{"id":1313965,"date":"2019-08-25T21:45:04","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T03:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=986563"},"modified":"2019-08-25T21:45:04","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T03:45:04","slug":"sons-suicide-led-to-moms-mission-to-remove-the-stigma-from-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/sons-suicide-led-to-moms-mission-to-remove-the-stigma-from-mental-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Son\u2019s suicide led to mom\u2019s mission to remove the stigma from mental illness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Patrick Snell as a teenager.<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A very difficult loss 12 years ago for Dolores and Patrick M. Snell led to an easy decision to be forthright about their son\u2019s death and the disease that claimed his life.<\/p>\n

Patrick John \u201cPJ\u201d Snell took his own life on Jan. 13, 2007, while the family was still living in Wisconsin. He was just 22.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my son had died of cancer, the obituary would have said he succumbed to cancer \u2026 how many times do we read that?,\u201d said Dolores Snell, a physician\u2019s assistant now practicing in Glenwood Springs.<\/p>\n

PJ had lived with severe depression since he became an adolescent. He didn\u2019t do drugs, he was artistic, he was involved in his church, he went on mission trips to Native American reservations \u2026<\/p>\n

People remarked at the memorial service that he always seemed to have a smile on his face, his mother recalled.<\/p>\n

But, deep down, he was hurting \u2014 bouts of anxiety and depression, visits with counselors, psychiatrists, medications \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cHe died of an illness that we couldn\u2019t treat enough to keep him on this earth,\u201d Snell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople told me at the time, you\u2019re so brave to do that,\u201d she said of the decision to spell out in the obituary how PJ died and talk openly about his struggles.<\/p>\n

It read: Patrick John \u201cPJ\u201d Snell \u2026 was a wonderful son, brother and friend. But unfortunately, the love and support of family and friends could not dissipate the darkness of his long fight against depression \u2026 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
Dolores Snell<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing brave about that,\u201d his mother affirms today. \u201cI\u2019m just telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a mother, and through her expertise and insight as a health practitioner, Snell now takes the opportunity whenever she can to help lift the stigma that surrounds mental illness and the loss of a loved one to suicide.<\/p>\n

Their family\u2019s story was told in a front page article in the Wisconsin State Journal a few months after PJ\u2019s death. She\u2019s been an advocate for mental health concerns ever since. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real illness that needs advocacy, it needs treatment and it needs so much more than we have,\u201d Snell said.<\/p>\n

The stigma was greater at the time her son was struggling with mental illness than it is now, she said. <\/p>\n

And many strides have been taken over the last decade to bring mental health to the forefront alongside physical health concerns.<\/p>\n

But more can still be done, she said.<\/p>\n

THE TEEN BRAIN<\/h4>\n

For PJ, the signs began to appear as he entered adolescence, around 12 or 13, Snell said. That\u2019s when hormones start to change, and the brain is growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe frontal lobe is responsible for reason and accountability,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd in teenagers, we know that frontal lobe is developing, but not resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

People would often ask after PJ\u2019s death if there were any triggers that might have contributed to his disease.<\/p>\n

He was smaller than the other kids, so there was some bullying, Snell said. But, from a medical standpoint, it\u2019s more about the brain chemistry, and in the case of mental illness, an imbalance in that chemistry.<\/p>\n

It was particularly hard when PJ turned 18 and became an adult, meaning his parents couldn\u2019t be directly involved in his medical needs.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Dolores Snell keeps a collage of photos of her son, PJ Snell, who died by suicide at age 22.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Jackie Skramstad is clinical operations manager for Mind Springs Health, which provides inpatient and outpatient therapy and psychiatric services on the Western Slope. She said that transition from minor to adulthood is a challenge for someone dealing with mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepression can really start to manifest in high school,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that first psychotic break often doesn\u2019t happen until between the ages of 18 and 22.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because they are adults, there\u2019s a lot of decision-making around who gets to be involved in that person\u2019s care.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Mind Springs, we do value and try to work with clients about how best to support their treatment, whether that\u2019s involving family or others,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t make it happen, but it\u2019s part of our approach using best practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

In general, whether there\u2019s a mental health concern, or not, the transition from teenager to young adulthood is a critical time in a person\u2019s development, Skramstad added.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids are leaving the house and gaining more independence, and one of the things you want to do is help prepare them for that additional choice-making \u2026 and to be comfortable making decisions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a conversation parents and other adults in that teenager\u2019s life need to start before they turn 18, Skramstad said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you deal with it in the moment, you\u2019ve waited too long,\u201d she said. \u201cYou want to build up to that point and set the stage for them to be successful as they move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, if they\u2019re struggling with something, help them find some support, she said. <\/p>\n

CRISIS RESPONSE<\/h4>\n

For a teenager or young adult who is struggling and possibly contemplating suicide, it\u2019s important to watch for warning signs and take them seriously, said Michelle Muething, executive director for the Hope Center, which provides crisis response in Garfield County.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to kill myself has become kind of a flippant sentence for people to use, and especially teenagers,\u201d Muething said. \u201cHowever, the response has become different and it is taken very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hope Center operates a helpline and provides in-person crisis response for people of all ages. They do field a fair number of calls from teenagers who are at a point of crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome kids don\u2019t understand the gravity of what those words mean, and the response that comes with it,\u201d Muething said. \u201cBut the vast majority of kids we see are stressed, and very well do have a higher level of depression or anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

If they go to the effort to reach out, it is taken seriously, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a small percentage truly want to die,\u201d Muething said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much noise and clutter in today\u2019s society to work through, and part of our job is to work through that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It could be clinical depression or anxiety disorder. \u201cOr, maybe it\u2019s just that they\u2019re sad. So, let\u2019s figure out why you\u2019re sad,\u201d Muething said. \u201cSometimes kids have to say something drastic for people to stop and realize, \u2018I\u2019m in pain, and I need someone to pay attention to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of Snell\u2019s message is for parents and others whose families are impacted by mental illness to not feel shame or guilt, or to lay blame.  <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can help just one mother or one father not experience this by being honest, that\u2019s a start,\u201d Snell said. \u201cFrom when PJ started needing help to when he died, that stigma was a huge part of the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I said from that point forward, if I could do something to stop that, I would \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son, I believe, by my actions in advocating for mental health awareness \u2026 it is allowing this awful loss to have a meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

jstroud@postindependent.com<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patrick Snell as a teenager. A very difficult loss 12 years ago for Dolores and Patrick M. Snell led to an easy decision to be forthright about their son\u2019s death and the disease that claimed his life. Patrick John \u201cPJ\u201d Snell took his own life on Jan. 13, 2007, while the family was still living […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1313965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 13:37:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1313965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313965\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1313965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1313965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1313965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}