Oakland County to Host Teen Suicide Forum Monday

The evening will include a panel of local experts at Birmingham's Holy Name Catholic Church.

Oakland County residents are invited to attend an informative community discussion about teen suicide Monday in Birmingham. A panel of experts from the Rose Hill Center, Common Ground, Oakland County Health Department and the Oakland County Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force will discuss the signs, symptoms and other risk factors of suicide. If you or someone you know needs immediate help with suicidal thoughts, go to an emergency room or call 911. For help with coping with stress, depression, family crises, drug or narcotics abuse and other issues, contact Common Ground Mental Health and Crisis Intervention at 800-231-1127, Samaritan Counseling Center at 248-474-4701, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifelife, 800-273-TALK. The panel …

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5 Things You Should Know Today - May 22, 2012

Two charitable events scheduled in other cities tonight have local connections.

Fundraisers held today in other communities have Farmington-area connections. One helps bring comfort to people undergoing cancer treatment, the other helps a child battling complications from a bone marrow transplant.  Here's what else you should know today: Winds may gust up to 20 miles per hour today, but the sun will be out. The National Weather Service predicts a high around 77 and low tonight around 50.  Held at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield today at 7:30 p.m., this benefit concert will feature music by Detroit saxophonist George Benson, Farmington Hills resident and event founder Elaine Greenberg, Detroit-based Cliff Monear Trio and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) Civic Jazz Orchestra. Funds raised provide gift bags with …

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5 Things You Should Know Today - May 21, 2012

Farmington officials take up the issue of chickens during tonight's meeting.

There's a Farmington City Council meeting tonight with a very full agenda, including discussion of the chicken ordinance approved by the Planning Commission. Full agendas for their 7 p.m. regular meeting and 6 p.m. study session are attached to this post.  Here's what else you should know today: After an idyllic, warm weekend, the National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today. Expect a high around 77, with a low tonight around 49 and a continuing chance of rain before midnight.  At 9:30 a.m. today, State Rep. Vicki Barnett and Congressman Gary Peters (D-Michigan) will be at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills to discuss the Affordable Care Act and its impact on your healthcare. Experts on …

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Suicide Prevention Task Force 'Community Conversation' Focuses on LGBT Youth

The May 23 event will include speakers from groups that support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

After a highly successful inaugural event in September, the Farmington Area Suicide Prevention Task Force will host a Community Conversation May 23 that focuses on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Research shows that suicide attempts are disproportionately high among youth who are members of the LGBT community. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is now the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, with lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth attempting suicide up to four times more than their heterosexual peers. The 7 p.m. event, held at Farmington Hills City Hall, is targeted at parents, youth (ages 12 to 18), teachers, the faith community, service club members, and …

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2011 Incidents Show Suicide is a Growing Problem

A task force focused on suicide prevention has been formed in Farmington Hills.

The Editor's Notebook

Help Bring Suicide Out of the Darkness in Farmington, Hills

A public meeting at Farmington High School tonight offers teen-specific information about depression and suicide.

On the day before Farmington Public Schools parents and students will gather to talk about teen suicide prevention, Farmington Hills Police investigated the community's second murder-suicide, and the seventh completed suicide, of this year. Police reported that just after midnight on Sunday, a 34-year-old man took his own life, and that of his 22-month-old child, with a shotgun. This is not a time to say "There's too much to do, I don't have time for another meeting." This is not a time to say, "But he was an adult. That's different." It's not different. It's suicide. And we all need to come together and bring it out of the darkness, because it's happening at an alarming rate in our community. “Youth Depression & Suicide: What Every Parent…

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Suicide Prevention Efforts Take on New Meaning for Couple

Ken and Katherine Massey's involvement in a Sept. 21 forum becomes more personal after the death of their son.

To this day, no one knows why 27-year-old Graham Edward Smith decided to take his own life. But Smith's mother, Katherine Massey and her husband, Farmington Hills council member Ken Massey, want to do everything they can to ensure no other family has to endure what they're going through right now. In Graham's memory, they've established a memorial fund that will provide support for a Sept. 21 forum on suicide prevention at Farmington Hills City Hall. Ken Massey had been part of the committee planning the event months before Smith shot himself on May 9. The committee formed after council members became concerned over a report that 13 Farmington Hills children in one month had been referred for medical treatment after harming or threatening …

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Community Group Aims to Build a Safety Net

Officials, residents and professionals talk about ways to reach out to children who feel lost.

Editor's note: This article is part of a series about efforts by police, city and school district officials and concerned residents to help teens and adults affected by depression. Nearly every one of the 17 people who gathered Tuesday in the Farmington Hills City Hall Community Room has been touched in some way by depression or suicide. Some lost relatives or close friends. Others have, or have worked with, children who struggled with depression. All came together to help develop a community network that provides support for people of all ages, but particularly for young people, who may be thinking about suicide. Hills City Council member Nancy Bates explained that city officials became concerned last spring when a regular report from …

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