Street Beat: Suicide Prevention And Mental Illness Issues

This week on Street Beat, host Karen Carter explores the topic of suicide and suicide prevention in our community. First Karen talks with Ken Massey, who is the Co-founder and Chair of Farmington Safe. Ken's program takes a pro-active approach to preventing suicides by educating middle and high-schoolers, and getting the conversation about suicide out in the open.

Next, Karen delves into the topic of helping a family navigate the aftermath of a suicide with Associate Pastor Chad Oyer from the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham. They discuss the toll that an event like this takes on a family, the shame that prevents people from reaching out, and how to re-gain hope so that families can move forward.

Up next, Karen chats with Amelia Lehto from Common Ground. They discuss the crisis hotline and other programs available at Common Ground to prevent suicide, and how suicide is never the best answer. They also talk about the value of finding hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, and how powerful and life-saving a listening ear can be.

And finally, Laura Jennetta from Recovery International joins Karen to discuss the types of issues that Recovery can help people through and the importance of stripping away the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Watch Street Beat – Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. on CW50!

Archived video is always available at CW50Detroit.com/video.