A message from Dr. William Beecroft, medical director of behavioral health
We need to address alarming rates of suicide among young people

May is Mental Health Awareness Month,* a time to devote some extra attention to the mental health challenges faced by both children and adults — and how we can best address them.

It was alarming to learn last year that suicide attempts among adolescent girls surged by more than 50% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.* Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults in Michigan.

It’s clear that the isolation caused by the pandemic exacerbated existing mental health problems. Emergency department visits at hospitals among adolescents was already increasing in early May 2020 as the pandemic began spreading across the U.S. Consider these statistics:

• From late July to late August 2020, the average weekly number of ED visits for suspected suicide attempts among 12 to 17-year-old girls increased by 26% from the same period the previous year.
• The following year (from February 2021 to March 2021), average weekly visits to the ED for suspected suicide attempts among young girls was 50.6% higher than the same period the previous year.

In addition to the social distancing and lockdowns that accompanied the pandemic, several other factors have influenced the behavioral health crisis that’s leading too many young people to consider suicide. From the ever-present social media to the family disruptions caused by increased substance use during the pandemic, today’s young people are coping with more than ever before. Some may not realize the consequences of their actions or lack a clear understanding of the finality of death. As I wrote in a column last year, they need tools for coping with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

New initiatives

I’m heartened by the fact that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has been in the forefront of establishing resources to cope with behavioral health conditions that may lead to suicide. Here are three of the most recent:

• Adolescent Suicide Prevention for Schools and Communities — Blue Cross, the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association and Michigan Virtual* joined forces last year to provide guidance, resources and support that can be quickly deployed to schools and communities. The initiative offers a series of five online courses on adolescent suicide prevention for educators, student leaders, health professionals, parent-teacher organizations and community members. To read more, see this blog on MI Blues Perspectives.

• Our mobile crisis and crisis stabilization services — As you may have read in the September-October issue this newsletter, Blue Cross offers mobile crisis assessment and crisis stabilization services to help ensure that members in crisis get prompt, appropriate behavioral health treatment. It uses the services of two facilities in Southeast Michigan — Common Ground Resources and Crisis Center, and Hegira Health’s COPE. Mental health professionals from those facilities can travel to meet members in crisis at their home, doctor’s office or other location in select counties in Southeast Michigan. Effective June 1, 2022, we’re expanding the program to include our Medicare Plus Blue℠ members. We’ll provide more details in the next issue of this newsletter.

• MiMIND Collaborative Quality Initiative — We’re currently in the process of launching the Michigan Medical Health Clinical Quality Improvement Network for Implementation and Dissemination, called MiMIND. This statewide collaborative’s aim is to prevent suicide and increase access to behavioral health services across the state. As a first step, we’re collaborating with approximately five Physician Group Incentive Group physician organizations and their psychiatrists, psychologists and primary care physicians to implement evidence-based suicide prevention initiatives across their practices, and plan to reach out to additional POs in 2023. For more information, see the article on MiMIND in this issue of the newsletter.

What doctors can do

One of the most important steps a primary care doctor can take to help prevent suicide is to regularly use a standardized assessment tool, such as the PHQ-9, with their patients. Question 9 is especially important as it asks whether the patient has questioned whether they would be better off dead or have had thoughts of hurting themselves. If they have, it’s important to get them emergency help immediately. This may involve putting them in touch with a behavioral health specialist or connecting them with a therapist at one of the mobile crisis centers described above. Often, a therapist can talk to the patient by phone right from a physician’s office.

In closing

Now, more than ever, there’s an increasing need for the health care community to work together more closely to address the behavioral health needs of the populations we serve. We’re deeply appreciate efforts of the physicians and hospitals we collaborate with as we continue to look for new solutions to address today’s urgent challenges.

For more information, email me at WBeecroft@bcbsm.com.

*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.