Suicide prevention should be a focus for Volusia, Flagler, Florida | LETTERS

News-Journal (Daytona Beach, FL)

Christine Flowers' moving article on the personal impact of suicide highlights the seemingly endless grief of nation searching for answers to a surge of lost lives.

Her article breaks the silence over a complex epidemic with no easy solutions.

However, clear information adds hope to understanding and preventing one of the top ten causes of death.

[READ MORE: Flagler group crosses bridge to support suicide prevention]

Nationally, suicide rates have risen over 30 percent. It is second leading cause of death for people aged 10, yes, 10 to 34. The rate for women has nearly doubled. Seniors are dying in alarming numbers. According to the Florida Department of Health we are losing more people to suicide than traffic accidents, breast cancer and AIDS.

Not all suicides are caused by a mental illness. However, they are tightly linked. A graphic picture of the sheer prevalence of mental illness, including concealed depression, is a packed football stadium. One in five spectators have or will have an illness associated with very high mortality rates but only 40-50 percent who need psychiatric services receive them.

Unfortunately, Florida's suicide rate is rising.

Overwhelmed, underfunded systems of psychiatric services that cannot consistently deliver critical care, including suicide prevention, are a magnet for reform and a compelling directive for bipartisan action.

The 2020 Legislature has an extraordinary opportunity to establish evidence based prevention practices and strategic funding decisions for the rest of the nation to follow. But without clarity we will continue to wobble around unsure of the way forward.

Relevant facts on suicide drive reasoned debate, stabilize differences and create common ground for action. They also break the foggy unity between stigma and mental illnesses.

Reliable information is among Florida's greatest assets, it is the gathering place of hope. In fact, information can be the agent of change for a grieving nation.

Peggy J. Symons, DeLand

Symons is a long-time advocate for better access to mental health services.

By the numbers

In 2018, Flagler County saw 28 suicides. Adjusted for population, that gives it the eight-highest suicide rate in Florida. In Volusia County, 125 people took their lives. That gives it an adjusted per-capita rank of 28th.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, contact the local SMA Healthcare crisis line at (800) 539-4228.

Appeasing far left

Every effort to discredit our president has failed. Russia collusion, obstruction of justice, tax returns, the list goes on. Since the Democrats and Adam Schiff have not been able to prove any of these false allegations, they are willing to compromise their only partially viable candidate. The Democrats are willing to sacrifice one of their own and let their hate dominate their decision making.

While a disreputable company in the Ukraine is being investigated, former Vice President Joe Biden insisted that the prosecutor be fired, then his son gets a job with said company receiving $50,000/month compensation. Hmmm...

Apparently Biden's conflicts are acceptable. President Trump questioning them is corrupt.

Though the administration chose to release details about the private call between Trump and Zelensky in the interest of transparency, the precedent being set undermines the ability to freely discuss options available and reject those that are not feasible. Even during the drafting of the constitution, our founders covered the windows and bound the writers to confidentiality in order to promote open discussion.

We have a soaring economy, strong military, illegal criminals deported, tax reductions, more people employed than ever before, and trade agreements that benefit Americans. Promises made, promises kept. Most polls suggest the electorate is tired of the impeachment narrative and want our government to get on with the work we sent them to do.

This last attempt at pandering to only the farthest left is just another waste of time and money while accomplishing very little.

Ro Steppe, Port Orange

True outrage

I'll try to stay calm about a recent writer's "outrage." Maybe Congress disrespects the office of the president because he does nothing to acknowledge this branch of government. When he had both houses in his pocket, they did nothing except pass one bill, to give a tax break to the rich. Now he calls members of Congress degrading names, without recognizing that they are representing voters who wish to be represented by them. They are shown contempt, not respect.

Outrage that Jane Fonda is getting an award? Come on already. Outrage that our young people are not getting basic civics knowledge? How about outrage at a secretary of education who doesn't believe in public education? Or a Environmental Protection Agency head who was a coal lobbyist? Have some outrage that a state that finally got rid of its smog, saw the law that got rid of it lifted. How about outrage that the act protecting our endangered species was also lifted by executive order without a vote of our representatives?

I have outrage also, but mine is more like sorrow. Sorrow that it is hard to respect a president who himself seems to only respect the power of the office and not its responsibilities. Sorrow that a country with a great history has a president that has no knowledge of that basic history. Sorrow that a leader who was elected seems to think the mandate was for a dictator and not for a leader of all. Sorrow that it's hard to respect a bully. Amen.

Janice Barson-Ryone, Palm Coast

Duty to act

As elected officials in our government, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott have a duty to speak and act on behalf of the people. There is a growing call to hold our president accountable for actions he has taken, both known and unknown to us. As the presidency is the highest office held in our country, it is imperative that any actions of suspicion or of an inappropriate nature taken by the sitting president be fully investigated both thoroughly and objectively.

The president is not above the law! Our democracy will mean nothing if our senators fail to take this matter seriously and pursue investigation, if not impeachment.

Loren Roman-Nunez, Port Orange

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