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mental health

Sharp ‘Disconnect’ Between Providers and Needs In Flagler’s Mental Health and Addiction Landscape

February 11, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

At the latest forum on mental health and addiction in Flagler and Palm Coast, health providers’s optimism about their work and presence contradicted the dearth of services and access to them that prevails in residents’ experiences.

Flagler’s Suicide Rate Falls to Still-Grim 9th-Highest in State But Sets Record Gun Deaths; Florida’s Matches 43-Year High

July 22, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

A slide aggregating responses to a question about the cause of suicide from some 150 audience members at last May's town hall on suicide in Palm Coast. (© FlaglerLive)

Twenty-nine people killed themselves in 2018 in Flagler County, two fewer than in 2017, but still by far the second-highest total in Flagler history. More people died by firearm in Flagler in 2018 than ever before.

Schools Will Have To Teach Minimum of 5 Hours of Annual Mental Health Instruction in Grades 6-12

July 17, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

A mental health awareness display at a suicide town hall held in Palm Coast last May. (© FlaglerLive)

The five-hour minimum will be included in curriculums for grades 6-12, but it remains unclear if the classes will begin in the upcoming academic year. The policy finalized Wednesday does not include an implementation date.

At Flagler’s 1st-Ever Suicide Town Hall, Hope and Resolve Confront Grim Void of Mental Health Services

May 24, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

flagler suicide prevention town hall

Personal stories of confronting suicide, including that of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, combined with an assessment of Flagler’s grim mental health landscape to show the county’s growing awareness and resolve not to remain entirely at the mercy of circumstances.

Town Hall on Suicide Awareness in Flagler Will Feature Survivors and Mental Health Experts

May 23, 2019 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Käthe Kollwitz's 'Lament' (tinted plaster, 1938)

Flagler Lifeline, a volunteer committee and Flagler Cares affiliate established to broaden conversation and awareness of suicide, will host the public town hall event at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building.

Before Kevin McCarthy’s Suicide, a Life of Creative Advocacy and Contradictions Running in Overdrive

April 21, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 17 Comments

Kevin McCarthy on his 49th birthday, his last, last October 23. (Lori McCarthy)

Until his last year, Kevin McCarthy had a stellar 17-year career with Flagler schools, coming out of the shadow of his father Bob McCarthy, Flagler’s longest-serving sheriff. But he had unspoken struggles.

Suicides of 2 Parkland Students in a Week Have Lawmakers Questioning Schools’ Mental Health Funding

March 27, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Calvin Desir in a yearbook photo and Sydney Aiello, from a GoFundMe page.

Two suicides in the span of a week involving student survivors of the Parkland school shooting have sparked a new question at the Florida Capitol: How much mental-health money should the state provide to schools?

Survivor of Half-Failed Double-Suicide May Not Get To Blame Depression in “Assisted Murder” Defense

December 13, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Bruce Haughton, in shackles, arriving for his court hearing today. (© FlaglerLive)

Bruce Haughton says he planned to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Goddard in her R-Section home. She died. He survived. The prosecution sees it only as assisted murder, discounting his mental state.

The Story Behind A 28-Year-Old Flagler Veteran’s Suicide: Strife, Depression, And a Father’s Questions

December 4, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Abdul-Ganiyu Ayanwale, known to his friends as Dulie.

Abdul Ganiyu Ayanwale, a 28-year-old Army National Guard veteran, killed himself by gunshot at his Bunnell apartment on Nov. 16 after a series of personal and legal difficulties.

At Buddy Taylor Middle, Dress-Code Violation Escalates to Arrest Over Threats of Suicide and School Shooting

August 17, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

btms

The arrest of a 15-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School Thursday is the year’s first instance of a student allegedly threatening an attack on fellow students, faculty–and herself.

Grim Flagler Milestone in 2017: Most Suicides In County’s History, Highest Rate in Florida

August 6, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

tyrone hartley suicide note

There were 31 suicides in Flagler-Palm Coast in 2017, five more than the previous high, a third of them affecting people 45 to 54. The county’s rate is significantly higher than the average in states most severely affected by suicide.

The Other Victims: First Responders To Traumas and Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude

July 6, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Some firefighters, emergency medical providers, law enforcement officers and others say the scale, sadness and sometimes sheer gruesomeness of their experiences haunt them, leading to tearfulness and depression, job burnout, substance abuse, relationship problems, even suicide.

Unlocked And Loaded: Families Confront Dementia And Guns

July 1, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

guns and dementia

The epidemic of gun violence that kills 96 people a day is focused on mental illness. But a little-known problem is what to do about firearms in homes of aging Americans with dementia.

Florida Prisons’ 40% Cut in Substance-Abuse and Mental-Health Treatment Draw Criticism

May 4, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

As long as it's not drug rehab. (Florida DOC)

Some $7.6 million in substance-abuse services in prisons will be eliminated, Another $1.6 million will be cut in transitional housing services.

Florida Prisons Cut Drug-Rehab and Re-Entry Programs That Help Felons From Re-Offending

May 2, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Paving the way for the recidivism bus route. (Florida prisons)

Florida’s prisons are slashing substance-abuse services, transitional housing and re-entry programs, the very programs that keep inmates from returning to prison.

Flagler School Board Wants To Snoop on Students’ Social Media, And Maybe Yours. Wrong Move.

April 16, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 52 Comments

social sentinel spying snooping

The School Board is set to contract with Social Sentinel, a company that will troll social media accounts across Flagler for $18,500 and issue “alerts” to select officials. It’s an inappropriate move down a slippery slope.

Details Behind 6th Grader at Center of Bunnell School Incident Point To a “Gun,” a Troubled History and Family

March 8, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

One of the playgrounds on the 20-acre Bunnell Elementary campus, where children were playing when a suspended student on the street side of the fence allegedly pulled a gun and pointed it at a student in the playground. That area of the school, along East Magnolia School, is oriented toward the northwest. (© FlaglerLive)

The 6th grader at the center of the alleged gun incident by a Bunnell Elementary playground has had a history of suspensions and an unstable home life.

Two Suicides, 2 Attempted, 5 Baker Acts Between Saturday and Monday in Palm Coast

January 24, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

The Crisis Triage Treatment Unit, where individuals who fit Baker Act criteria are take in Bunnell, is in a modest part of a building on the campus of the Vince Carter Sanctuary. (© FlaglerLive)

For the second time in three weeks, Flagler Sheriff’s deputies were confronted with a spike in mental health crises over 48 hours that underscored the county’s dearth of resources other than law enforcement.

Amid Dearth of Mental Health Services, Flagler Lifeline Seeks to End Stigmas and Broaden Discussion

January 16, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

flagler lifeline depression suicide mental health

In an effort to de-stigmatize mental health and discussions about suicide, Flagler Lifeline, a joint effort by the school district and Flagler Cares, is looking to make the issue a priority for local officials.

One Suicide, 10 Baker Acts: New Year Weekend’s Mental Health Toll Taxes Flagler Deputies

January 3, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

Craig Laing, a Bunnell resident who took his life on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1, in an image from his Facebook page.

Baker Acts are a reflection of the county’s needs for mental health services, needs that are largely unmet despite recurring calls by county, police and mental health officials to improve matters.

Behind Woman’s Suicide in Flagler Beach, Despair and a Last Evening With Caring Strangers

February 2, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Looking north from the Flagler Beach Bridge. (© FlaglerLive)

Janis Washburn, the 68-year-old Palm Coast resident found dead in the Intracoastal last week, had spent the last three hours of her life with a group of strangers who took her in to cheer her up. She had long spoken of suicide.

Two Suicides in 24 Hours in Flagler as County Officials Seek Renewed Focus on Mental Health

January 11, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

mondex suicide

Steven J. Fortier, 27, of Bunnell, was found dead in the Mondex Tuesday, and 73-year-old William Dessing took his own life Wednesday morning at his Flagler Beach home.

Florida Universities Seeking $14.5 Million Extra To Meet Spiking Demand for Mental Health

September 19, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

florida counseling

Universities saw a 48 percent increase in demands for counseling and other mental health services, and an increase in emergency or crisis visits, involving issues like severe depression, acute anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

Gun Violence And Mental Health Laws, 50 Years After Texas Tower Sniper Murdered 16

August 6, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

texas tower massacre mental health

Six months before Charles Whitman took aim from that tower he visited a school psychiatrist, and admitted while there that he had a violent fantasy of going to the top of the tower with a deer rifle and shooting people.

Suicide, Now 2nd-Leading Cause of Death for Young Floridians, Seen as Public Health Threat

May 6, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

despair

While suicide is increasing for nearly every age group, it’s now the second-leading cause of death for Floridians aged 25 to 34, according to the state Department of Health Vital Statistics, and the third-leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 24.

Firing a “Sponge Grenade,” Flagler Deputies Defuse a Would-Be Suicide-By-Gun After Hours of Negotiations

December 17, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Flagler deputies after hours of negotiations near the Palm Harbor overpass in Palm Coast Wednesday morning stopped a man from killing himself with a .38 by firing so-called “less-lethal” munition.

When Guns and Mental Health Intersect: Cops Seize Arsenals on Two Occasions in 5 Days

May 20, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

For the second time in five days Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies have seized, with consent, two unrelated individuals’ weapons for safekeeping after incidents involving excessive grief or hallucinations, and fear among cops or relatives of the individuals involved that they could harm themselves if their weapons were left in their possession.

6-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted From Old Kings Elementary; Palm Coast Man Accused of Rape

March 11, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

The 6 year old’s Baker Act is the second time in two weeks that a young child was Baker Acted from an elementary school in Flagler. Separately, Andrew J. Vasquez, a 23-year-old resident of 56 Filbert Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on March 9 and charged with rape.

Four Palm Coast Baker Acts in 24 Hours: A Day in the Life of Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies

March 6, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Baker act flagler county

In barely a 24-hour period between late Monday afternoon and the early evening of Tuesday (March 3 and 4), deputies were involved in four commitments under the Baker Act, each one is illustrative of the variety of mental health situations deputies are confronting, compelling them to make the determination between simply diffusing a situation, making an arrest or carrying out a Baker Act.

A 7-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted at Belle Terre Elementary; It’s Not Punishment, District Says

March 4, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 21 Comments

The Baker Acting of a 7-year-old girl at Belle Terre Elementary last week, following a report of her allegedly lacerating the dean of students with thumb tacks, is one of three or four Baker Acts of students in the district every month, though they’re usually older. The district defends the Baker Acts as a necessary last resort that addresses underlying issues, and that must not be seen as retribution or punishment.

Baker Acts, Age and Social Responsibility: Sheriff Manfre’s Alert to Emerging Perils and Possible Solutions

February 24, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

In a broad-ranging discussion before the Palm Coast City Council, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre described a deteriorating mental health landscape affected by age and other stresses, but also pointed to mental health courts and other ways to address the growing problem without turning to cops and jails.

Florida’s Surplus Adds Dollars to Services From Mental Health to Rape Crisis Centers

May 23, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

People with disabilities, domestic and sexual violence programs, mental health and substance abuse programs, juvenile justice and children’s services all got bigger budgets for the first time since the recession began.

Deputies Defuse Tense, 4-Hour Stand-Off With Armed Offender Near Seminole Woods

February 8, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 30 Comments

It was the 84th time since 2008 that Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were responding to William Sitton’s house, where he had barricaded himself in a bedroom, gesticulating about Satan and daring deputies to shoot him. The stand-off was resolved when deputies fired bean rounds and mace.

Time to Get Serious About
Mental Health in Florida

December 21, 2012 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Magritte, 'Le double secret' (1927). Click on the image for larger view.

Florida ranks near dead last nationally in the level of expenditures for front-end community-based mental health services. Let’s not be penny wise and pound foolish when so many precious lives are at risk, argues Paula Dockery.

Palm Coast Resident Is Baker Acted Then Jailed On Charges of Strangling and Maiming Kittens

May 29, 2012 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

angel roman cruelty kittens killed bitten

Angel Roman, a 28-year-old Palm Coast resident, has been in and out of jail for the past two years and suffers from several mental illnesses, people who know him told deputies. He’d been Baker Acted before his latest jailing.

Brainless: How the Pentagon Denies
Purple Hearts to Soldiers With Head Trauma

September 19, 2010 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Long a laggard in recognizing head traumas and mental-health issues on par with more physically visible wounds, the Pentagon is refusing to award Purple Hearts to some soldiers despite evidence of injuries.

A Suicide Attempt Near the 13th Hole at Cypress Knoll Golf Course

August 13, 2010 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

cypress knoll golf course palm coast

An 18-year-old man stabbed himself in his arms on a golf cart path along the golf course, in view of nearby neighbors, in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday.

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