Agoura resident to walk in support of suicide prevention
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Every 16 minutes in the United States someone dies by their own hand.

The national statistic hit home three years ago for Agoura resident Michael Matthew when his brother, Dr. Brian Matthew, took his own life.

Matthew and others who have lost a family member or friend to suicide hope to change the staggering suicide statistics by participating in the "Out of the Darkness" 5K community walk on Sun., Oct. 7 in Los Angeles.

The third annual walk is sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Matthew will walk in memory of Brian, who fought a lengthy battle with depression and bipolar disorder, among a host of underlying mental disorders that often lead to suicide, especially if not adequately treated.

Matthew's personal struggles with his brother's death led him to conduct research on suicide and join in the fight to raise awareness and funds to combat mental illness.

The battle to raise funds for research is multifaceted, but those who have attempted suicide and survived say that lifting the stigma attached to mental illness is crucial if people are to receive proper treatment.

Matthew had a difficult time believing that his brother, an emergency room physician, would be at risk of suicide, but studies show healthcare workers are vulnerable because of a reluctance to seek help for fear of losing their jobs.

Brian had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed medication, but was not consistent about his treatment and didn't always take his medication.

Police officers and firefighters are also at a higher than average risk of suicide, research shows. They, too, fear losing their jobs.

Matthew said the foundation's research grants are targeted to a wide variety of programs, projects and research. The organization encourages new directions of investigation in suicide research, and gives new researchers a helping hand through grants that provide training, support and mentoring.

"A key goal of each project is to disseminate information about what has been learned, through articles that reach both professional and lay audiences," Matthew said.

The College and University Screening Project is an interactive, webbased method of reaching out to students at risk of suicide and encouraging them to get help, Matthew said.

And research is growing. Largescale studies to test promising treatments for disorders that increase the risk of suicide is funded by the foundation and by other groups.

Matthew is particularly interested in the "Physician Depression and Suicide Prevention Project," a collaborative program that addresses the disproportionately high rates of suicide among doctors and interns.

The money from the walk will also be used to assist experts from around the world in tackling strategies for suicide prevention.

The Suicide Data Bank was created in collaboration with therapists who had lost a patient to suicide. The goal is to improve recognition of risk and treat individuals in danger.

"Your donations are critical to saving lives," Matthew said. "Maybe if we had been further down the road with research and prevention efforts, we could have saved my brother Brian."

So far, Matthew has raised $2,150 for suicide prevention, but he would like to raise more.

To support Matthew in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk, or to sign up to participate in the walk, visit www.outofthedarkness.org/ index.cfm?fuseaction=community Walks.participant&participantID= 118671. Or send an e-mail to mikemanfrommo@yahoo.com.