 --> 01:02:56,531 who can help you? 1103 01:02:56,565 --> 01:03:00,017 Do I need to walk with you to the emergency department 1104 01:03:00,052 --> 01:03:01,467 in the extreme? 1105 01:03:01,501 --> 01:03:04,332 [uneasy music] 1106 01:03:06,955 --> 01:03:09,924 - [Narrator] For a suicidal person, the emergency department 1107 01:03:09,958 --> 01:03:13,444 can be the first step on a journey to wellness. 1108 01:03:13,479 --> 01:03:14,618 It's where those at risk 1109 01:03:14,652 --> 01:03:16,758 can be directed to life saving treatment. 1110 01:03:19,588 --> 01:03:22,384 But emergency rooms can be overwhelmingly busy. 1111 01:03:23,972 --> 01:03:28,011 Too often, patients in crisis are offered little counseling, 1112 01:03:28,045 --> 01:03:29,564 then sent home. 1113 01:03:31,738 --> 01:03:33,706 If they seek counseling, 1114 01:03:33,740 --> 01:03:35,742 it can take weeks to get an appointment. 1115 01:03:37,192 --> 01:03:39,885 That leaves a big gap between the crisis and care. 1116 01:03:42,888 --> 01:03:47,202 Scientists developed a life saving tool to fill that gap. 1117 01:03:47,237 --> 01:03:49,170 It's called the Safety Plan. 1118 01:03:50,896 --> 01:03:54,175 - My colleague Greg Brown and I developed 1119 01:03:54,209 --> 01:03:56,349 a safety plan intervention. 1120 01:03:56,384 --> 01:04:00,353 And that intervention is used to help people 1121 01:04:00,388 --> 01:04:05,393 who become suicidal to get through a suicidal crisis 1122 01:04:06,463 --> 01:04:08,430 without acting on their suicidal feelings 1123 01:04:08,465 --> 01:04:10,294 and suicidal thoughts. 1124 01:04:11,882 --> 01:04:13,608 - [Narrator] The safety plan is a worksheet 1125 01:04:13,642 --> 01:04:17,439 of coping strategies that a suicidal person can follow 1126 01:04:17,474 --> 01:04:19,545 to get through an emotional crisis. 1127 01:04:20,926 --> 01:04:23,790 - So there are six steps on the Safety Plan. 1128 01:04:23,825 --> 01:04:28,312 And the first step is to identify warning signs. 1129 01:04:29,762 --> 01:04:31,764 - [Narrator] Warning signs are thoughts that tell you 1130 01:04:31,798 --> 01:04:33,559 you're headed for emotional trouble. 1131 01:04:35,388 --> 01:04:38,046 A patient may think life isn't worth living 1132 01:04:38,081 --> 01:04:39,668 and nothing will ever get better. 1133 01:04:41,394 --> 01:04:44,156 Friends and family would be better off without them. 1134 01:04:46,054 --> 01:04:49,747 - So now we're gonna identify what your warning signs are 1135 01:04:49,782 --> 01:04:54,062 so that you know that you need to grab the Safety Plan 1136 01:04:54,097 --> 01:04:55,374 and start using it 1137 01:04:55,408 --> 01:04:57,859 so that you don't make a suicide attempt, okay? 1138 01:04:59,757 --> 01:05:01,552 - [Narrator] For people in crisis 1139 01:05:01,587 --> 01:05:04,935 problems can trigger dangerous impulses. 1140 01:05:04,970 --> 01:05:07,489 Patients must plan to distract themselves. 1141 01:05:09,457 --> 01:05:11,562 - We have them identify what are the things 1142 01:05:11,597 --> 01:05:13,737 that they can do just by themselves, 1143 01:05:13,771 --> 01:05:16,498 because a lot of times people get suicidal at night 1144 01:05:16,533 --> 01:05:18,811 when they are by themselves. 1145 01:05:18,845 --> 01:05:21,676 That will take their mind off their problems 1146 01:05:21,710 --> 01:05:25,576 that will engross them, distract them, 1147 01:05:25,611 --> 01:05:27,302 even just for a little while. 1148 01:05:27,337 --> 01:05:29,339 And so they're really simple things. 1149 01:05:31,203 --> 01:05:35,966 It could be something like playing with their dog. 1150 01:05:36,001 --> 01:05:39,970 [light cheerful music] 1151 01:05:40,005 --> 01:05:41,799 - [Man] Boy. Good boy. 1152 01:05:43,008 --> 01:05:44,147 - You know, usually when I'm running, 1153 01:05:44,181 --> 01:05:46,459 I'll put on some music, put on a podcast, 1154 01:05:46,494 --> 01:05:49,911 and when I'm out for a ride, I'm kind of in a zone. 1155 01:05:51,326 --> 01:05:55,089 - Suicidal impulses or suicidal urges 1156 01:05:55,123 --> 01:05:57,332 can be a very short duration. 1157 01:05:58,747 --> 01:06:03,752 The idea is that by doing these simple coping strategies, 1158 01:06:04,995 --> 01:06:06,686 that we are actually even going to shorten 1159 01:06:06,721 --> 01:06:09,275 that period of time that a person has 1160 01:06:09,310 --> 01:06:11,657 the strong suicidal urges 1161 01:06:11,691 --> 01:06:14,384 and the urge to act on suicidal thoughts. 1162 01:06:16,144 --> 01:06:18,491 - [Narrator] The coping strategies can stop an urge 1163 01:06:18,526 --> 01:06:19,492 in its tracks. 1164 01:06:20,769 --> 01:06:23,669 - What I always say is time, 1165 01:06:23,703 --> 01:06:25,947 the passage of time is your friend. 1166 01:06:28,329 --> 01:06:30,538 - [Narrator] The safety plan moves from self-help 1167 01:06:30,572 --> 01:06:32,402 to asking for help from friends. 1168 01:06:34,093 --> 01:06:36,751 And finally, talking to a therapist. 1169 01:06:38,373 --> 01:06:41,480 Often self-help alone does the trick. 1170 01:06:41,514 --> 01:06:44,862 - Are you willing to do that? Fantastic. 1171 01:06:46,071 --> 01:06:48,556 - [Narrator] The last step encourages patients 1172 01:06:48,590 --> 01:06:51,041 to think about the thing they love most. 1173 01:06:52,215 --> 01:06:54,044 - The one thing that is most important to me 1174 01:06:54,079 --> 01:06:56,115 and worth living for is. 1175 01:06:57,427 --> 01:07:00,395 - So what is that for you when you think about it? 1176 01:07:02,811 --> 01:07:06,367 - My kids, Jack and Sarah. 1177 01:07:06,401 --> 01:07:08,472 - Okay. So why don't you write them down? 1178 01:07:11,924 --> 01:07:16,929 The whole idea behind it is that we want people to learn 1179 01:07:18,068 --> 01:07:20,588 how to cope on their own as much as possible. 1180 01:07:20,622 --> 01:07:22,279 Of course we want them to reach out 1181 01:07:22,314 --> 01:07:23,694 when they need to reach out. 1182 01:07:23,729 --> 01:07:25,627 We have people on the plan that they reach out to, 1183 01:07:25,662 --> 01:07:29,907 but it's their own initiation for doing it. 1184 01:07:32,013 --> 01:07:34,464 - [Narrator] The Safety Plan is only the beginning. 1185 01:07:36,121 --> 01:07:39,089 For many patients the next step is to seek counseling 1186 01:07:39,124 --> 01:07:40,642 for their suicidal thoughts. 1187 01:07:43,473 --> 01:07:46,096 Sadly, some people die by suicide 1188 01:07:46,131 --> 01:07:49,479 before they can receive help or even make it to the ER. 1189 01:07:51,412 --> 01:07:55,588 That's because deadly means of suicide are all around us. 1190 01:07:57,866 --> 01:08:01,456 Firearms take an especially tragic toll. 1191 01:08:03,527 --> 01:08:08,222 In the US, the majority of gun deaths are not homicides. 1192 01:08:08,256 --> 01:08:09,430 They're suicides. 1193 01:08:10,431 --> 01:08:13,158 More people die by suicide from guns 1194 01:08:13,192 --> 01:08:16,092 than all other means of suicide combined. 1195 01:08:16,953 --> 01:08:19,957 [clock ticking] 1196 01:08:19,992 --> 01:08:22,236 - The thing that we understand that suicidal crisis 1197 01:08:22,270 --> 01:08:24,100 is usually one to 10 minutes. 1198 01:08:24,134 --> 01:08:25,584 One to 10 minutes. 1199 01:08:25,618 --> 01:08:27,309 If you have a lethal means, 1200 01:08:27,344 --> 01:08:28,966 it's more likely to result in death. 1201 01:08:29,001 --> 01:08:33,557 So if you have a firearm, you have a 95% chance of dying. 1202 01:08:35,076 --> 01:08:38,424 If you don't have a firearm and use some other means, right, 1203 01:08:38,459 --> 01:08:41,255 you only have about five to 10% chance of dying. 1204 01:08:41,289 --> 01:08:43,014 So the means matter. 1205 01:08:47,192 --> 01:08:49,504 - If you are in a gun-owning home, 1206 01:08:49,539 --> 01:08:53,024 that is a very important aspect of suicide prevention 1207 01:08:53,059 --> 01:08:55,510 is to think about those firearms and making sure 1208 01:08:55,545 --> 01:08:56,890 that they're stored safely 1209 01:08:56,925 --> 01:09:00,170 and securely, ammunition separately. 1210 01:09:00,205 --> 01:09:01,896 And during periods of crisis, 1211 01:09:01,930 --> 01:09:03,484 I would even go so far as to say, 1212 01:09:03,518 --> 01:09:06,521 try to have firearms outside of the home environment. 1213 01:09:08,903 --> 01:09:11,457 - [Narrator] During a crisis experts say, 1214 01:09:11,492 --> 01:09:14,529 unload guns and take them to a trusted friend. 1215 01:09:16,496 --> 01:09:17,567 And don't stop there. 1216 01:09:19,603 --> 01:09:22,468 Lock up or dispose of prescription drugs 1217 01:09:22,503 --> 01:09:24,228 and over the counter medicines. 1218 01:09:25,885 --> 01:09:29,371 Lock up or dispose of common household poisons. 1219 01:09:33,961 --> 01:09:36,550 How else can you prevent suicide? 1220 01:09:36,585 --> 01:09:39,761 Learn the signs, experts say, so you can recognize them 1221 01:09:39,796 --> 01:09:42,453 in family, friends, and colleagues. 1222 01:09:44,697 --> 01:09:48,390 Ask the question: Are you thinking about killing yourself? 1223 01:09:49,599 --> 01:09:53,533 And never, ever leave someone in crisis alone. 1224 01:09:55,398 --> 01:09:58,573 Science has proven these steps save lives. 1225 01:10:01,611 --> 01:10:04,889 But what about preventing suicides in an entire community? 1226 01:10:06,960 --> 01:10:10,516 That would require coordination among multiple health 1227 01:10:10,550 --> 01:10:12,068 and education services. 1228 01:10:13,726 --> 01:10:16,419 [light music] 1229 01:10:22,770 --> 01:10:25,737 It may sound utopian, but there are places 1230 01:10:25,773 --> 01:10:29,432 that show suicide prevention can work on a national level. 1231 01:10:30,847 --> 01:10:34,713 In response to one of Scandinavia's highest suicide rates, 1232 01:10:34,746 --> 01:10:38,268 Denmark took steps to bring suicides down. 1233 01:10:42,202 --> 01:10:44,585 [alarm rings] 1234 01:10:46,138 --> 01:10:49,624 - I get up at around nine every morning 1235 01:10:49,659 --> 01:10:51,350 and make a pot of coffee. 1236 01:10:53,282 --> 01:10:55,803 From there, I start doing my research. 1237 01:10:55,837 --> 01:10:59,427 I'm a writer, write a lot of articles. 1238 01:11:00,980 --> 01:11:03,327 I'm a very curious person, 1239 01:11:03,362 --> 01:11:07,642 and I love to, you know, embrace new knowledge. 1240 01:11:07,677 --> 01:11:10,404 I love to study different things 1241 01:11:10,438 --> 01:11:13,234 and kind of be a nerd about it. 1242 01:11:16,064 --> 01:11:19,136 - [Narrator] Troels Torps' life wasn't always so orderly. 1243 01:11:20,552 --> 01:11:24,418 In his teens, he began suffering from extreme depression, 1244 01:11:24,452 --> 01:11:26,489 and later, hallucinations. 1245 01:11:28,629 --> 01:11:32,978 Isolated and feeling like a burden to his family, 1246 01:11:33,012 --> 01:11:35,843 Troels found himself in a dangerous spiral. 1247 01:11:37,672 --> 01:11:40,296 - I don't think that I actually wanted to die. 1248 01:11:41,642 --> 01:11:45,439 It was more a feeling of just kind of getting relief, 1249 01:11:45,473 --> 01:11:47,441 kind of just make it all stop. 1250 01:11:47,475 --> 01:11:48,648 Just stop. 1251 01:11:50,513 --> 01:11:53,688 - [Narrator] Troels tried to kill himself three times. 1252 01:11:54,724 --> 01:11:57,243 Then, he grabbed a lifeline. 1253 01:11:58,555 --> 01:12:01,075 He let his father take him to a psychiatric hospital. 1254 01:12:04,112 --> 01:12:06,563 Copenhagen's Amger Psychiatric Center 1255 01:12:06,598 --> 01:12:09,463 is one of 19 government run clinics 1256 01:12:09,496 --> 01:12:12,327 devoted to people who have attempted suicide 1257 01:12:12,362 --> 01:12:13,398 or are thinking about it. 1258 01:12:15,400 --> 01:12:19,541 At the clinic, therapists like Titia Lahoz 1259 01:12:19,576 --> 01:12:22,371 explore patients' dangerous thoughts. 1260 01:12:22,407 --> 01:12:27,204 [Titia speaks in Danish] 1261 01:12:32,451 --> 01:12:36,490 [patient speaks in Danish] 1262 01:12:36,523 --> 01:12:40,942 [both speaking in Danish] 1263 01:12:47,155 --> 01:12:49,398 Free psychiatric care in Denmark 1264 01:12:49,434 --> 01:12:51,781 strikes a big blow against suicide. 1265 01:12:54,266 --> 01:12:57,407 So does reducing access to dangerous medicines. 1266 01:12:58,581 --> 01:13:00,686 - Medical doctors became much more aware 1267 01:13:00,721 --> 01:13:02,101 of prescribing those 1268 01:13:02,136 --> 01:13:04,449 and prescribing them in smaller amounts. 1269 01:13:04,483 --> 01:13:07,624 Making sure that people who had severe mental disorders, 1270 01:13:07,659 --> 01:13:09,868 they didn't have large quantities 1271 01:13:09,902 --> 01:13:13,147 of dangerous medication at home. 1272 01:13:15,425 --> 01:13:17,393 - [Narrator] Means restriction discourages 1273 01:13:17,427 --> 01:13:18,980 other forms of self-harm. 1274 01:13:20,775 --> 01:13:22,812 Firearms are strictly controlled. 1275 01:13:25,159 --> 01:13:27,748 And barriers prevent people from stepping onto train 1276 01:13:27,782 --> 01:13:31,924 in metro tracks and jumping off bridges onto tracks. 1277 01:13:36,481 --> 01:13:39,449 Blocking lethal means of suicide is crucial, 1278 01:13:39,484 --> 01:13:42,659 because if suicidal people are stopped in their attempt, 1279 01:13:42,693 --> 01:13:45,490 they often drop their plans to harm themselves. 1280 01:13:54,188 --> 01:13:56,466 Denmark tries to head off self-harm 1281 01:13:56,501 --> 01:13:59,469 long before hospitalizations are necessary. 1282 01:13:59,504 --> 01:14:04,509 [children laughing] [light music] 1283 01:14:07,719 --> 01:14:10,687 From a young age Danish children are encouraged 1284 01:14:10,722 --> 01:14:13,690 to talk about their feelings, not hide them. 1285 01:14:15,209 --> 01:14:18,177 At many schools, they learn the good behavior game. 1286 01:14:19,420 --> 01:14:22,353 This classroom contest teaches self-control 1287 01:14:22,388 --> 01:14:23,804 and emotional moderation. 1288 01:14:24,736 --> 01:14:26,496 While it's a simple game, 1289 01:14:26,531 --> 01:14:28,912 it promotes lifelong mental health. 1290 01:14:31,536 --> 01:14:34,159 The teacher divides the class into two teams. 1291 01:14:37,714 --> 01:14:39,682 Whenever someone misbehaves, 1292 01:14:39,716 --> 01:14:43,306 like talking to a friend or leaving their seat, 1293 01:14:43,340 --> 01:14:45,066 the other team scores a point. 1294 01:14:47,172 --> 01:14:49,795 Children learn to recognize the desire to act up 1295 01:14:49,830 --> 01:14:53,799 and to control it for the benefit of their team. 1296 01:14:53,834 --> 01:14:58,459 [teacher speaks in foreign language] 1297 01:15:01,255 --> 01:15:02,567 - There are studies that have shown 1298 01:15:02,601 --> 01:15:05,259 that the good behavior program is actually linked 1299 01:15:05,293 --> 01:15:08,020 to a lower risk of suicide. 1300 01:15:08,055 --> 01:15:11,058 So from that sense, it's a good initiative. 1301 01:15:11,092 --> 01:15:14,233 [light guitar music] 1302 01:15:19,237 --> 01:15:24,243 - Today, I live a modest life. I would say, a simple life. 1303 01:15:25,451 --> 01:15:28,109 And that's how it should be for me. 1304 01:15:31,216 --> 01:15:34,219 [audience applauds] 1305 01:15:37,394 --> 01:15:41,985 [Troels speaks in foreign language] 1306 01:15:45,264 --> 01:15:47,888 - [Narrator] Troels modest life has not made him shy. 1307 01:15:51,477 --> 01:15:54,308 He shares his story of survival and resilience 1308 01:15:54,342 --> 01:15:57,276 as an ambassador for a government sponsored organization 1309 01:15:57,311 --> 01:15:59,071 called ONE OF US. 1310 01:16:00,521 --> 01:16:04,318 - In ONE OF US, we fight stigma by promoting inclusion 1311 01:16:04,352 --> 01:16:07,424 and combating discrimination related to mental illness. 1312 01:16:07,459 --> 01:16:11,118 And we do that with big corps of ambassadors, 1313 01:16:11,152 --> 01:16:13,396 and ambassadors in ONE OF US are all people 1314 01:16:13,430 --> 01:16:15,639 WITH lived experience of mental illness. 1315 01:16:17,503 --> 01:16:19,505 - [Narrator] Stigma costs lives. 1316 01:16:22,025 --> 01:16:25,339 People who die by suicide usually don't seek help 1317 01:16:25,373 --> 01:16:28,342 or even share their intentions beforehand, 1318 01:16:28,376 --> 01:16:30,758 often due to the shame and disgrace 1319 01:16:30,793 --> 01:16:33,416 associated with mental health conditions. 1320 01:16:33,450 --> 01:16:38,041 [Troels speaks in foreign language] 1321 01:16:42,287 --> 01:16:45,842 - Troels is a really excellent ambassador in ONE OF US, 1322 01:16:45,877 --> 01:16:48,914 because he worked through so many 1323 01:16:48,949 --> 01:16:52,262 of his very serious mental health problems 1324 01:16:52,297 --> 01:16:56,439 in a way that he is able to share it today 1325 01:16:56,473 --> 01:16:59,338 and share it in a very reflected manner. 1326 01:16:59,373 --> 01:17:01,617 [Troels speaks in foreign language] 1327 01:17:01,651 --> 01:17:04,827 [audience applauds] 1328 01:17:08,485 --> 01:17:11,868 [truck honking] 1329 01:17:11,903 --> 01:17:14,837 [tractor rumbling] 1330 01:17:17,563 --> 01:17:21,498 - [Narrator] In a country as vast and diverse as the USA, 1331 01:17:21,532 --> 01:17:25,054 creating a national suicide prevention system like Denmark's 1332 01:17:25,088 --> 01:17:27,090 would pose significant challenges. 1333 01:17:29,886 --> 01:17:32,509 But experts argue that we need to improve 1334 01:17:32,544 --> 01:17:33,718 our fragmented system 1335 01:17:35,236 --> 01:17:38,032 to make a real dent in America's suicide crisis. 1336 01:17:40,621 --> 01:17:43,451 More funding and better coordination, 1337 01:17:44,418 --> 01:17:46,834 they say, could make a significant difference. 1338 01:17:52,875 --> 01:17:57,362 Meanwhile, in families and communities across the country, 1339 01:17:57,396 --> 01:18:00,572 hope emerges from unexpected places. 1340 01:18:00,606 --> 01:18:03,679 [light hopeful music] 1341 01:18:05,750 --> 01:18:10,064 Arlee, Montana, winter 2018. 1342 01:18:12,480 --> 01:18:15,552 All eyes are on the Warriors as they prepare to defend 1343 01:18:15,587 --> 01:18:17,589 their title C division championship. 1344 01:18:19,764 --> 01:18:22,387 But first, the team punches a big hole 1345 01:18:22,421 --> 01:18:24,734 in the stigma surrounding the disease 1346 01:18:24,769 --> 01:18:27,012 that's been killing their community 1347 01:18:27,047 --> 01:18:29,428 by making a video for social media. 1348 01:18:30,636 --> 01:18:32,362 - We the Arlee Warriors are dedicating 1349 01:18:32,397 --> 01:18:34,468 this divisional tournament to all families 1350 01:18:34,502 --> 01:18:37,091 that fallen victim to the loss of a loved one 1351 01:18:37,126 --> 01:18:39,266 due to the pressures of life. 1352 01:18:39,300 --> 01:18:41,475 - We want you all to know that you'll be in our hearts 1353 01:18:41,509 --> 01:18:43,753 and in our prayers as we step on the floor 1354 01:18:43,788 --> 01:18:47,723 to represent our school community and our reservation. 1355 01:18:47,757 --> 01:18:50,449 [crowd cheers] 1356 01:18:54,177 --> 01:18:56,870 - And then after that, they ran out and played an epic game 1357 01:18:56,904 --> 01:18:59,493 and we won and, you know, the fairy tale continued. 1358 01:19:02,427 --> 01:19:04,498 So we get on the bus that night and we're going home. 1359 01:19:04,532 --> 01:19:07,984 And my wife says, "Look, how many views this has!" 1360 01:19:08,019 --> 01:19:10,538 So I look at it and it's got like 100,000 views. 1361 01:19:11,469 --> 01:19:13,818 I'm like, whoa, this isn't even that good. 1362 01:19:15,474 --> 01:19:18,477 - [Narrator] That video spawned more videos. 1363 01:19:18,512 --> 01:19:22,343 And then a grassroots suicide prevention campaign 1364 01:19:22,378 --> 01:19:25,312 called the Warrior Movement. 1365 01:19:25,346 --> 01:19:30,248 - [Together] Together we rise. Join the Warrior Movement. 1366 01:19:30,282 --> 01:19:32,112 - [Narrator] Greg and his fellow athletes 1367 01:19:32,146 --> 01:19:33,838 visit schools around the state 1368 01:19:35,287 --> 01:19:38,532 to spread powerful messages of hope and unity 1369 01:19:38,566 --> 01:19:40,603 in the face of suicide. 1370 01:19:40,637 --> 01:19:43,639 - Our message is one of courage, togetherness, and hope. 1371 01:19:44,538 --> 01:19:45,781 - I've been faced with depression 1372 01:19:45,815 --> 01:19:47,472 and without the help for my two best friends, 1373 01:19:47,505 --> 01:19:49,715 I wouldn't be standing in front of you here today. 1374 01:19:49,750 --> 01:19:52,477 [drum banging] 1375 01:19:53,409 --> 01:19:55,031 - [Narrator] As for Fonda Bryant, 1376 01:19:55,066 --> 01:19:57,344 she puts her hard won knowledge to work 1377 01:19:57,378 --> 01:19:59,864 as a suicide reduction activist. 1378 01:20:01,416 --> 01:20:04,489 - If you have a friend, a family member, coworker, 1379 01:20:04,523 --> 01:20:05,835 check on 'em. 1380 01:20:05,870 --> 01:20:07,216 Check on 'em. 1381 01:20:07,250 --> 01:20:10,322 It's the best deterrent. How are you doing today? 1382 01:20:10,357 --> 01:20:13,049 More behavioral clues, giving away prized possessions. 1383 01:20:13,084 --> 01:20:15,155 Y'all heard what I said. I called my aunt Spankie. 1384 01:20:15,189 --> 01:20:16,984 My shoes were my prized possession. 1385 01:20:17,019 --> 01:20:18,537 And I told her she could have 'em. 1386 01:20:19,504 --> 01:20:21,057 Oh my goodness, look at your shoes. 1387 01:20:21,092 --> 01:20:22,990 - Keep in mind that some of my shoes 1388 01:20:23,025 --> 01:20:25,199 I cannot get to right now. 1389 01:20:25,234 --> 01:20:26,476 - Yeah. I like these. 1390 01:20:26,511 --> 01:20:27,857 And they got a very unusual heel. 1391 01:20:27,892 --> 01:20:29,134 - Yeah. 1392 01:20:29,169 --> 01:20:30,549 I don't think I should say out loud 1393 01:20:30,584 --> 01:20:32,585 how many pairs of shoes I actually have. 1394 01:20:34,553 --> 01:20:36,969 - Ultimately, I really get hope 1395 01:20:37,004 --> 01:20:40,490 from those that are really close to death, 1396 01:20:40,525 --> 01:20:42,492 that we can keep alive, 1397 01:20:42,527 --> 01:20:47,532 that we can see that finding a way to connect with them 1398 01:20:48,188 --> 01:20:49,706 keeps them alive. 1399 01:20:49,741 --> 01:20:51,536 And sometimes that is through therapy 1400 01:20:51,570 --> 01:20:54,573 and sometimes it is just through a good listening ear. 1401 01:20:54,608 --> 01:20:57,714 Sometimes it is by checking in with them 1402 01:20:57,749 --> 01:21:00,717 when they most need it and being there for them. 1403 01:21:03,651 --> 01:21:06,862 - Here we go! Here we go! 1404 01:21:08,380 --> 01:21:11,487 Chris is still with us in a very big sense. 1405 01:21:12,764 --> 01:21:14,904 I never want my kids to forget their dad. 1406 01:21:16,733 --> 01:21:20,254 I am looking forward to seeing my kids grow 1407 01:21:20,289 --> 01:21:24,500 and I don't wanna miss out in any part of their life. 1408 01:21:25,984 --> 01:21:29,298 Seeing my kids grow up is what gives me hope, 1409 01:21:29,332 --> 01:21:33,577 hope of a bright future for each one of them. 1410 01:21:33,612 --> 01:21:34,441 - Hey, guys. 1411 01:21:35,683 --> 01:21:37,443 What gives me hope in the field of suicide prevention 1412 01:21:37,478 --> 01:21:38,617 are the young people. 1413 01:21:38,652 --> 01:21:41,448 You know, I've got a lab of 20 to 30 students 1414 01:21:41,482 --> 01:21:42,827 who are on fire. 1415 01:21:44,002 --> 01:21:47,903 They are so excited to be part of the solution, 1416 01:21:47,937 --> 01:21:52,114 to be doing research and learning about this 1417 01:21:52,148 --> 01:21:53,736 and going on to academic careers 1418 01:21:53,770 --> 01:21:56,635 or going on as clinicians or working in the field. 1419 01:21:58,499 --> 01:22:03,401 - I am really, really proud to be a Salish woman 1420 01:22:03,434 --> 01:22:05,610 sitting in this chair today 1421 01:22:05,644 --> 01:22:10,648 that somehow I can help communicate 1422 01:22:11,512 --> 01:22:13,066 to a broader world 1423 01:22:13,100 --> 01:22:17,139 to understand how this epidemic of suicide 1424 01:22:17,173 --> 01:22:22,178 has impacted my own family, certainly my community, 1425 01:22:22,834 --> 01:22:24,974 my tribe overall. 1426 01:22:25,009 --> 01:22:29,427 And I am so indebted that people are willing 1427 01:22:29,460 --> 01:22:34,294 to hear our story and help us get to a place of hope. 1428 01:22:35,467 --> 01:22:38,298 - The way that you start a contagion of hope 1429 01:22:38,332 --> 01:22:43,337 is to start spreading stories of recovery, 1430 01:22:44,476 --> 01:22:48,480 of spreading stories of resilience, 1431 01:22:48,514 --> 01:22:51,380 of spreading stories of hope, 1432 01:22:51,414 --> 01:22:56,419 because people don't think that you can recover 1433 01:22:57,903 --> 01:23:01,562 from many different types of mental illnesses. 1434 01:23:03,184 --> 01:23:04,289 And you can. 1435 01:23:04,324 --> 01:23:07,085 [inspiring music] 1436 01:23:10,192 --> 01:23:12,332 - [Narrator] If you are thinking about suicide 1437 01:23:12,366 --> 01:23:14,886 or if you or someone you know 1438 01:23:14,920 --> 01:23:18,130 is in emotional crisis, please- 1439 01:23:18,165 --> 01:23:20,719 - Call 988. 1440 01:23:20,754 --> 01:23:23,032 - Call 988. 1441 01:23:23,067 --> 01:23:27,002 - [Narrator] Call or text 988 anytime 1442 01:23:27,036 --> 01:23:31,213 for confidential free crisis support. 1443 01:23:31,246 --> 01:23:33,939 - You're gonna go that faster on this bump? 1444 01:23:33,974 --> 01:23:35,527 - Uh-oh! 1445 01:23:35,562 --> 01:23:37,357 - It's enough! 1446 01:23:37,391 --> 01:23:38,392 [both scream]