Actor Justin Rain is among those sharing their personal experiences after a string of suicides in La Ronge and Stanley Mission. Photo courtesy Facebook.
A young woman in Stanley Mission is doing her best to be there for her family after two of her cousins committed suicide.
Megan Cook, 22, says she’s been feeling numb since news came in that two girls from Stanley Mission died.
“The community is very traumatized, very broken, especially to see two young girls who were so full of life gone within a blink of an eye,” Cook said.
On Wednesday, a third girl from La Ronge who had been in critical condition after a suicide attempt, also died.
Cook says her younger sister, who was the same age and “best friends” with the cousins who died, has been pushing people away even though there are mental health supports available.
“For me, I’m just trying to keep the younger kids together, trying to make sure that they’re not wanting to be left alone and try hurting themselves because there are so many attempts that are still happening,” Cook said.
It’s scary for Cook, who says her sister and her friends have a history of expressing suicidal thoughts. Cook was unsure if any of them have gone to seek help from the mental health professionals that are offering one-on-one counselling services.
Cook says a lot of younger people don’t understand that mental health professionals will keep their conversations confidential.
She wants kids to know they don’t need to be afraid of talking to the outside help if they aren’t comfortable talking to friends or loved ones.
“It’s not going to be shared with anyone, it’s just going to be between the person and the psychiatrist,” she said.
Lac La Ronge Chief Tammy Cook-Searson is praising the community for the unity they’ve shown during such adversity. Cook says it’s great that the youth centre has been open 24 hours a day, because lots of the kids haven’t been sleeping.
However, it’s tough for Cook to swallow that it took two girls’ deaths for so many in Stanley Mission to come together.
It’s hard to find solutions to the mental health crisis right now, but Cook said anything the youths ask for should be supplied. Examples include building a new gym in the community and setting up sleepovers for the boys and girls.
As for root causes for the suicides, there are many, she said. Parents separating, alcoholism in the family, and other dysfunction make it tough to feel cared for. Also, lately there has been an influx in drug use in the community, Cook said.
Kevin Roberts, the head of sports, culture and recreation with Lac La Ronge Indian Band addressed the complicated topic of suicide in a well-received Facebook post. Here is an excerpt:
“Some of us might have been in that spot where we felt the end was near. Such events are life-changing and fracture the foundation on which we stand on.
We don’t like the poverty, having to go to bed hungry, wondering what’s for tomorrow’s supper, wishing you had certain foods, decent clothes, money for lunch or school pictures. We hate the fact we might live on welfare, it’s humiliating, embarrassing and there’s no pride in it. We don’t like the all night parties, having to see adults passed out while you get yourself up and try get ready for school. We don’t like the anger, the hurt, the pain, the shame that manifests itself in our parents and for which often comes out when they are drunk. We might be scared of or be full of hate for that adult that might’ve emotionally, physically or even sexually abused us. It happens and we bury, as much as possible, those old memories in the back of our mind, hoping they never get exposed. Let’s at least admit there are some ugly secrets out there. We might hate school, since it’s often the first place we experience cliques, bullying, teasing or being laughed at. We hate that we have become envious of certain people or families, because their parents have a job, they own a vehicle, they have nice clothes or they have choices when it comes to meals. We dislike the fact we know there is something wrong in our thinking, but not understanding that it’s actually depression. We dislike the stigma associated with mental health because we don’t want to considered crazy so we just avoid it. Like it or not, these are just things kids are going through.
We just wish to feel loved, to have our parents express it more than just say it, if they do say it at all. We just wish someone could understand us, someone to support us, someone would talk to us, someone to comfort us, someone to give us hope.”
Aboriginal actor Justin Rain, whose home province is Saskatchewan, has also put his thoughts on the recent suicides into a Facebook post where he said he has attempted to take his own life in the past. He said acting and expressing himself through art has saved him from depression:
“It’s an ugly thing and it’s terrifying to be in a place where tomorrow, next week, next month are scarier places to be then the thought of taking your own life. Being in a state of mind where you feel like nothing matters, you don’t matter, and no one will miss you when you’re gone. That taking your own life is less painful then the abuses or torment you may be going through. Thoughts are built up to a point where you’re nothing like the person you use to be before whatever trauma it was that has affected the person you’ve become…”
“I wasn’t talking to anyone about how I felt, I wasn’t crying or expressive about anything I was going through or feeling. And this is what led me to the state of mind that took me to a point in my life where I didn’t want to live anymore.
Today I’m a professional actor. When I was a child I loved playing with legos, I liked drawing, I loved painting and I sang songs(But you don’t want to hear me sing, trust me haha). I was born an artist. I loved creating things. When I’m acting my mind goes quiet. When I draw, when I write, things go quiet, because nothing else matters, and whatever I’m going through today is released through what I love. Acting. The loss of a special someone I loved because of substance abuse, a fight with a best friend or loss of a family member, and even my happy memories. These are stories, these are songs, paintings and performances. I have to release these events or they will build up and take me over. Today I use my trauma as ammunition for my art.”