Wonderfully Made

Crisis Intervention

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Stephen Campbell

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Series Code: WM

Program Code: WM000377


00:38 Hello, and welcome to "Wonderfully Made"
00:41 Our topic today is "Crisis Intervention"
00:46 My name is Dr. Stephen Campbell
00:49 and I'll be your host for today
00:53 You don't have to go very far to realize that
00:57 our world is in a state of crisis...
01:01 and many individuals are experiencing terrible times
01:05 You can look at the daily paper or television
01:09 and see many senseless killings, teens getting killed
01:16 on their way to prom, disasters, earthquakes, diseases
01:22 and so forth...
01:25 It is important to keep in mind that Christians are not
01:30 immune from crises
01:32 And in spite of our religious beliefs, and our faith in Jesus,
01:36 we are also going to be exposed to many crises in our lives
01:41 Crisis is something that we are going to face regardless
01:47 of what we do in our lives
01:49 Some of you who are viewing this program today may be
01:53 experiencing one... And trying to determine
01:56 what can I do to handle this crisis.
02:01 Crisis intervention, of course, is a very important topic
02:05 because we are all going to be dealing with someone
02:10 who is in crisis at some point in the future...
02:13 and we need to be prepared to help
02:17 Jesus talked about the terrible things that are going to happen
02:21 before His coming, and it was felt that before things get good
02:28 ...they're going to get bad, especially for Christians.
02:30 So that we should be ready to handle crises in our lives
02:36 Crises can be looked at from 2 perspectives...
02:42 We can look at crises from a situational perspective
02:46 and we can look at crises from a developmental perspective
02:50 If you have a sudden death, or an earthquake,
02:54 or disaster of some kind...
02:56 those types of crises are considered situational
03:01 There are also developmental crises...
03:05 and these are the ones where people experience stress as
03:09 a normal development of life.
03:12 For instance, a child who is going through puberty
03:14 will experience some crisis...
03:16 Someone who is going through menopause
03:19 may experience some crisis
03:22 And sometimes, older adults may experience crisis
03:25 when they are of age.
03:28 It's important to keep in mind that a crisis
03:34 can affect you in many different ways
03:37 Stress is usually the trigger for most of the
03:41 crises in our life...
03:43 And since stress is part of our lives, we are unable
03:46 to get away from those.
03:48 People can cope with stress in many different ways...
03:51 They can cope with it in a positive way,
03:54 or they can cope with it in a negative way
03:57 The same thing exists with crises
04:01 If someone is faced with a crisis, and they attempt to
04:06 solve that problem in a positive way by reaching out
04:09 for help, or looking at the pros and cons,
04:13 they are able to come to the conclusion that will resolve
04:17 the conflict in a positive way.
04:20 Some individuals, however, may choose to cope with the
04:23 crisis in a negative way, and may turn to drugs and alcohol
04:28 so that they can cope with the stress, or somehow
04:33 HIDE from facing those problems.
04:36 Others, may become mentally ill
04:39 because of depression...
04:42 they will no longer be able to function
04:45 And others, may even turn to suicide
04:49 Now, some of us may feel that this topic is not an
04:52 issue for Christians because our religious beliefs protect us
04:57 from thinking of suicide.
05:00 However, we know that suicide affects everyone...
05:07 regardless of age, regardless of sex,
05:10 regardless of nationality.
05:13 I think it would be very important for us to look at
05:16 some statistics before we can get a good idea
05:20 as to what's happening as far as suicide is concerned
05:25 in the world...
06:01 Let us talk briefly
06:02 about this first set of statistics...
06:04 Most of the deaths that were reported during the year 2002,
06:10 were deaths that were verified by suicide.
06:14 But, as you know, there are many deaths that have been
06:18 categorized as accidental because of lack of information
06:24 even though they may have been suicide in nature.
06:28 So these numbers are somewhat underestimated.
06:33 We'd like to look at the second set of statistics which is
06:38 coming from the "National Institute of Mental Health"
07:21 Let us talk briefly
07:22 about this set of statistics...
07:24 Now keep in mind, that people who die with HIV/AIDS
07:33 in the United States, may be somewhat limited compared to
07:39 those who die with HIV/AIDS in other parts of the world
07:43 We do have medications that help prolong life
07:47 so that is reason to understand why there may be more
07:51 suicide deaths in the United States, than those
07:54 who died from HIV/AIDS
07:56 However, this does not hold for other parts of the world
08:00 where medications for HIV may be limited
08:05 The next set of statistics that I would like to talk about
08:09 is coming from the "Center for Disease Control and Prevention"
08:44 Let's elaborate a little bit on the statistics
08:49 that has to do with seasonal disorder.
08:52 Now as you know, wintertime is the time that the weather
08:59 tends to be gray, and people tend to become more depressed
09:03 As a matter of fact, there is something known as
09:06 "seasonal depressive disorder"
09:08 Yet still, suicide rates are lower in the winter!
09:14 One of the reasons for that is that people may stay more
09:18 indoors, and spend more time with family members.
09:21 Whereas, during the spring, life seemed to be more exciting
09:26 ...people have the tendency of spending more time outside
09:29 and the person who is feeling depressed and withdrawn
09:33 may feel a sense of loneliness...
09:36 And that makes the season a little more prone
09:39 to suicide ideation
09:42 Now, not all suicide can be prevented...
09:48 But, a lot can be done to prevent suicide if we understand
09:54 what to look for...
09:56 No 2 individuals react the same way to a stressful situation...
10:03 And, of course, we cannot read minds
10:06 So that you cannot determine exactly what a
10:10 person is going to do when a crisis presents itself.
10:16 In the United States, about 90% of all the suicides
10:21 seem to be related to some type of mental disorder.
10:28 This does not mean that people who commit suicide
10:32 are mentally ill.
10:34 What that means is that people who commit suicide
10:38 may experience some of the same type of emotional suffering
10:44 that someone may have who is mentally ill...
10:49 especially depression, where you see a lot of feelings of
10:53 hopelessness, feelings of helplessness,
10:56 and a sense of despair.
11:00 Not only mental health, and substance abuse problems
11:07 result in suicide ideation...
11:10 Sometimes deep and disruptive social factors have an impact
11:17 that can cause the person to turn to suicide as a solution.
11:22 At present, many of our young people and young adults
11:28 are dealing with the stress associated with social factors.
11:32 We have seen a breakdown in our communities...
11:37 where people in the inner cities are living in fear because of
11:40 crime and violence
11:41 They feel a sense of being trapped, and not finding
11:46 any way out.
11:48 We are seeing breakdown in relationships...
11:51 in divorce in our society.
11:54 Also, people having to be on the move all the time
11:58 We are seeing also economic depression,
12:05 and this is worldwide...
12:07 Many people are unemployed.
12:09 Poverty is considered a very serious problem worldwide...
12:14 And one of the fastest growing populations right now
12:19 are single mothers.
12:22 We are seeing a lot of young people who are getting
12:25 an education, and unable to find jobs where they can
12:30 take care of themselves...
12:32 resulting in having to live at home with their parents
12:35 and experiencing a lot of conflicts,
12:38 and end up with a lot of stress and depression.
12:42 There are also social factors that are political in nature...
12:47 and these are the ones that will cause people to become refugees
12:51 These are the ones where you're going to find ethnic cleansing
12:55 These are the ones where you're going to find a lot of people
12:59 being persecuted.
13:02 As you can see, social factors are very important to take
13:08 into consideration when we start looking at suicide.
13:16 I would like to talk, at this time, about some of the
13:22 other issues that may impact a person's life
13:26 and may cause them to attempt suicide.
13:33 We know that there are many risk factors,
13:36 and these risk factors are factors that we are going to be
13:41 exposed to regardless of who, or where we are.
13:46 For instance, if there's a death in the family,
13:49 and the person is unable to look at that objectively,
13:54 and go through the different stages of grief,
13:57 and move on with their life...
14:00 the death of a loved one can certainly cause a person
14:04 to consider suicide... that is definitely a risk factor
14:08 Also, someone who is suffering from a mental illness,
14:12 and not receiving treatment...
14:16 that can also be a risk factor for suicide.
14:21 The person who is feeling totally alone,
14:25 and not feeling connected with anyone...
14:28 feeling as though they are not loved by their family,
14:31 friends and relatives...
14:33 can also be at risk for hurting themselves.
14:38 The person who is unemployed...
14:42 The person who is feeling as though life doesn't have meaning
14:46 The person who is depressed most of the time and
14:50 withdrawn from society...
14:52 The person who feels that life is worthless is also someone
14:57 who could be at risk for suicide.
15:00 There are also what I call positive factors in the
15:03 person's life that can prevent them from thinking about suicide
15:08 When there is a certain amount of connectedness
15:11 with family and friends...
15:14 The child who feels that he or she is loved by their classmates
15:19 feels as though their parents care about them
15:23 The child who feels that he or she has confidence in themselves
15:28 and has social skills...
15:30 That person will be less likely to have suicidal thoughts
15:35 and ideation.
15:37 The adult who is feeling as though
15:41 their life is being productive...
15:42 to have good friends, having to be married...
15:48 these are also considered to be positive factors that
15:51 would prevent someone from taking their life.
15:54 Research has also shown that people who are religious
15:58 have very strong cultural beliefs,
16:02 and are able to respect the values of their society
16:06 They are also less likely to think about suicide.
16:12 Keep in mind that people in the United States
16:14 are more concerned with preserving life,
16:19 and also feel that God is the giver of life
16:23 and this should be protected.
16:25 This value and belief is not held around the world...
16:30 And this is one reason why people in Eastern Europe
16:34 and other parts of the world may have a higher
16:37 incidence of suicide than the United States.
16:41 I would like to talk about the many myths and facts
16:46 that have been held for many years about suicide...
16:53 The first one that I would like to address is...
17:30 This is a very important point to keep in mind...
17:35 that people who are suicidal, would not change their minds
17:41 because you talk about it...
17:44 However, not talking about it, would not give an
17:50 opportunity to find out what the person is thinking or feeling.
17:55 The second myth that is very important for us
17:58 to keep in mind is that suicide happens without warning...
18:05 That is also false...
18:20 Let's talk about this for a little bit...
18:23 Many times, the clues and warnings that the individual
18:28 gives... they are so subtle that most of the people
18:32 tend to miss them, and we are going to be talking about
18:36 some of those in a few minutes so we'll understand more
18:40 clearly that suicidal people always give us clues
18:45 that they are going to hurt themselves.
18:48 Let's look at the next one...
19:10 What this is telling us is that about 80% of the individuals
19:15 who commit suicide do talk about it...
19:19 inform someone that they were thinking of hurting themselves
19:25 That's a very high number.
19:28 People do not commit suicide without letting individuals
19:33 know how they feel, and that's important to keep in mind
19:37 If someone is listening very carefully,
19:41 they can pick up from the words that are being used
19:45 and the mannerisms, and different things that a person
19:48 does... to tell them that they are really hurting,
19:52 and need help with whatever stress or
19:55 conflict that they are having.
19:57 Let us look at the next myth...
20:34 Let's talk about this one...
20:39 People talk about suicidal feelings because they need help
20:47 Very few individuals really want to die.
20:50 Apparently, it is instinctual for us to live...
20:55 That is something that has been programmed in us by God.
20:59 Life is precious!
21:02 If you look at the behavior of teenagers,
21:05 they do have a higher rate of suicide attempts
21:10 Many may see that as a cry for help.
21:14 However, if in doing so, someone is not there to help them,
21:20 it may result in that person ending their life.
21:26 We have heard many times, where people may plan
21:29 suicide knowing that someone would be there at a certain
21:33 time to rescue them... and some of them are rescued
21:38 But since we cannot control events all the time,
21:41 many times, these individuals may end up losing their life.
21:45 Let's look at the next myth...
21:54 In spite of all the things that we know, there is no specific
21:58 suicide gene that has ever been identified in determining
22:05 or contributing to the expression of suicide.
22:12 However, we know that sometimes suicide may take place
22:17 in families, and that behavior is pretty much learned.
22:21 A person may see a relative commit suicide,
22:26 and they may also decide that that may be something
22:29 that they should do...
22:31 But it's not necessarily inherited.
22:35 The last myth that I would like to talk about...
22:38 is one that I think parents need to be aware of, and that is...
23:11 We have to keep in mind that suicidal adolescents may
23:19 quicker-talk to their friends and their peers,
23:23 instead of their parents if there are conflicts at home.
23:28 And, many times parents are busy trying to take care
23:34 of their families, and may miss a lot of the subtle information
23:38 that's being shared.
23:41 However, it is very important for parents to pay strict
23:45 attention to the adolescents knowing that they're going
23:49 to have many changes in their behavior, and many mood swings
23:55 that may be normal, but also may give clues that they're
24:00 hurting emotionally.
24:03 Now we have been talking about crisis intervention
24:07 for a few minutes now, and we have looked at a number of
24:11 important points that I'd like to talk about here before
24:14 we conclude this program...
24:17 The first thing that we have to keep in mind
24:19 is that we are living in very troubled times...
24:23 Crisis is part of life.
24:27 Many individuals are experiencing crisis
24:29 on a daily basis, and some may cope with them in a
24:33 positive way by seeking help...
24:36 But others... may cope in a negative way
24:39 turning to drugs, alcohol, ending up with mental problems
24:45 ...Or maybe even considering suicide.
24:49 We know that there are many risk factors that we have to
24:53 keep in mind when we start looking at suicide
24:57 ...such as death of a loved one
25:00 or having a mental illness...
25:03 But there are also positive factors that can prevent
25:07 individuals from taking their lives such as having
25:11 a sense of connectedness with their family...
25:14 feeling as though they can be confident in achieving their
25:17 goals in life... having friends and classmates
25:21 who respect them, and having teachers who can
25:24 be helpful at times.
25:26 It's very important that we keep an eye on the elderly...
25:30 since suicide increases with age,
25:34 and men over the age of 85 are the highest risk
25:39 for suicide in this country.
25:42 We need to pay attention also to the fact that
25:47 without intervention, many individuals can end up
25:51 hurting themselves.
25:53 We have to have a helping relationship...
25:56 We have to be willing to pay attention to those
26:01 who come to us, express concern, and have a
26:07 helping attitude.
26:08 As Christians, we should be empathic...
26:12 We should be understanding
26:15 We should do whatever we can to help someone
26:19 who is in crisis.
26:21 You don't have to be a professional, pastoral counselor
26:27 or mental health professional to help someone who is in a crisis
26:32 People who help those usually have qualities that Christians
26:39 should have...
26:42 Crisis intervention is a serious issue...
26:46 Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for individuals
26:51 age 15 to 24
26:55 It is very important that all who work with children
26:59 keep in mind that boys between the ages of 15 and 24,
27:06 are at risk, and even though girls may have more
27:11 suicide attempts, boys do have more completion.
27:16 In closing, I'd like to talk a little bit about
27:19 some of the things you can do if someone should
27:23 come to you and express suicide ideation...
27:27 It's very important that you keep calm,
27:31 that you be open about asking the questions,
27:35 as to whether or not suicide is something that
27:37 they are thinking about, and keeping in mind that
27:41 if you feel that you're unable to help,
27:44 that you get professional help so that this individual
27:47 will not have any problems as far as hurting themselves
27:53 I encourage you to continue to look at these additional
27:57 programs that will come dealing with this topic
28:00 And may God continue to richly bless you
28:03 as you reach out to those who are experiencing crisis.
28:08 Remember, you don't have to be a professional
28:11 to help someone who is in a crisis,
28:14 and the most important thing is to be a good listener
28:19 ...show that you care
28:22 and you'll be able to save a life.


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Revised 2014-12-17