Suicide - The Construction Industry's Dark Secret

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and while suicide prevention is important to address year-round, this month is dedicated to sharing resources and stories to shed light on this uncomfortable and often stigmatized topic. 

For many, myself included, mental health and suicide are difficult subjects to acknowledge, let alone talk about.  

In today’s episode we are going to dig deep into both. Why? Because there is a genuine crisis facing our industry. Regrettably, construction workers lead the way nationally in suicide related deaths, nearly 4 times higher than their non-construction industry counterparts. Let that sink in. Every year 17 out of 100,000 people take their own lives.    For construction workers that number is 54. That’s a staggering and disheartening statistic and it needs to change. If you haven’t suffered the loss of a co-worker, family member or friend due to suicide consider yourself fortunate. Many others aren’t so lucky. It truly doesn’t need to be this way.  

Our guest today is Deborah Zwetchkenbaum. She a mental health professional with Lines for Life, a Portland based, non-profit organization that offers help and hope to individuals and communities and is dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide.  

We will begin our conversation by discussing the factors that lead to the high levels of suicide in our industry and why we are so vulnerable as construction workers. 

Next, we’ll learn to identifying the signs of someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Later we’ll unpack how to talk to someone who has expressed suicidal thoughts and why addressing the issue head on is not as bad as you might think. 

And we’ll finish our conversation by understanding what Question, Persuade and Refer training is and how our Regional Council is making it available to all our members. 

For more information check out the links below:

https://gettrainedtohelp.com/en/

https://preventconstructionsuicide.com/

A more light hearted look at a serious subject
https://lnkd.in/gNZyQpy

https://www.linesforlife.org/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Join the Grit Nation MVP Team
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow Grit Nation on Instagram
 https://www.instagram.com/gritnationpodcast/

Grit Nation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-gSacdByjCCec1KeWDJgw

Leave a Review on Podchaser
https://www.podchaser.com/GritNation

Email comments or suggestions to:
joe@gritnationpodcast.com

Grit NW is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

Transcript

Joe Cadwell : 0:04

Welcome to another episode of grit Northwest. I'm Joe Cadwell, President of the Northwest carpenters union and your host of this podcast. My aim is to introduce you to the various personalities that make up the construction industry in our region. Through informative and insightful interviews, I hope to help you develop a stronger understanding of what it means to be a member of the carpenters union, and how you can become a proud guardian of the deep and rich legacy that those who came before us work so hard to build from leadership development and training to politics and organizing. My goal is to engage, educate and energize you to take charge of your future. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. And while suicide prevention is important to address year round, this month is dedicated to sharing resources and stories to shed light on this uncomfortable and often stigmatized topic. For many, myself included, mental health and suicide are difficult subjects to acknowledge, let alone talk about in today's episode, we're going to dig deep into both. Why? Because there's a genuine crisis facing our industry. Regrettably, construction workers lead the way nationally and suicide related deaths nearly four times higher than their non construction industry counterparts. Let that sink in. Every year 17 out of 100,000 people take their own lives. for construction workers. That number is 54. That's a staggering disheartening statistic and it needs to change. If you haven't suffered the loss of a co worker or family member or friend due to suicide, consider yourself fortunate. Many others aren't so lucky. It truly doesn't need to be this way. Our guest today is Deborah's whichcan bomb. She is a mental health professional with mines for life, a Portland based nonprofit organization that offers help and hope to individuals and communities and is dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide. We'll begin our conversation by discussing the factors that lead to the high levels of suicide in our industry, and why we are so vulnerable as construction workers. Next, we'll learn to identify the signs of someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Later, we'll unpack how to talk to someone who has expressed suicidal thoughts, and why addressing the issue head on is not as bad as you might think. And we'll finish our conversation by understanding what question persuade and refer training is, and how our Regional Council is making it available to all our members. For more information, check out the show notes at the end of the episode. And now on to the show.

Deborah Zwetchkenbaum : 2:32

Deborah, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me, Joe.

Joe Cadwell : 2:35

So I understand you've been with lines for life for the last 12 years. Deborah, how did you start there?

Unknown Speaker : 2:41

I actually started as a volunteer on the crisis lines. So lines for life answers the Suicide Prevention Lifeline for Oregon as well as the drug and alcohol helpline, senior loneliness line, military helpline and youth line. And I volunteered to go through the training, which is about 60 hours of training. And I started as a volunteer once a week, four hours a week. And after six months, a position opened up and I started as the volunteer coordinator. And then I worked my way up to assistant director of the crisis line program. And that's what I do now.

Joe Cadwell : 3:18

I also understand, Deborah, that you were an attendee at the first construction industry summit here in Oregon to address suicide within the construction industry, based on a CDC report from 2017. Can you tell me more about that?

Unknown Speaker : 3:32

Yes, Joe, it's really been an honor and a privilege for me to be part of the mobilization within the construction industry here in the Pacific Northwest around suicide prevention. I participate in that very first suicide prevention summit in November of 2017. And we had wonderful representation from throughout the industry coming together to look at how we can do a better job within the construction industry to create not just physical safety, but mental and emotional safety, how we can work together to expand that culture of safety, focusing on making sure the work environments physically safe. What's been really inspiring for me has been being a part of this movement to expand that focus to include mental and emotional safety. And as an industry, I understand that construction workers are four times more likely to take their own lives than someone who's in a non construction industry trade. Any idea why that number is so high? Deborah, I think there are a number of factors that contribute. It's a male dominated industry, there's a culture of suck it up. He tough. Be stoic. The unfortunate fact though is that it contributes to people, not wanting to To seek help, it contributes to that stigma around feeling vulnerable, the stigma around acknowledging that maybe you're having a hard time, you know, people with that masculine culture, we want to reframe strength, we want to see that it actually takes a great deal of strength to acknowledge that you're going through a hard time, it takes a great deal of strength and courage to reach out and say, Hey, I need some help. And we're really working to shift the culture within the construction industry. So that culture of caring for each other, making sure we're safe physically, that we expand that to checking in with each other, and you know, saying, Hey, are you okay? When we notice somebody maybe is not not quite themselves or seems to be struggling? I mean, there are a number of other factors that contribute to this, this vulnerability to suicide within the construction industry. I think the seasonal work, not being sure when that paycheck might be coming in family separations and isolation during travel. I think there's physical injuries associated with doing manual labor that contribute to chronic pain. And when people want to just push through it, they maybe get a prescription for an opiate that helps them to keep going and then that opiate pain medication ends up creating problems that were unexpected.

Joe Cadwell : 6:30

So opiates similar are such as oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin, someone who perhaps was out on the on the job site had that those pains got that prescription to treat the pains and then found that they weren't able to function well, without the,

Unknown Speaker : 6:48

it's an easy trap to fall into. When you're falling, you feel there's a lot of shame associated with that. And we want to break through that and say, it's, it's it's human to struggle, and that it's not your fault. If you got hooked on a pain medication, there is treatment available, there is recovery, and there is support through the workplace through through the employee support programs, there's, you know, we want people to take advantage of the resources that are available to help get the help and treatment that they need. An interesting statistic is that only 40% of the people who are diagnosed with a mental health or substance use disorder in this country seek treatment. And there's a lot of research that shows that treatment is effective, people can and do recover. And part of the work that I've been doing within the construction industry is to really make sure people are aware of those resources. And that we can break through that shame and stigma to get people to help that they need.

Joe Cadwell : 8:03

So understanding that our co workers, our friends, possibly family members aren't necessarily going to reach out and ask for help. Because of this, this culture that we have in our industry. How do we go about identifying someone that is suffering from a mental health crisis?

Unknown Speaker : 8:20

I think that some of the things that you want to look for are like a change in mood, somebody who's maybe having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much. Maybe there's a change in their appearance, their hygiene, I heard a story about a situation that occurred on a construction site where one of the workers who had been a very consistent stable worker all of a sudden started showing up for work where just didn't look the little unkempt, and he kept coming in his his, his boots weren't Thai people were coaching him, Hey, Hey, dude, you got it, you got to tie your shoes, you know, let's That's dangerous. He fortunately, they had a good network and the person, the supervisor, and you know, connected them with someone within the organization, who could check in with him. And it turned out that he had gone through a relationship breakup and had lost his housing and was living out of his car and was having thoughts of suicide. You know, unfortunately, sometimes when we see someone slipping like that, the inclination might be to get mad at them. Know, be like, Hey, what's going on, you know, get your act together. And I think that when we talk about recognizing signs and symptoms, it's about maybe having that, you know, taking a step back and saying, hey, what, what could be going on here and maybe just like, sitting down with the person you say, Hey, can we get a cup of coffee, or go for a walk and just just connect talk about what's going on. I mean, there are a lot of other kinds of signs and symptoms that I would want people to be aware. Have someone who maybe seems to be increasing their substance use. So someone who used to just come out and have a drink with everybody and be fine. Now they're really getting drunk when they come out, or it's happening a lot, or they're missing work. Again, we want to reach out for that person, not just in a disciplinary way, but also but in a caring way, like, hey, let's talk what's going on, I'm noticing you don't seem like yourself, I think I'd like to address something that is one of the biggest things that we can do to prevent suicide. And that is breaking through that stigma. So that when you notice that someone's having a hard time, you actually ask them, like, Hey, are you having any thoughts of suicide? And I know that sounds like a really hard thing to do. I usually coach people to say something like, Hey, you know, sometimes when people are going through a really difficult time, sometimes they start having thoughts of suicide, is that something that's happening for you? Or another way to approach it would be to say something like, you know, it's fairly normal during periods of extreme stress to have thoughts of suicide? Is that something that's come up for you at all.

Unknown Speaker : 11:21

And they're all kind

Joe Cadwell : 11:22

of go and, Deborah, that when so when a co worker or someone identifies those behavioral or physical or psychological signs that it is appropriate for them to basically address the issue head on and bring up the subject of their their mental health and the possibility that they may be considering suicide?

Unknown Speaker : 11:41

Yes, find a quiet time, find a good time to just sit and talk. And if you're noticing someone who seems sad, they're irritable, they're angry, they seem depressed, or they're expressing thoughts and feelings of being hopeless or feeling overwhelmed. You want to sit down with them? And give them that chance to talk to you about what's going on? And then yes, say the words. Are you having any thoughts of suicide, people are so afraid to say that for a number of different reasons, they're afraid they're going to offend the person or they're afraid that they're going to like, if the person hasn't thought of it before, like, now all of a sudden, they're gonna put the idea in the person's mind. And all those those are all myths, like, the best thing you can do like suicide prevention, one on one is ask the question, asked directly. Are you having any thoughts of suicide? And, you know, one of the reasons that sometimes people don't want to ask that question is because they're afraid like, what if the person says, yes, then what am I going to do? And my message here for all of your listeners is, if you ask, and the person says, Yes, first of all, the very first thing I want you to say to them is, thank you for telling me. Thank you for thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that. And let's call the lifeline and see if we can find out what to do. One of the things that people don't realize, so I one of our crisis lines at lines for life is the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The number is 1-800-273-8255. That's one 800 273 talk. And something that people don't realize is that say, maybe you're not you're not in crisis, you're not having thoughts of suicide, but you're concerned about someone else. You can call the lifeline and just say, Hey, you know, my friend, my partner, my coworker, you know, they're This is what I'm seeing, is this something I should be worried about? You can call the lifeline if you're concerned about someone else, and just get a sounding board to get some support and feedback and guidance about how to support your friend or loved one.

Joe Cadwell : 14:01

So Deborah, can you tell me more about question, persuade, and refer training and why getting QPR training is so effective and helping people who are in mental health crisis or potentially considering suicide as an option.

Unknown Speaker : 14:15

I highly recommend the QPR training. It's it's an hour, it's not a lot of time. And it gives you those basic skills that give you the knowledge and courage to be able to reach out to someone who you see that might be struggling. Now, I do want to say that, you know, you don't need special training to show someone you care, just reaching out just saying, Hey, how are you doing? Are you okay? I've noticed you seem a little off your game. Like we we know how to do that. In fact, one of the wonderful things that I've experienced as in working with the construction industry, there's a lot of amazing camaraderie and connection and support that I see the teamwork that I see that seems really integral and wonderful part of the construction industry. You know, we know how to reach out and show someone we care. And I want you to, especially in these really difficult times, I want you all to take that moment, take that extra step to just reach out, what QPR gives you is the information you get a little, a little extra training beyond what I've given you here about like, what to look for, what are the signs to look for a little practice? In terms of how to go about asking that question, getting more comfortable asking someone about suicide, and then learning about resources and how to connect someone with with the care that they need. So QPR, question, persuade, refer. So for in a one hour training, what people have told me is that it just gives them something really concrete so that they know what to do if they are seeing someone who might be struggling.

Joe Cadwell : 16:09

So the question phase, again, would be addressing the observation of a potential stress or behavioral change head on getting that individual involved with the opening up hopefully, that, as you said, they they share what's going on with them, the persuade portion is persuading them to do what to seek out specialized help.

Unknown Speaker : 16:31

Yes. And I think part of it is acknowledging the seriousness of what they're going through. And one of the things that I was going to mention to you is there, there are three traps that people fall into, in terms of not helping, there are three little pitfalls that we want people to try to avoid. The first pitfall is, you miss the signs, so you're not aware of what the signs are, and you know, you just miss it. So another example of a sign that we want people to understand could be connected with suicide, is giving away possessions. Another sad story that I heard in my work with the construction industry was a situation where one of the workers came into work, and was giving away some of his, you know, prized tools came in and said, Hey, I want you to have this giving it to people. And no one really connected that with the possibility that he might be thinking about suicide, the QPR, you know, it's like, noticing the signs, and then asking the question like, Hey, what's going on, it seems odd that you're giving away these tools, they mean a lot to you, you know what's going on. And then if someone does tell you that they're having thoughts of suicide, again, thanking them, thank you so much for, for confiding in me for trusting me. And you know, this is serious, I want to make sure I'm taking this seriously. If you're having thoughts of ending your life, we really need to get you to someone who can support you through this so that you can live through this. And people really, people do live through, lived through crises, and then they can help others too. So I think the persuade part is just, this is serious. I'm taking this seriously, the fact that you're so overwhelmed, you're so stressed that thoughts of suicide are coming into your mind, we need to make sure we have a good plan in place that we have good support in place to make sure that you come through this

Joe Cadwell : 18:41

alive. So in a way, it sounds like you're persuading them, that you do care that there are people who care about you that there are resources that you can turn to other than taking your own life and during these dark times. And then finally, the referral phase would be to truly follow up turning that individual on to professional guidance. Exactly. Well, Deborah, this has been a really enlightening and fascinating conversation. I appreciate you taking your time to talk to us today about it. Where can our listeners go to find more about QPR training lines for life and mental health awareness?

Unknown Speaker : 19:21

Sure, I would encourage everyone to check out the prevent construction suicide.com. There's a lot of great information and resources, including links to trainings on that website. And my agency we are at WWW dot lions for life.org.

Joe Cadwell : 19:40

I'm actually going to put the rest in our show notes at the end of the show so that those links are there for individuals again, Deborah, thank you so much for taking your time to be with us today.

Unknown Speaker : 19:50

Thank you, Joe. Well, that

Joe Cadwell : 19:51

wraps up another edition of grit Northwest. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to hit the subscribe button. Be sure to share it with a friend fellow Carpenter or family member. And if you have not already done so please take a moment to post a review on Apple podcast. We'll help others find the show. Till next time, this is Joe Cadwell reminding you to work safe, work smart and stay union strong. Transcribed by https://otter.ai