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The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y M a y 15, 2002 - C3 Suicide Prevention Week Listening ears help prevent suicide By Wilma Blokhuis BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR Distress Centre Oakville answers more than 10,000 calls a year, many of them from people who need someone to talk to. Loneliness is the "largest single rea son why people call us," says Sandy Beveridge, executive director of Distress Centre Oakville. "Over 2,000 calls we receive each year are from people who are lonely, people who have no other support, peo ple who have one else to talk to." This worries Beveridge. "These are the people at a high risk. They are lonely, may have been diag nosed with a mental illness and may have emotional problems, all of which can lead to suicide." According to the centre's own statis tics, loneliness fits into the interpersonal reasons for calling the distress line. This includes almost 2,200 loneliness callers plus calls from almost 475 people who felt isolated, plus close to 1,400 callers with relationship problems and more than 1,000 with family problems. In total, the centre handled 6,897 interper sonal calls last year. Added to this are 4,164 mental health calls, about 1,800 from people with a diagnosed mental illness and more than 1,000 with mental health and emotional issues. She is relieved the centre received only 330 suicide calls last year, the toughest for the agency's 80 volunteers. Volunteers work four-hour shifts three times a month, and remain anonymous. "Suicide calls are a very small per centage, 1.8 per cent of our total, thank goodness. "Our volunteers take 24 hours of training, one night a week for seven weeks, before they go on the phones, but a lot of training is about knowing how to handle suicide calls," said Beveridge. Telephone volunteers can reach for a binder to `walk them through' these dif ficult calls. "When we get a suicide call - the fact that we get such a call - means the caller is still ambivalent about it, which gives us an opportunity to tell them where to find professional help and about com munity resources. "But. what we basically do is listen," she continues. "The best thing we can do for some one who feels suicidal is to listen, to give that person a chance to talk. "We listen with empathy, we're not judgmental and we don't give advice. "Sometimes, listening is all that's needed, because nobody else has ever listened to them." About half of the agency's callers are repeat callers, "people we support on an ongoing basis. Some call every day. Other's call only when they're going through a particularly difficult time. "And, we do a lot of suicide preven tion work because most of these people have very few other supports." More than 3,500 Canadians kill themselves every year, 14 per 100,000 population nationally, according to sta tistics provided by Beveridge. The sui cide rate for Ontario is below the nation al average at 10 per 100,000 population. For every completed suicide there are approximately 100 attempts, and more than 90 per cent of all suicides occur at home. Suicide among the elderly is higher than among any other age groups, fol lowed by males aged 20 to 30. Males commit suicide at a ratio of 3:1 over females, however females make three times as many attempts. It is believes one in seven Canadians has considered suicide at some point in their lives, and one out of every 25 has made the attempt. "Many people who commit suicide do so because of an emotional disorder - clinical depression, alcoholism, anxi ety disorders - disorders (that) can be successfully treated in the majority of cases with a combination of psychother apy and medication," states information about suicide statistics provided by Beveridge. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens aged 13-19, and the leading cause for people aged 25-34. This week. May 12-18. is Suicide Prevention Week. Agencies such as Distress Centre Oakville educate the public about the signs of suicide. Those thinking of committing suicide may talk about death and hopelessness; may have trouble eating or sleeping; withdraw from friends and social activities; lose interest in work, school and their hob bies; give away prized possessions; may have made previous suicide attempts; lose interest in personal appearance and hygiene; may increase drug and alcohol use; and may have suffered a recent loss of a loved one. among other factors. "If you cannot convince the person to seek help, make sure numbers are avail able to them," said Beveridge. "You can only do what they will let you do." If you suspect someone is contem plating suicide, talk to them directly about suicide, stay with that person until other help arrives, be willing to listen, don't judge, give advice, or act shocked. "Be direct - talk openly and freely about suicide. Take action by removing means, such as pills, knives etc," stated the agency's literature about suicide pre vention. Distress Centre Oakville is open noon to midnight "365 days a year including Christmas, and we take crisis calls overnight," said Beveridge. The agency's office is tucked in the back of a local office building that's pro tected by security. The office space is donated. Its office location is not publicized for safety rea sons. This photo appears on the front of Distress C entre Oakville's brochure. "We've been in our present location, our third location, for 10 years. In 28 years we've never had to pay rent." Helping Beveridge are Mary Lou Everitt, executive assistant and volun teer co-ordinator, and Kate Greenfield. All of them take their turn answering the phones. Distress Centre Oakville is funded by the United Ways of Oakville and Milton, plus local service clubs. Greenfield's position is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The agency holds its 28th annual meeting tonight (May 15). Service awards will be presented to volunteers, two of whom have been with the agency for 21 years. Beveridge has been with the agency for 25 years, and remembers when it handled 1,000 calls a year. "Back then, we never heard of AIDS, the drug problem was just beginning to happen, and sexual abuse and mental ill ness were two things we knew very lit tle about. For information or if interested in volunteering, or need someone to talk to. call 905-849-4541. All calls are con fidential. 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E ,, O akville . 905-S Experienceoiraulhentjcltalian ajlsineinaietegantatniosplier&^ Dance Floor, Upscale Pool Tables, Cigar Lounge Lunch Specials starting Monday - Saturday Dinner Specials from Every Friday Live Entertainment with Frank Rondell ro wrflf lontions, H umE a . (Vmmt.m/uw UfniUlnw P III Vuiii C k /w!«I Cim /O iftn* w in g s &nil Tour opsctai rimciions h ' H Restaurant & /L o u n g e Jakvflle. (905) 815-9689 H n a nondescript area of Oakville lies a treasure. Conveniently located but slightly hidden from view, lies a true gem of a restau rant. After all, treasures aren't supposed to be easy to find, are they? But once you do visit 407 Speers Rd., Unit #4, you'll understand why Elite Restaurant is a treasure trove! Walking into Elite, your eyes immediately roam the surroundings, trying to soak up the incredible details, hoping to remember them later to incorporate them into your own home. Faux stone walls, gilt mir rors, stately columns, and arched walkways, all in the same rustic earth tones, make one feel as if they've just walked into an Italian piazza. And that's exactly the look owner Johnny Cicciarella was looking for. O f Sicilian heritage, Johnny knew he could bring the beauty of his roots to Oakvillians. "Italians are known for their perfection in details. In everything we do, passion is behind it. At Elite, I wanted to recreate the beauty of ancient Italy, not only in the surroundings, but also in our menu," he says. Enjoy classic Italian favourites like Antipasto di Mare, Stracciatella, Spaghetti o Penne all'Arrabbiata, sauteed shrimp, and Sicilian style broiled veal. For the perfect night out. Elite Restaurant has more than just a fan tastic lunch and dinner. On Saturday, June 15 enjoy the talents of North America's top impersonators. For one show only this interna tionally acclaimed production will feature the music of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and Tom Jones. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. with show beginning at 9:00 p.m. Dinner and show is $49.95 or $19.95 for show only. Be sure to stay after the show to dance to the dj's tunes on one of the biggest dance floors in Oakville! Or choose from one of their five pool tables, all colour coordinated the same rustic hue as the walls. Walk to the back of the lengthy restaurant and you'll find the private cigar lounge - an elegant and classy area, and relax with an espresso. Elite Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day except Sunday (for private parties only). Reservations are recommended. Call 905-815-9689. U Featuring air Special of the Day including Homemade Soup or Salad, choice of 2 wonderfiil Main Courses served with Vegetable & Pobito for only $7.95 T ° W N E U N G E THERE'S AND F©@B> THEN THERE'S ·m RUDE FOOD www.elirerestatmHit.com Bronte. 119 J o n e s St. (9 0 5 ) 465-0 57 1 Oakville, 142 L a k e s h o r e Rd. E. (905) 844 -3334 w w w .r u d e n a t iv e . c o m