Undiagnosed or untreated mental illness in her family plagued First Lady Sarah Stitt’s childhood. But now, as this interview shows, she is telling her story in an effort to bring about change.
State of Despair: Suicide Rates Remain High in Oklahoma
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Oklahoma continues to experience high rates of suicide, a tragic reflection of its severe problems of mental illness, addiction, poverty and other social ills.
Laws Keep Mentally Ill From Buying Guns, But Gun Suicides Continue Apace
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Nearly 58 percent of Oklahoma’s suicides last year involved firearms. Mental-health experts say that so-called “red flag” laws, which allow police to even temporarily confiscate guns if a person poses a risk to themselves or others, could help lower the state’s stubbornly high suicide rate.
With Surge in Meth, Overdose Deaths Reach New Record
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A record number of Oklahomans died from drug overdoses in 2016, and for the first time in years, methamphetamine was the single biggest killer, preliminary data shows.
Tulsa Forum: From Opioids to Meth and Heroin – What Can Be Done?
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Oklahoma Watch will host a public forum on Monday, April 3, in Tulsa on what can be done to address the continuing epidemic of fatal drug overdoses involving not only prescription painkillers, but now also black-market methamphetamine and heroin.
Nicole Washington: A Refuge for the Mentally Ill
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Dr. Nicole Washington, the main psychiatrist at Family and Children’s Services in Tulsa, discusses the types of low-income clients she sees, the persistent problem of stigma, and why mental illness in poor neighborhoods should matter to all Oklahomans.
End of Hope: One Offender’s Path to the Penitentiary
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David Hammock was one of nine men who took their own lives in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary between 2012 and 2015. Convicted of arson at age 18 for burning down the old Sallisaw High School, he failed at chances to gain early release, and then, in the end, lost hope.
A Mobile-Video Answer to a Mental Health Crisis
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Law enforcement agencies are bearing much of the brunt of dealing with mentally ill people in crisis. But a unique new program is trying to take some of that burden away from police and prevent the mentally ill from unnecessarily ending up in jail.
Detaining the Mentally Ill
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When encountering the mentally ill, police officers and others can take various actions even if the person doesn’t consent.
When Police Confront the Mentally Ill
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When the mentally ill are in crisis, the first and only responders are usually police officers. That can heighten the risk of a violent confrontation, which is what occurred in the case of Eric Tompkins of Ardmore last year. Some communities are trying a different approach to allow mental-health experts to intercede, in collaboration with police.
In Jails, Lack of Training Heightens Dangers
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Many jailers in Oklahoma have little training in how to deal effectively with the mentally ill. That can lead to bad decisions that endanger lives, mental-health and law-enforcement experts say.