Somerset — “Suicide is an issue that shouldn’t be taboo.”

Yet so many individuals are afraid to talk about their feelings, according to Jamie Burton, CEO of the Adanta Group for the Lake Cumberland region.

The Adanta Group — a community mental health center serving Pulaski, Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Russell, Taylor and Wayne Counties — is hosting a special conference today and Friday with a specific and very personal topic: suicide awareness.

“The community needs to know that this is a very important issue in all of (Adanta’s service area) and we do have the resources available that we want to share” with those suffering with thoughts of suicide, said Adanta clinical director Beverly Loy.

The numbers are sobering: Though suicide and attempts at it are a problem across the nation — where it cuts across ethnic, economic, social, and age boundaries — it’s especially severe here in Kentucky. The Commonwealth is in the top 10 in the nation in states which have suicide as the leading cause of death, with 531 such fatalities every year. One in 10 deaths among Kentucky high school students is self-inflicted, and there are over five attempts reported every day here.

Moreover, the Lake Cumberland area is particularly troubled by suicide, as it sees more of this activity than anywhere else in Kentucky. The number of attempts in the region has grown in the last six months, according to the statistics provided by Adanta.

Why would that be? Some specific causes are easy to point to — alcoholism is a significant factor nationwide, and 73 percent of suicides in Kentucky are caused by firearms — but those are symptoms, not the root of the problem. Socio-economic conditions are also at fault. Loy and Burton say the rough economy is causing numerous individuals to consider such drastic measures. Additionally, Kentucky ranks only 44th in tax dollars spent for mental health funding.

Thus, Adanta is taking matter into its own collective hands with the fourth-annual Focusing on Treatment and Care Conference. Held at The Center for Rural Development, the focus will be on suicide prevention. Community members are invited to attend all or any parts of the conference sessions at no cost, other than paying for a catered lunch if the choice is made to eat lunch at the Conference.  Otherwise, the conference is free of charge.

On Thursday morning, be-ginning at 8:15 a.m. Dr. Hatim Omar from the University of Kentucky Department of Medicine and expert on Youth Suicide, will speak on “The Choking Game,” an activity that causes death or permanent brain damage, and is a cause of suffering for families worldwide, particularly with regard to the child and adolescent populations. 

On Friday afternoon, beginning at 12:30 p.m. (though the conference begins at 8:15 a.m. again), Major General Mark Graham and his wife Carol will present their personal commitment to suicide prevention.

The Grahams lost their son Kevin, 21, to suicide when he was a Senior ROTC cadet attending the University of Kentucky. Seven months later, they lost their son Jeffrey, an Army Second Lieutenant, in Iraq. Community members are welcome to join us and hear the Graham's moving message about their sons, family, and their work in both the Army and college campuses to get the suicide prevention message out to the community and armed forces members.

There will also be workshops conducted on subjects like human trafficking, fetal alcohol syndrome, methamphetamine, updates for licensed profess-ional counselor supervision, and more.

The point to stress, however, is that for anyone thinking about committing suicide or suffering from attempts at this act in their family, there is help.

“People (considering suicide) should realize that everybody has problems and it is okay to ask for assistance,” noted Loy and Burton. “The community needs to know that suicide is an issue ... that we should be able to talk about. There are resources there for everybody.”