Out of the Darkness and Into Some Sneakers
Suicide affects more than just the person involved. It affects the friends, family, and acquaintances of the person. It affects the rescue workers and morticians. It even affects people who did not know the person at all. However, there is something that can be done. The Out of the Darkness Walk is hosted by…
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What Are Suicide Barriers?
Suicide barriers are much more common than you might think, but what are they? Often times, we pass these barriers not even realizing or questioning their purpose. Suicide barriers adorn buildings, parking structures, bridges, freeway overpasses, iconic landmarks, and other tall structures all over the world. Barriers have several different forms, including metal nets, or…
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Katie Posthuma-Bain & Her Petition to Install Barriers on the Hoan Bridge
Annually in Milwaukee, at least one known suicidal death occurs on the Hoan Bridge, according to Katie Posthuma-Bain, who started a petition in January 2018 on change.org to install barriers on the Hoan Bridge. It’s hard to miss the Hoan Bridge when driving in Milwaukee. The large yellow arches are beautiful to drive under as…
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Opinion – The Politicization of Mental Health: How to Break Down the Stigma & the Silence
Katie Posthuma-Bain shares her thoughts on the politicization of mental health. Suicide. An impulsive decision that often results in death. In Milwaukee, jumping from the Hoan Bridge may not be the way most suicide attempts take place, but the annual average of one known death, according to Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee, is still one…
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The Overlooked Demographic: Suicide in middle-aged men
The people who die by suicide are not primarily teenage females, as many tend to think. The group of individuals who die by suicide at the highest rate is not teenagers, nor is it females. It is middle-aged men. According to Waukesha County Technical College psychology professor and Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee volunteer Dr.…
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Suicide flashpoint: Men in midlife
In 2016, seven out of ten suicide deaths were white males, according to the American Society of Suicide Prevention. (https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/) Nationally, white men, ages 45-65, make up the group that is at greatest risk for suicide. “Actual interventions tend to focus a lot on young people,” explained Dr. Robert Dubois, a psychologist who teaches at…
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More than “I” in Suicide
Suicide. The word sends chills down your spine and makes your heart drop when referring to someone you know. But when you add suicide to a college setting– that feeling may become more intensified because of the number of students suffering from a mental illness. According to NAMI, when looking at young adults and teens,…
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A Profile of Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee
Creating Awareness One QPR Training at a Time Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee is a coalition of volunteers who represent local suicide prevention agencies, as well as the general community with its mission to reduce the number of attempted and completed suicides that take place within the community. They do this by facilitating community collaborations, raising awareness,…
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An Unrecognized Past Can Lead to a Troubling Future
Current associations with the Milwaukee Hoan Bridge may remind locals of the beauty and love of our city. However, it may also be a reminder of grief and danger to those who are connected to the deaths from the bridge. Although it is unclear just how many hazardous situations have occurred within the bridge’s…
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