ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

                                              In Loving memory of Dank Dank 

ALS #IceBucketChallenge

With social media, it doesn’t take long for a video, trend, or challenge to go ‘viral’. One of the latest challenges to take on a viral status is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Many of you may be wondering what ALS even stands for. Our family knows all too well what these three letters mean. ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is diagnosed in about 5,600 Americans each year. My father-in-law, Thomas Fife (affectionately known as Dank Dank to the grandkids), was one of the victims of this disease. First diagnosed in a baseball player named Lou Gehrig in 1939, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This neurodegenerative process causes progressive loss of voluntary muscle control, leaving the person with the inability to eat, speak, walk, and eventually breathe. The individual eventually becomes totally paralyzed. There are no effective treatments for this disease. Those diagnosed with ALS live an average of only 2-5 years from the time of diagnosis. ALS is 100% fatal.  

So what is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? This challenge surfaced a few weeks ago, started by former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates. The challenge quickly spread across the country. Celebrities, politicians, athletes, and common men and women, have taken part in the challenge to have a bucket of ice water dumped over his/her head. When they complete the challenge, they are to challenge others to do the same or make a donation to fight ALS (or a charity of their choice) within 24 hours. Apparently, those individuals who completed the challenge end up making a donation as well. The ALS Association reports donations to various chapters of the organization totaling $4 million between July 29 & August 12 as a result of this challenge. Last year at the same time donations totaled about $1.12 million. Not only is the ALS association thanking the public for the monetary donations, but also for the visibility the disease has gained since the inception of this challenge.

It is great to live in a time when we can see something such as the Ice Bucket Challenge bring so much awareness to a disease and lead to so many generous donations to organizations committed to fighting ALS. Social media is a huge part of our life today. Those of us who peruse Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram view pictures of friends, kids, spiritual sayings, political bashing, recipes, and even pictures of what a friend had for lunch. We are uplifted, angered, or given new information to discuss with friends. We are given reminders of friend’s birthdays and flooded with well wishes when we post how sick we feel. We use social media for so much today. Some negative, some positive. I love to see when our use of social media can have such a profound positive force in our lives and in this world. The #IceBucketChallenge makes me appreciate it so much more.

To learn more about ALS and to make a donation, visit: http://www.alsa.org/ Go ahead. I #IceBucketChallenge you!

 Dr. Donna Poma Fife DNP, ARNP

Disclaimer: Author has no affiliation to the ALS association. It’s just an issue near and dear to my heart. 

Here is our ALS #IceBucketChallenge!  Nevia wasn't home to join in on the fun. It's hard to get us all in the same place at one time! In the video, you will see that our dog Coco thinks we are nuts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwqtGPQley0&feature=youtu.be 

Suicide Prevention

As our social media newsfeeds are flooded with stories of the death of actor Robin Williams, I can’t help but feel that this sort of a tragedy will bring attention to suicide and mental health disorders in general. However, in reality, I understand the attention span of humans. After all, I’m human too. We will wake up in a few days and pictures of Robin Williams in his previous acting roles will no longer overwhelm our social media outlets. The issue of suicide, depression, and mental health disorders will likely be forgotten by most until the next famous person falls victim. Yet, day in and day out, millions of Americans suffer from depression and other mental health disorders and some may contemplate, attempt, or commit suicide.  

According to the most recent data provided by CDC.gov, in 2010 there were 38,364 suicides in the US. This averages to 105 precious lives lost each day. These are not famous people, but people who had others love them as if they were. The families and friends of these individuals feel pain, loss, and sorrow for years to come. A parent of a child who commits suicide will likely never get over their loss.

I remember when I was in high school a classmate committed suicide. I still remember his name. In fact, I’ll never forget his name. I never understood back then how anyone could take their own life. I don’t think anyone who has never felt that level of despair can understand this act.

In addition to the suicide statistic I listed above, the CDC reports that about 8.3 million adults reported having suicidal thoughts, 2.2 million reported having a suicide plan, and approximately 1 million had reported attempting suicide in the past year. For about every 25 suicide attempts, there is one person who completes the act.

The statistics regarding youths and suicidal thoughts and actions is equally upsetting. In high school students surveyed, about 12.8% reported making a suicide plan, 7.8% attempted suicide, and 2.4 reported an attempt that resulted in injury requiring medical attention, in the year prior to the survey.

Speaking of the young person, suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth age 10-24 years. A few years back, my daughter had a classmate in the 7^th grade who killed himself. 7^th grade. 12 years old. It is heartbreaking to think of the despair this child must have felt to have committed this act. Last year, a teenager in her high school committed suicide. A kid who seemed to have it all, ended it all with the pull of a trigger.

Discussing the topic of suicide is often uncomfortable. As a healthcare provider, when I worked with psych patients I had to approach the subject with my patients. Even for a healthcare provider this can be an uncomfortable situation. It’s as if dredging up emotions from a person’s deepest level of pain and despair. It’s discussing an incident from the darkest time in their life. But it is necessary in order to assess if there is a risk for future suicide attempts. Many people may be apprehensive to talk about their suicidal thoughts or attempts out of fear of being stigmatized. But if approached with the topic, you never know, the person may actually open up about it. It may be very therapeutic to talk about it. It may lead them in a direction of seeking mental health treatment. It may save a life.

Many people, I bet, are unaware of the risk factors for suicide. Here are some, as listed by the CDC.

*History of previous suicide attempts

*Family history of suicide

*History of depression or other mental illness

*Alcohol or drug abuse

*Stressful life event or loss

*Easy access to lethal methods

*Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others

*Incarceration

Mental health issues are often overlooked in our society. It’s important to open the conversations regarding depression, suicide, and other mental health issues. As a society, we need to move away from stigmatizing mental health disorders and instead look at ways to address these disorders. Health insurance reimbursement is often low or non-existent for mental health. This prevents a great deal of Americans from receiving counseling from a licensed mental health professional. Counseling that could lead to an improved state of mental health and even prevention of suicide.

Don’t be afraid to address the subject if you know someone who is going through a difficult time. Don’t hesitate to steer them in the direction of help.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

To learn more about suicide and what you can do to help others, visit the American Association of Suicidology at http://www.suicidology.org/home

 Dr. Donna Poma Fife DNP, ARNP

Disclaimer: This blog is meant to be informative and does not constitute advice from a medical practitioner. Contact your healthcare provider for any medical issues you may be concerned about.