Extension: Mental health education

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

Addressing mental health and understanding the link between depression and suicide is an essential piece of the health puzzle. Montana State University (MSU) Extension has made mental health education a priority by providing training to Extension agents throughout the state.

Your local Teton County family and consumer science Extension agent, Shelby Jones-Dozier, has recently completed training in two evidence-based suicide intervention programs that will be offered this fall and winter. Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) will be provided through the high schools in the county and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) will be provided to local community groups and as a free community class.

Death by suicide is an increasing public health issue worldwide; unfortunately Montana is in the lead. Montana has ranked among the top five states in the nation since 1993 for death by suicide. Since 2020, Montana has had the third highest rate of death by suicide in the nation. Among Montana’s youth, between the ages of 15 to 24, more died by suicide than motor vehicle accidents according to the 2022 Montana Vital Statistics report.

In Teton County, as reported in the 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment, the number of youths who reported “symptoms of depression in the last year” increased compared to 2017 as did the number who reported “suicide attempts in the last year.” This trend is also seen in adults from the same report who indicate that they have experienced more poor mental health days or have felt depressed more than 30 days at rates higher than the state average.

To combat these trends, MSU has led the nation in research on educational mental health interventions for youth. MSU was part of a multi-state research project to study the impact of Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) curriculum on Montana youth ages 14-16. YAM was first studied in Europe through a massive research project involving 11,000 youth. The results of this randomized controlled trial indicated that youth who participated in YAM had a significant reduction of suicide attempts and severe suicidal ideation compared to control groups. In 2020, MSU researchers reported similar findings among Montana youth who participated in the research project.

Teton County was included in this initial research project, and all families provided written consent to participate in the research. In the MSU study, it was found that youth who participated in YAM significantly increased help-seeking behaviors, improved their mental health literacy and experienced decreased mental health-related stigma.

YAM is specifically designed for youth between the ages of 14-16 with the intent to act as an early intervention. Mental disorders tend to emerge during adolescence and learning to identify the signs and symptoms of depression earlier in life has the potential to improve quality of life outcomes. This program aims to provide youth with better knowledge of mental health and increase willingness to seek out resources if they are struggling. Local resources specific to Teton County are provided during the YAM course in addition to state level programs, such as Montana 988.

For people of all ages, QPR Gatekeeper training will be offered to community groups and the general public this fall and winter. Modeled after CPR First-Aid, QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is an evidence-based program that provides strategies to use when a person suffering from a mental health crisis is encountered. QPR is built upon the rationale that even socially isolated people come into contact with people in their community, whether they be family members, doctors, educators or even the person at the counter in the local grocery store. Each of these community members can provide lifesaving assistance if they know what to look for in the people they interact with. If you are interested in bringing a QPR class to your community group, please contact Shelby at the Teton County Extension Office 406-466-2491 or email [email protected].

As a community, we can come together and learn to surf the “waves” of mental and physical health. Just as we can learn to improve the health of our bodies through better daily lifestyle habits, we too can learn to improve the health of our brains. “Depression is treatable, and suicide is preventable,” according to the Montana DPHHS.

Anyone who is in crisis can call 988 or text MT to 741-741 for free 24/7 and will be connected to the Crisis Lifeline based out of Great Falls.

Shelby Jones-Dozier is the Teton County/MSU Extension agent who works with family and consumer science and the 4-H program. She can be reached at 406-466-2491 in the office or via email at [email protected].