These heroes weren’t working to fight crime or saving damsels in distress. Instead, they ran to combat suicide.
The third annual “Be a Hero for Zero” 5K run took place Saturday at ?Emmanuel Baptist Church.
The event was organized by the staff of Bloomington Meadows Hospital in collaboration with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Monroe County Suicide Prevention ?Coalition.
“The theme is superheroes for zero because we all want to make sure we’re championing getting to zero suicides,” said Jean Scallon, the CEO of Meadows and the head of Indiana’s suicide prevention council. “Starting conversation is the first step to reaching that goal.”
Scallon said mental health awareness is especially important in Indiana because of the state’s abnormally high rates of suicide. According to her, self-harm causes more deaths in Indiana than either car crashes or homicides.
A 2015 report published by the Indiana Youth Institute found that suicide is the second leading cause of death for Hoosiers between the ages of 15 and 24, and more students in Indiana have contemplated killing themselves than in any other state in the country.
“I think people don’t take each other seriously enough,” Scallon said. “When someone says, ‘I want to kill myself,’ there’s this mentality in America that makes people respond by saying, ‘You just need to pull up your ?bootstraps.’”
In order to change that mentality, Scallon is helping to organize a series of events this month to increase awareness of ways that suicide can be prevented, starting with the 5K.
The race was filled with employees from Meadows as well as other community members who have been affected by suicide. A clinical psychologist from the Veterans’ Affairs Bloomington Community Outpatient Clinic, Linda Kranitz, gave a short speech before runners began.
“Suicide is such a big problem not just in the community at large, but with veterans,” Kranitz said. “Every single day, 22 veterans commit suicide. Out of those veterans, 17 of them are not engaged in VA ?services.”
Kranitz thinks the veterans might not take advantage of the VA’s mental health provisions because they don’t know either that they are eligible for them or that local services are ?available.
“It’s really important for us to partner with the community so that we can spread the word about the work we do and also work with other facilities that veterans may trust more because, unfortunately, some veterans don’t trust the VA,” Kranitz explained. “The more we talk about suicide and the more people we talk about it with, the more we’re going to be able to come up with creative solutions.”
In previous years, the event has raised several thousand dollars, which the Monroe County Suicide Prevention Council has used in a variety of ways.
This year’s funds will go toward helping local schools and universities to distribute information on suicide ?prevention.
“Right now college ?students are one of the highest age groups at risk,” said Marabeth Holland, a licensed mental health counselor who helped create the fundraiser. “It’s called the silent epidemic because no one wants to talk about it.”
The main advice both Holland and Scallon suggest for people who want to reduce rates of suicide is to ask questions.
“If you notice that something seems wrong with your friend, first ask them if they want to kill themselves, then ask them if they have a plan,” Scallon said. “If they say yes to the first question, you should try to help them find a good source of therapy. If they say yes to the second question, it’s important to take action immediately.”
Spectators cheered and applauded as old and young people dashed across the finish line in Superman pajamas and Batman-themed tutus. People munched on donuts and caught up with old friends, and the atmosphere seemed disproportionately lighthearted for the gloomy topic at hand. Kranitz said this is the point.
“I love that it’s a really positive event,” she said. “Suicide is something that people need to feel comfortable talking about.”
