As a new resident of Montana I am usually happy when I see our state leads the nation in something. I said usually, because I just found out Montana leads the nation is suicide. This is really bad because we don't have that many people here. New York State has over 19 million people, we have about 1 million and our suicide rate is higher.

The Help Center in Bozeman works with people who might be thinking of hurting themselves. They have Hotline numbers people can call if they are troubled.

Help Center Services Hotline service (211, Crisis, Lifeline)
Our Numbers: 211, 586-3333, 1-800- 273- 8255 (TALK)

Perrin Lundgren, from the Help Center was on "Dominick In The Morning" today and had some surprising statistics. Suicide is the number 10th cause of death in America, and murder is number 16. According to the most recent data the rate is increasing in all age groups.

What makes Montana such a high risk when it comes to suicide? The experts think Montana has such a high rate because of the ruralness, people are isolated. The high veteran population is another factor we have to ad in.

The one thing we really have to stress when it comes to suicide... If you think, or even have a feeling someone might want to hurt themselves... OPEN YOU MOUTH! Be direct. Ask them. Are you okay? Are you thinking of hurting yourself?

As Perrin said "Don't beat around the bush"

Here is a link to the Bozeman Help Center.

As my Mom always said "Don't quit, before the miracle happens."

Dominick

USA, Montana, Glacier National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1995), vicinity of Logan Pass
De Agostini/Getty Images
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