A message from Dr. William Beecroft, medical director of behavioral health
We need to increase our efforts to combat suicide

September is National Suicide Prevention Month — a time to bring additional awareness to this growing public health crisis.

We’ve seen a steady rise in suicide rates over the past two decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic — and related social isolation and anxiety — has created additional challenges.

As my colleague Dr. Kristyn Gregory, also a medical director of behavioral health, wrote in a blog late last year, “Social isolation affects everyone in different ways, but it is also a risk factor for suicide. Measures to protect public health, such as closing schools, limited staffing, business closures and social distancing can unfortunately lead to greater isolation and loneliness.”

And with the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases across the U.S., we need to remain especially vigilant as we work to reduce suicide rates. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there were 1,282 suicide deaths in Michigan last year, and that number is expected to rise as more reports are finalized.

Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission

I currently serve on the Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission, a group appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year. The group released its initial report* in April, and I encourage you to read it.

The commission is staffed with people from state departments, agencies and nonprofits who are working to adopt evidence-based practices to decrease and slow the progression of suicide in our society. Understanding the signals of people who are on a course of likely attempted suicide or who have committed suicide can help us save lives.

Suicide among young people

Especially distressing to me is rise in suicides among the young. The rate of suicide among those ages 10 to 24 increased nearly 60% from 2007 to 2018, according to the CDC. While there are many theories about why this has occurred, researchers say data is insufficient to draw firm conclusions. To my mind, one thing is clear: Young people are struggling with an increasingly complex, fast-paced world. They’re in need of tools for coping with feelings of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

Efforts to address mental health problems, suicide

At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we’re working hard to give people of all ages the tools they need to cope with mental health struggles. As you may have read in a column from Dr. Amy McKenzie in the March-April issue of this newsletter, we launched a new behavioral health site earlier this year to help our members who are struggling with mental or behavioral health issues. I encourage you to visit the site at bcbsm.com/mentalhealth and let your patients know about it. The site presents a wide array of information in an easy-to-navigate, engaging way. Most importantly, it offers resources for behavioral health support.

Blue Cross is not alone in statewide efforts to prevent suicide. I was pleased to read in the Detroit Free Press in February that Michigan Medicine announced that a new digital screening tool* for use in emergency rooms could help detect and prevent youth suicides. The tool, named CASSY — short for Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth — is one of the latest efforts to address youth suicide, which has been of increasing concern during the pandemic.

Center for Practice-Focused Adaptive Suicide Prevention Science

More recently, Blue Cross has joined forces with the University of Michigan to support the development of a center designed to help clinicians address suicide and work to reduce this public health concern. The proposed Center for Practice-Focused Adaptive Suicide Prevention Science, or CASPS, is U-M’s response to the National Institute of Mental Health’s call for the creation of such practice-focused centers.

U-M invited my colleague, Dr. Duane DiFranco, senior medical director, Utilization Management, and more than a dozen other individuals, including clinicians, policymakers and service users, to serve the center as a member of its Stakeholder Advisory Group.

In a statement about this effort, he said: “CASPS — which is in its formative stages — will serve as a statewide and national resource for the development and implementation of effective, scalable interventions to reduce suicide in patients at high risk for suicide, such as those with comorbid mental health and substance use disorders. I am honored and excited to be part of U-M’s response to the current national mental health crisis and their work to prevent suicide across populations.”

While it’s gratifying that many steps are being taken to reduce the suicide rate, we need to continue to think outside the box to find new ways to reach out to those in need and be alert to the warning signs of suicide. According to psycom.net,* these include:

• Feeling depressed
• Lack of interest in activities they once enjoyed
• Irritability
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Shame or humiliation
• Mood swings

And, if a person indicates they’re thinking of suicide, ask them if they have a plan. If they say yes, assist them in seeking immediate help. As health care professionals, we have a duty to get suicidal patients the help they need.

*Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan doesn’t own or control this website.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.