Local Nonprofit Responds to Suicide Crisis

    BOSTON, MA, December 06, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In response to the suicide crisis in Massachusetts, Families for Depression Awareness is launching a new Mental Health Care Consultation Service. In the last reported year, suicides in Massachusetts increased by 6%, the highest growth in a decade.* In the past ten months alone, teens and young adults from communities across the state, including Salem, Needham, Framingham, Newton, Taunton, and Sutton have taken their lives.

"90% of people who die by suicide have a mental health disorder that requires treatment," says Julie Totten, Executive Director of Families for Depression Awareness. "Families in a crisis don't know what to do or where to go for help. Our Mental Health Care Consultation Service provides essential support and direction."

"The Care Consultation provided an outside perspective and allowed us to reframe our situation," says Hilary, a family member whose brother suffers from depression. "It also stopped our family cycle of going around and around issues but never dealing with them."

In a Mental Health Care Consultation, families meet with an experienced counselor for assessment, guidance, and coaching so they can find the mental health care they need. The service includes screenings, face-to-face family meetings, a written action plan, and customized referrals. The service helps unite the family to access mental health care so that hospitalizations and suicides can be prevented. Grant funding is available for low-income families.

To learn more about the Mental Health Care Consultation Service, visit http://www.familyaware.org or call 781-890-0220.

* Massachusetts Violent Death Reporting System, Injury Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2014.

About Families for Depression Awareness
Families for Depression Awareness is a nonprofit organization helping families recognize and cope with depression and bipolar disorder to get people well and prevent suicides. The organization provides education, outreach, and training to support families. Families for Depression Awareness is made up of families who have lost a family member to suicide or have watched a loved one suffer with depression, with little knowledge of how to help.

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