Suicide will be topic of program in Havre

Suicide is a major problem in Hill County and all of Montana, according to Chrystal Laufer, president of the Hill County chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness, called NAMI.

As part of National Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI is putting on a program at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Havre-Hill County Library Meeting Room, she said.

Jeannie Walter, president of the Lewistown NAMI chapter and an expert on suicide, will talk on the warning signs people should look foramong friends and family.

Laufer said there are things people can look for that might give them an indication that the person may harbor thoughts of suicide.

“Montana is number one in the number of suicides,” she said, “and Havre is near the top in Montana.”

Three of Walter’s children have committed suicide, she said.

Laufer said Walter will offer a great deal of help in spotting signs of potential suicide.

She said the program is open to the public, and she thinks everyone would benefit from it.

“We are opening it up to the public because it is such a serious problem in Havre,” she said.

Walter’s talk is part of Mental Health Month activities, she said.

The program, she said, is part of the reorganized local NAMI chapter’s effort to educate the community about the mentally ill and what can be done to help people with the disease.

It is a small group today, she said, but they are looking for more members.

She said she knows there are a lot of people who would benefit from attending the meetings.

“There is a lot of stigma, she said, indicating that a lot of people don’t like friends to know that they attend NAMI meetings.

She said she is tying to convince people they should not be afraid to attend.