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Guest column: How we survive – suicide prevention among Maine men
By Taren McGrayGuest column
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Skis, t-shirts, sunshine, and snow. Spring skiing is a Maine favorite. My brother and I relished this time of year as kids. We’d ski the backwoods hill and practice for real mountains. At age 12, he piled the snow into a sketchy jump. I was only 7, but Benjamin told me I could do it, so I did. All I needed for encouragement was his belief.
Spring skiing is a time of possibilities. There’s tangible energy in the absence of icy winds and skiers relax on picnic tables instead of huddled inside. Like many Mainers, Benjamin loved Spring skiing; and like many Mainers, Benjamin struggled from depression.
Updated: 11:21 PM EST Dec 22, 2020 Terry Stackhouse Health care leaders are raising new concerns over COVID-19 and its impact on children. There is renewed concern in the medical community about an illness linked to the coronavirus which is sickening children however the chair of pediatrics for Barbara Bush Children s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland says the bigger issue in Maine is tied to mental health. âThe suicide attempt rate particularly among adolescents has just skyrocketed,â said Dr. Mary Ottolini. Ottolini says at one point this year the hospital cared for four minors who attempted suicide. She says itâs a symptom of severe stress Maine families are facing due, in part, to school closures. âAlso child abuse I think because of families being so stressed and cooped up together,â Ottolini said. Maine Medical Center was not able to provide exact numbers on hospitalizations due to suicide attempts and suicidal ideati