WHITE WREATH ASSOCIATION Ltd® Action Against Suicide A.C.N. 117 603 442 Head Office: PO Box 1078 Browns Plains QLD 4118 Web: www.whitewreath.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1300 766 177 | Mobile: 0410 526 562 DIRECTORS REPORT 30 years ago anyone who was depressed and suicidal, anyone who mentioned that they were suicidal would have immediately IN THIS EDITION: been admitted to a “Place of Safety”/Hospital environment. Suicide was once recognised as a life-threatening emergency. Thousands of people die needlessly in Australia because “Suicidal people are 'LUHFWRU¶V5HSRUW being cared for in the Community” We have taken the approach for ,PSRUWDQW1RWLFH the past few years of just talking and nothing has improved infact 3HWHU1HDPH suicide numbers are increasing. 7UHDWPHQWIRU$GGLFWLRQ ;PDV:LVKHV Caring for in the community simply means that everyone is put at risk. Mental Health disasters happen many times a day in Australia &RPLQJ(YHQWV and the World. A good example is the murder/suicide recently in an $*0 DIÀXHQWDUHDRI%ULVEDQH4OG :RUOG1HZV-DSDQ :RUOG1HZV$ODVND In more than 80% of completed suicides and other mental :RUOG1HZV,QGLD health disasters someone close to the patient and or the patient themselves have tried, in good faith, to get help from professionals :RUOG1HZV86$ but been turned away. :RUOG1HZV.HQ\D :RUOG1HZV1HZ Threats of suicide and self-harm including actual self-harm should =HDODQG be treated as if they were actual attempted suicides. In simple :RUOG1HZV$XVWUDOLD terms people are either suicidal or not suicidal. Personal judgments’ about highly moderately, vaguely, possibly suicidal, should not be :RUOG1HZV,UHODQG used/they are dangerously misleading. :RUOG1HZV.RUHD :RUOG1HZV6ORYDNLD If an individual or his family says they are suicidal he/she is treated 665,6WRULHV as suicidal. +XPRXU No one grandiose professional can make an arbitrary decision that :LVK/LVW a patient who was seriously suicidal one day is no longer suicidal the next. Fanita Clark Director White Wreath Association Ltd 45th Edition Newsletter 1 AugustMay 2011 EXCITING NEWS NEW WEBSITE Our long waited new website www.whitewreath.com is now up and running. “Thank You” to Steve Doig from Perth Western Australia who spent many hours voluntarily developing RXUQHZVLWH6WHYHZLOOUHPDLQDVRXU7HFKQLFDO6XSSRUW2I¿FHU:HEPDVWHUDQGXSGDWLQJRXUZHEVLWH regularly. So if you have any technical questions do not hesitate in emailing [email protected] or White Wreath Assoc. Peruse our new website and give us some feedback as it would be very much appreciated. MORE EXCITING NEWS GAMBLING COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND 2I¿FHRI/LTXRUDQG*DPLQJ *DPEOLQJ&RPPXQLW\%HQH¿W)XQGDSSURYHGDJUDQWIRUXVWRSXUFKDVHDQHZFDU2XUVLQFHUH “Thanks” and grateful appreciation. White Wreath Assoc desperately tries to keep all ongoing costs WRDPLQLPXPZKLFKLQWKHVHWRXJKWLPHVFDQEHYHU\GLI¿FXOWZLWKGDLO\H[SHQVHVVRDULQJRXWRI our control. We are all experiencing tightening of our belts however White Wreath does not and has QHYHUUHFHLYHG*RYHUQPHQW)LQDQFLDO$VVLVWDQFH:HUHO\ZKROO\DQGVROHO\RQSXEOLFGRQDWLRQV We have endured extremely tough times over the years like when we lost everything we owned LQGLUHFWO\GXHWR¿UH:HVWLOOKDYHQRWUHFRXSHGIURPWKLVEXWZHDUHDUHVLOLHQWJURXSRIYROXQWHHUV and forge on regardless servicing those in need. A new car means at least for the next three years we know that we will not have to spend unnecessary monies on repairs, maintenances, tyres etc that in turn will save White Wreath Assoc a lot of money over this period of time. Once again our JUDWHIXO³7KDQNV´WR*DPEOLQJ&RPPXQLW\%HQH¿W)XQG INTERESTING WHY CAN’T WE DO THIS? A week ago I caught the tail end of one of those Christian American TV shows early on a Sunday morning. What caught my attention is when I heard the hosts of the show asking for 3,000 people to donate $1,000 each, as they need three million dollars to keep up the good work they do. I thought to myself what an excellent marketing ploy. I understand there are many more religious followers than WKHUHDUH:KLWH:UHDWK$VVRFIROORZHUV%XWKRZDERXWZHKDYHDJR,IWKLVGLGHYHQWXDWHZHFRXOG have our Centre’s up and running sooner rather than later. It would be exciting for all of us. If you feel you would like to assist with this campaign please contact White Wreath Assoc white.wreath@ bipond.com and lets discuss this together of how to get this started. SUPPORTING WHITE WREATH ASSOC 0\QDPH¶V-RVK/\QDJKIURP0W*DPELHU6RXWK$XVWUDOLD,JRE\WKHQDPH6WUHDPO\QHDQGKDYH been recording music for a few years now. Not too long ago, I started realising that the things I had to say regarding youth suicide, and opening up about your feelings and depression, people were actually listening to. White Wreath Association Ltd 45th Edition Newsletter 2 August 2011 My thoughts, were shared thoughts, just - nobody was talking about it. So that’s why I’m pushing this, and people are really starting to listen. I lost a mate of mine when we were 15, and the effects from that have been devastating. 1RZ,¶PGRLQJP\SDUWQRWRQO\ZLWKP\PXVLFEXWDOVRQRZLQD¿QDQFLDOZD\WKURXJKWKHUHOHDVH RIWKH¿UVWVLQJOHIURPP\DOEXP³)O\$ZD\´IHDWXULQJYRFDOVIURPORFDOVLQJHU-RVK&RU\ ZKR¶VRQO\ \HDUVROG All proceeds from the sale of the single will go to the White Wreath Association. Okay, so here’s the OLQNWRWKHVRQJKWWSVWUHDPO\QHEDQGFDPSFRPWUDFNÀ\DZD\3OHDVHVXSSRUW PLEASE HELP ME BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF ALL Dear Staff at White Wreath Association, I am a dedicated reader to your website for several years now. You always have interesting articles DERXWSHRSOHZKRH[SHULHQFHGVXFKGLI¿FXOWVLWXDWLRQV,NQRZ\RXDUHYHU\PXFKDJDLQVWVXLFLGH Well, I come to you because an over the counter stimulant sold in stores took my boyfriend’s life. 'HULF4XHVHQEHUU\ZDVDVHFRQG\HDUPHGLFDOVFKRROVWXGHQWDW:HVW9LUJLQLD6FKRRORI2VWHRSDWKLF Medicine. He was an amazing dedicated person to the community. His mission was to help others LQQHHG+HKDGYROXQWHHUHGDWFOLQLF¶VVLQFHKLJKVFKRROZDQWLQJWREHFRPHDGRFWRU%XWWRJHWWR the point, the man who wanted to marry me and start a family had a psychotic break down. It was September 13, when he started to act different. The things he said didn’t add up. We were bickering until he started mentioning death. He had become suicidal. As I was on the phone, he shot himself in the head. I blamed myself for several days and ended up being admitted into the hospital for a couple of days. Just on the weekend of his funeral the autopsy report came in. The detective informed his family of a over the counter supplement that many college students were using to NHHSDZDNHIRUH[DPV7KHVXSSOHPHQWKDGFDXVHGVXLFLGHVLQ/HZLVEXUJDOUHDG\DQGPRVW had died by hanging themselves according to the detective. 12 suicides in one town alone? Please speak out about this. I lost the man I loved to this stimulant. He was 22 years old and had so many DVSLUDWLRQVWRKHOSWKHFRPPXQLW\+HZDVVXFKDSRVLWLYHLQÀXHQFHWKDWWKHVFKRROLVSODQWLQJD tree and making a plaque in his honor. The new york times ran an article on this which was recently found by his family. There are others out there using these ‘bath salts’. Spread the word before it’s too late for other people. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/us/17salts.html Thank you for your attention. If you would like to know more on the situation, don’t be afraid to call me. Sincerely, Stacy Rivera White Wreath Association Ltd 45th Edition Newsletter 3 August 2011 PETER NEAME RESEARCH OFFICER WHITE WREATH ASSOC LTD 7KHEHORZOLVWVKRZVNLOOHGLQPDVVNLOOLQJWKURXJKRXWWKHZRUOG\HWWKHSV\FKLDWULVW%LEOHWKH DSM1V ie the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders number 4 says of amok(mass NLOOLQJV WKDWLWLVD³&XOWXUH%RXQG6\QGURPH´DQGODWHUGRZQSOD\VWKHGDQJHURXVQHVVRISDUDQRLG schizophrenia. I have been talking about preventing mass killings for thirty years. The reason why mass killings happen on average one every two weeks somewhere in the world is that the Mental Health Profession can no longer recognise paranoia/paraphrenia. Paranoid people who can live independently in society are just regarded as eccentric until the next mass killings. 7KXV$QGHUV%HKULQJ%UHLYLLNVZDVMXVWHFFHQWULFKLVIUHHGRPZDVIXOORQDQGWKH\RXQJSHRSOH he slaughtered had the freedom to be slaughtered. %HKLQGSDUDQRLGSHRSOHVLGHDVLVWKHGHVLUHWRNLOODVPDQ\RWKHUEHIRUHG\LQJWKHPVHOYHVXVXDOO\ by their own hand. Their paranoid believes are just the outward mask or rationalisation of the desire to kill as many people as possible. I have been talking about preventing such things for thirty years. To date I have never had a commonsense reply from any politician. Mass killers copy one another and so the toll grows. These things are never out of the blue, with 81% giving at least two years warning. Deadliest Shootings http://www.iafrica.com Friday’s shooting on the Norwegian island of Utoeya in which at least 68 people were killed is the deadliest of recent times. %HIRUHWKDWWKHZRUVWVKRRWLQJPDVVDFUHZDVLQZKHQSHRSOHZHUHNLOOHGLQ$XVWUDOLD+HUH is a list of the deadliest shootings of the past 25 years: July 22, 2011 - NORWAY: A bomb attack on government buildings in Oslo that kills seven is followed E\ D VKRRWLQJ DW D VXPPHU KROLGD\ FDPS RUJDQLVHG E\ WKH UXOLQJ /DERXU SDUW\ RQ WKH LVODQG RI Utoeya, near to the capital. A man is arrested for carrying out both attacks and 85 people are so far listed as dead. January 8, 201181,7('67$7(66L[SHRSOHDUHNLOOHGDQGLQMXUHG LQFOXGLQJ'HPRFUDWLF FRQJUHVVZRPDQ*DEULHOOH*LIIRUGV LQDQDWWDFNLQ7XFVRQ$UL]RQD June 2, 2010 %5,7$,1 $ WD[L GULYHU NLOOV SHRSOH LQ &XPEULD QRUWKZHVW (QJODQG EHIRUH committing suicide. 1RYHPEHU - UNITED STATES: An army psychiatrist kills 13 on a military