Though suicides are often reported as other forms of death, the number of documented and undocumented cases of Polk County residents taking their own lives has devastating consequences for family members, friends and the community at large.

So explained panelists on the subject, at a discussion held at Isothermal Community College, Columbus, on Monday, Oct. 5. Suicide (What I’m not sure I want to learn about, but someday, may be glad I did), was the subject of the panelists’ discussion.

Members of the panel, gathered by officials of National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, of Polk County, noted that a stigma is still attached to both mental illness and suicide. But, hope is there for those with debilitating mental health issues, they emphasized.

In addition to stigma, families often don’t report suicides as such because many life insurance companies don’t pay benefits for suicide deaths.

“We are here this evening, because in the last year, there were nine documented suicides in Polk County,” noted speaker Donna Tatnall, who added, “The most important step is to break the silence. How can we keep the flame of life from going out?”

Local poet Lee Stockdale read a poem he composed about his own father, who committed suicide when young Stockdale was just 12. Stockdale’s father was a friend of President John F. Kennedy and an ambassador to Ireland.

“I’m still dealing with it,” Stockdale said of the manner of his father’s death, some 50 years ago.

Some panel members are suicide attempt survivors themselves, and have struggled with mental illness. Through their own challenges and experience, they’ve been able to better connect with others who suffer from mental illness and who think about taking their own lives.

“I’m not going to stand in the shadows any more,” announced Abbie Yandle, one of the panelists. A three-time suicide attempt survivor, Yandle summarized her own battle with mental illness, and her fight to help others who suffer similarly.

“I try to advocate for people who can’t advocate for themselves,” announced panel member Lori Whitt.

“What can we take from the difficult events, and move forward?” asked panelist Dr. Craig Williams.

Most panelists work for Smoky Mountain Center or NAMI, and are familiar with where people can best turn to get help.

Williams noted that depression is a risk factor in suicides, and according to Tatnall, alcoholism is a tremendous risk factor for suicide.

Further conviction about finding the right doctor came from local resident Mary Wells Prioleau, whose daughter took her own life last year, after facing increasing pain and disability from a chronic physical disease.

“The wrong doctor can destroy a life,” Prioleau said, referring to insensitive advice from a mental health professional to her daughter. She recommended that concerned individuals contact NAMI and Smoky Mountain Center.

In 2013, some 41,000 Americans were documented as taking their lives, though Tatnall stressed that suicides are difficult to document.

“Families do not want to acknowledge suicide by family members,” Williams added.

While numerous medications are prescribed to fight depression, finding the right one for each patient is the challenge, panelists agreed. Nor is medication the only answer. Williams noted that the many positive responses to depression include peer support and lifestyle.

Finding the correct medication can make all the difference, though the path is often one of trial and error, as mental illness, panelists said, is about brain chemistry.

Hence, they remarked that though cancer formerly had stigma attached to it, more people discuss it freely, as they said should be the case for mental illness, which also has physical causes.

One guest spoke out saying that this country has nothing for mental health, especially, as others pointed out that governments have cut funding for mental health services.

A speaker noted that as a society, “we reject the mental health community.”

Smoky Mountain Center operates a 24-hour a day, seven day a week crisis intervention service, and will meet with the patient. For immediate service, call 1-800-849-6127.

For customer service, call 1-888-757-5726. For TTY calls, contact Relay NC at 711.

After a guest asked if effective medications are available, Whitt acknowledged that in her experience with various medications, many make a patient feel “flat.” Her advice was, “If it’s not working for you, tell them (mental health professionals who can prescribe medications). You’ve got to be your own advocate. Make them listen, or find someone who will.”

Panel members agreed with Whitt, who remarked that it takes a “team effort” to best deal with mental illness.

“Nutrition plays a huge role in my moods,” said Whitt, who said she stopped eating grains and added sugar, and increased her exercise. Before making these changes, she said that for two years, she left her home only to see a psychiatrist and pick up her medication.

Only when another therapist told her, “It doesn’t have to be that way,” did she change her entire life.

Without good professional intervention, Whitt noted that many people know only how to numb their pain through self-medication. Whitt also remarked how a diagnosis of her being bi-polar condition led to a breakthrough.

“I knew what it meant to have good days,” she said.

Williams asked a rhetorical question about what group is most like to commit suicide. She answered by pointing out that it’s middle-aged and elderly men.

“Men are less likely to ask for help,” he emphasized.

Some panelists said their own background as suicide attempt survivors lends credibility when they meet severely depressed patients.

Whitt said she can identify with patients and their experiences. “I know exactly what you’re going through,” she can tell them, and adds, “I will hold out hope for you until you can hold it for yourself.”

Panelist Sam Sutker emphasized that patients do recover.

“People suffer in isolation,” he remarked. “They recover in community.”

Annie Ewing, an organizer of the Oct. 5 program, runs a family support group on the first Thursday of each month. For more information, contact her at 864-457-7278.