On Sunday, October 24, 2021, the UCA WAVES Program held a free, virtual screening of the documentary “Wake Up” followed by a panel discussion on mental health and suicide prevention that reminds us mental health support and suicide prevention continue to be pressing issues that impact all individuals – especially during this pandemic and for those who are vulnerable to experiencing discrimination, dismissal, and racism.
In America, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death overall (CDC, 2019). For those aged 10-34, it is the 2nd leading cause of death (CDC, 2019).
The documentary “Wake Up” was produced by Project Wake Up, a nonprofit organization that advocates for expanded mental health resources and eradication of mental health stigma. The documentary aims to increase awareness on suicide and encourage compassion and change.
At the core of this touching documentary is the story of Ryan Joseph Candice, a dear friend of the founders of Project Wake Up, who died by suicide. The film also follows the stories of multiple other Americans from various communities impacted by suicide. These communities include college students, the LGBTQ-plus community, U.S. Veterans, and more.
Through these stories, the film explores mental health issues unique to these communities and their relation to suicide. “Wake Up” also addresses firearm suicide and suicide preventative gun control. The film explores various perspectives and introduces strategies to prevent firearm suicide, while still taking firearm possession into consideration. In each story, we are reminded that multiple barriers to seeking help continue to exist. Lack of access to resources and stigma are only two of the common barriers.
The panel discussion occurred after the screening. The panel speakers consisted of the following mental health experts and advocates: Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Jessica Ouyang, M.D., Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Steven Sust, M.D., Family Physician Oanh Truong, M.D., UCA WAVES Youth Ambassador and Coordinator Jennifer Tu, and Master’s of Arts in Teaching student Heejae Yang. Psychiatrist and UCA WAVES Psychiatrist Consultant Sen Xu, M.D. hosted and moderated the discussion.
The panelists explored mental health support and suicide prevention, while touching on specific mental health concerns within the Chinese American community. The role of community in mental health recovery was also discussed. Panelists emphasized the positive impact of a strong support system. Some examples of support include teachers, in-school counsellors, and family. In terms of family, open, non-judgemental dialogue between parents and children was highly encouraged. Seeking help is a skill, and parents can help promote this by being the first supportive adult in a child’s life. Speakers also provided insight on institutional change that would address barriers, such as addressing the need for access to resources in light of inadequate access to resources and thereby contributing to suicide prevention.
397 people registered for the webinar from 37 states, the most registrants being from California, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, and New York. 73% had never attended a UCA event prior. 68% said they were interested in participating in future UCA WAVES events.
Visit the UCA website at https://ucausa.org/training-and-events/ for upcoming events.
预防自杀 –《觉醒》专题讲座回顾
2021年10月24日，美国华人联合会心理健康项目组（以下简称UCA WAVES）举办了一场以预防自杀为主题的免费讲座。在讲座中，播放了纪录片《觉醒》（Wake Up），在观影后的讲座中，心理健康专家们与听众互动，答疑解惑，一起探讨心理健康和预防自杀的相关问题。提醒我们心理健康支持和自杀预防仍然是影响所有人的紧迫问题——特别是在这场流行病期间以及那些容易遭受歧视、解雇和种族主义的人。
在美国，自杀是第十大死亡原因（CDC，2019年）。对于10-34岁的人来说，它是第二大死亡原因（CDC，2019年）。
《觉醒》是由非营利组织“觉醒计划”（Project Wake Up）制作的，该组织倡导扩大心理健康资源，改变人们看待心理健康的态度，提高人们对自杀的认识，鼓励人们对于自杀者给予更多的同情和关注。
这部感人的纪录片讲述的都是真实的故事，影片的核心人物是自杀身亡的瑞恩·约瑟夫·坎迪斯（Ryan Joseph Candice），他是“觉醒计划”创始人的好朋友。
影片还讲述了多个来自不同社会阶层的、受过自杀困扰的美国人的故事，包括大学生、LGBTQ+社区、美国退伍军人等等。
透过这些真实的故事，影片探讨了特定社群的心理健康问题以及与自杀的联系。《觉醒》还涉及了枪支自杀和预防自杀的枪支管制等问题。影片从不同的角度探讨了防止枪支自杀的策略，以及持有枪支的问题。
故事中一再的提到，对于那些受到自杀困扰的人来说，寻求帮助的道路仍然障碍重重。无法获得资源和污名化只是其中两个最常见的障碍。
在影片播放后，心理健康专家们解答了听众的几个问题。
在这次讲座中主讲的专家们包括:
儿童和青少年精神病学家Jessica Ouyang，医学博士；
儿童和青少年精神病学家Steven Sust，医学博士；
家庭医生Oanh Truong，医学博士；
UCA WAVES青年大使和协调员Jennifer Tu；
以及艺术教学硕士Heejae Yang。
除了心理健康支持和自杀预防，专家小组还讨论了华裔社区心理健康问题，以及社区支持在精神健康康复方面的作用。小组成员强调了强有力的支持系统的积极影响。这些支持系统包括（但不限于）教师、校内辅导员和家庭。专家们还谈到了如何从体制上解决资源获取障碍的问题，从而有助于预防自杀。
在家庭方面，专家鼓励父母和孩子之间公开、非评判性的对话。“寻求帮助”是一种可以培养的技能，父母可以通过成为孩子生活中第一个给予支持的成年人来培养孩子的这一技能。
来自37个州的397人注册参加了这次讲座，注册人数最多的是加利福尼亚州、北卡罗来纳州、伊利诺伊州、德克萨斯州和纽约州。73%的人以前从未参加过UCA活动。68%的人表示他们有兴趣参加未来的UCA WAVES活动。
访问UCA网站https://ucausa.org/training-and-events/，以了解即将举行的活动详情。