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The season for suicide.

Why do we see an uptick in suicide cases during the spring months and getting ready to bring the farm to the city, in the cities.

You often hear about the holiday doldrums or seasonal depression.

They are very real things.

But statistics show that the suicide rates among both men and women start to climb in April and last through July.

A grassroots group called the Gray Matters Collective, born out of grief and started at Augustana College, is trying to get mental health issue discussions more open in our society, and the Robert Young Center has clinical programs that can help people and families in need.

So we're joined by Natalie Klimek, a clinician and manager for Robert Young's outpatient treatment center, and James Castillo from the Gray Matters Collective.

James, let's start with you.

Tell me a little bit about, the Gray Matters Collective, what you're trying to accomplish as an organization.

Really, what we're trying to do is normalize the the topics of mental health and talk about suicide prevention.

And already right there, I feel like I have to kind of stop myself because I feel like most people, when they hear the term mental health, they immediately go to suicide prevention or even just negative topics of disorders.

And medical issues.

But I think the topic that mental health is trying to be talked about specifically in Gray Matters is also the positive side about what makes you feel good and what makes you a better human at the end of the day, because I think that's what we're trying to strive for as a community.

Well, and Natalie, I mean, Robert Young has been actively involved in either suicide prevention or any type of mental health for years.

The key always seems to be shed more light on it, not less.

Absolutely.

Guys like gray matters are incredibly important to what we do every day, because they're kind of that bridge to get them connected to the services that they need.

So once you can identify those problems, that's where we jump in and complete our assessments and get you connected with all the services you need.

And tell me that because let's be honest, what you do is more grassroots.

What you do is more clinical.

And in a lot of ways, people would be more afraid of approaching the clinical aspect, of mental health services.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think it's a little bit scarier to walk in our front door sometimes than it might be to talk to one of these guys, which is why we're so dependent on them to be able to connect to us and to be able to connect to those services, too.

It's unfortunate that there's such a negative connotation around seeking mental health services, when really it's something that most people should be doing to try and make sure you're taking care of yourself and your brain.

In the same way you take care of your body and your health.

But it seems like more people are talking about it now.

You know, I mean, you think back to 2030 or, you know, 50 years ago where if there was a suicide in the family, there was something wrong with the family, there was.

And we don't see that anymore.

Thank heavens.

Yes.

Yeah, it's definitely a little less taboo than it has been historically.

But I think there's still, you know, that negative connotation of the idea that you can't handle things on your own or, you can't be independent and you need help from somebody when really none of us can do life on our own completely.

We all need some kind of support.

So really trying to reframe that mindset to the positive approach of it's just as important to take care of your brain as it is to take care of your body, and it's just important to take it.

It's just as important to take care of yourself as it is your friends and your family.

One here I don't know who wants to handle this, but the reason why we're doing this program now is because April, May, June is when suicide rates are at the highest, which which surprised me when I looked at the statistics, because you always hear about it during the holiday, the holiday depressions or the, the seasonal, disorder syndromes or anything like that.

Who wants this one?

Why do we start seeing suicide numbers climb in the spring?

I love talking about this summer.

Okay.

From the little research that I've done, it sounds like even scientists are really confused about why it is.

And I think that that's an ongoing topic.

I've heard some things go around like, allergies, seasonal allergies.

It's just that irritant that kind of pushes people to that limit, rising temperatures, as well, is kind of like those irritants.

I don't know how much I agree with that, but I think it definitely is an influence on a personal philosophy.

I think it's more of a slingshot effect, I think through the winter.

A lot of people think of, things in life as like more instant gratification, but our emotions and our body physiologically just don't work like that.

And so I think there's this dip that happens during winter that people start to feel that depression, that seasonal depression that we're talking about.

And then by the time that spring comes around and the sunshine is out and life is kind of happening again, we're coming out of hibernation.

I feel like when the people are stuck in the depths of their own minds in depression, spring is enough energy to actually go through with their suicide plans, whereas in winter they might be a little bit more dormant.

We're starting to see spring and summer time, an activation of energy where I think there's enough energy to go with the plan that they've been contemplating for a while.

Natalie, you seem to agree.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think, you know, any time of change is going to be a time where you're going to see spikes and things, and that winter to spring change is a big one for sure.

And anybody who's been thinking, you know, okay, it's winter time, I'll, you know, I'll push it down, I'll ignore it.

It'll get better when the sun comes out.

It'll get better when I can go to the pool, whatever it is.

And you know that time comes and things don't just magically resolve.

They they're still there and we're still dealing with them.

And they didn't get better when the sun came outside.

And we really need some additional support to do that.

Great Matters Collective has been very active, starting at Augustana College.

But you've been very active in schools, with some of your chapters.

Why is it important to start young?

The answer is obvious, but it is.

It isn't that young people are also more approachable.

I think the topic becomes very complex.

Old dog new tricks is a cliche we hear all the time.

So I think it's easier to kind of go towards crowds that are a little bit more accepting of these topics.

We've also talked about the history of, how society seems to repress that.

There must be something wrong with the family when it comes to suicide, whereas kids don't necessarily understand that wrong versus right.

It just is.

And so I think if we can kind of focus towards that youth aspect and teach them that, hey, having emotions is completely normal, and then adding the topic of expressing emotions in a safe environment and in a vulnerable way, I think is that step to kind of see impactful change rather than temporary change.

Well, and and adolescence is such a difficult time.

And it's so easy for people to feel like outcasts or, or that this is a problem that can never be solved.

That has got to be a very difficult concept to break apart.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, there can be a lot of different mindsets within just one family unit and being able to kind of jump through those and normalize feelings and normalize that need for support is really important.

And that adolescence and early adulthood, when you're starting to kind of step away from your natural support system a little bit more, it's the time that we really need to instill in people that it's okay to still need support.

You don't have to do it all on your own just because you turn 18 doesn't mean you can't call for help anymore.

Well, and Robert Young, let's let's talk about this for a moment, because when we're talking about therapy or we're talking about help, I'm thinking a beige room, a clinical office, you know, something that's that's really regimented and rigorous, right?

That's got to be the last thing you want me to be thinking about.

Yes.

You couldn't be more correct that that's unfortunately the connotation that we get a lot of the times.

And we're certainly trying to break that stigma to, you know, we've got a lot of different locations, a lot of different programs.

I mean, therapy can happen in a school.

It can be community based.

It can happen in your home.

It can happen online.

It can happen in so many different places.

And it's not just, you know, a white walled room with four walls and a door, you know, and a therapist taking notes.

Exactly.

You know, most of my therapist offices have colorful fidget toys in them.

So you've got something to do with your hands while you're sitting there feeling uncomfortable.

Or if you don't want to come in office, you can do it online.

You can talk to somebody virtually just as helpful.

Same type of support, just in a way that makes you feel more comfortable.

Is it always the first step?

The first step is the toughest.

I think it's one of the toughest.

I think that first time you walk in the door and you are kind of admitting to yourself that you're at a point where you want to get some additional help is really hard for people to overcome.

And then I think throughout your time getting any sort of mental health services, you're faced with other challenges as you're digging through things, whether that's, you know, trauma or any other sort of history that's coming up as you're talking.

It's it's got it's barriers along the way.

But that's what we're there for, to help you work through those and to be supportive as we're coming to terms with things and trying to move forward.

And James, is that why you think the collective is so important is to start at that?

Almost at that in that nugget, the starting point.

Oh man, I'm so glad you asked that question, because that's exactly where my mind was going.

I think it's natural for our nervous systems to see something that's unknown and hesitate and not want to try it out at first.

And I think what's so great about the Gray Matters Collective is it offers opportunities for you to come with a friend or to have casual meetings about mental health.

We have this, event that happens once a month, collective coffee conversations, and we simply just meet at a local coffeehouse, bring as many friends as you want.

We order cups of coffee, food if they have it, and we literally just talk about whatever's on our mind at the time, it doesn't have to be suicide.

It doesn't have to be tools or anything like that.

It can just literally be, hey, someone got married the other day and I was really happy about that.

Or hey, I am really struggling with this seasonal change and I feel like I need more resources.

Tell me about how, because it's not only the person who's who needs the help, you know, we're a community.

It's the friends that are going, I really but my my best friends having this issue or it's the mom or dad who were saying, we don't understand what's going on.

The our child was such a happy child before.

Yeah.

How important is it for everyone, perhaps, to consider the collective or coming to the coffee events or anything like that?

Then again, I don't think mental health is exclusive to suicide or bad thoughts.

Again, I think this is something that everyone goes through.

So to add a family dynamic to it, it gets complex.

As the people who are struggling, the support systems, specifically friends and family, it's not like they don't care about this person.

They they carry the weight of of feeling their sadness as well.

And they want to do as much as they can to help.

And I think you've used the word community, and I absolutely adore that, because I think that's where it stems from.

We all have this ability to help each other, and when we're helping each other, we kind of go through the darkness as well with each other.

So to have organizations like the Gray Matters Collective, where you can come as a community, help each other as a community, it's it's just something I value a lot and more than 60 chapters that you have.

Yeah, over large and small at assume.

Yeah.

How does somebody reach out?

I mean, how does somebody find out more?

The Gray Matters is really more of a word of mouth movement.

Obviously you can find us on social media because I feel like nowadays that's where everyone hangs out.

Facebook is a great way to reach out.

The Gray Matters collective, has a website as well.

There's lots of ways you can get connected, whether that's to volunteer or because you need help.

And if you know someone that is in the organization, ask them questions.

Everyone that's passionate about it loves talking about it.

Natalie, let me let me get to that one area that you always have to talk about is that when somebody does commit suicide or even takes their life, everyone's questioning, why didn't I catch the warning signals?

That person seems so happy.

I never knew this was coming or.

Or I wish I could have done more.

That's just a common human feeling that is not going to change.

Yeah, absolutely.

It's somebody you know and love.

Somebody that's close to you in some capacity, has gone through something that's gotten them to that point.

There's, no choice for us to feel like there.

Was there something else I could have seen or done?

So that's why we always encourage people.

It's so important to educate yourself on the signs and the symptoms of somebody who may be dealing with depression or anxiety or any sort of mental illness.

But the, you know, they talk a lot about significant changes.

If somebody is, you know, acting differently, behaving differently, maybe engaging in more risky behaviors or the opposite, maybe there was a drawing, maybe they're a little quieter.

They were somebody that was really outgoing.

That's maybe a little bit more reserved.

Now, those changes are important to know, and it's important to address them in a non-judgmental mindset.

So if someone is acting a little bit differently, you know, you could say, hey, what?

Why are you acting weird?

What's going on?

Or you can say, hey, you know, I've noticed you.

Something might seem like it's a little bit off.

Is everything okay?

Do you want to talk about anything?

You know, do you need any help?

You need any support?

Having that non-judgmental mindset is the most important piece of it, because that could be the stuff that makes somebody feel comfortable talking to you and addressing something.

And we if we do know that, you know, pharmaceutical, there's medicines, there's things that can be done.

But is the key.

Talking it out is, is the key the one on one or the group conversation?

I think it's different for everybody.

But the majority of the time if you're dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidality, anything like that, you're feeling hopeless or worthless or alone and having that community aspect like we've been talking about those people you can rely on, whether that's your family and friends or your therapist and your psychiatrist or some combination of all of those is, most of the time, what's going to help people get to a better spot and feeling a little bit better.

And I think hyper fixating on, zeroing in on the issue sometimes makes it worse, talking about medication or talking it out, which one is the best way?

I think it's both.

And I think it's diet and I think it's lifestyle and behaviors and environment.

And I think we are whole humans.

We're not cogs in a machine.

And when one piece goes out of whack, we fix that one piece.

It's it's a whole living organism.

Well, Jim, when I talked to you earlier, I just had this feeling.

You want to jump up and down and scream, we need to talk about this.

We need to shed light on it.

This is a this is a conversation with a capital seed.

But as you know, conversations now are happening more on social media, perhaps in your room with your door shut.

Know that you're seeing it firsthand.

Is that a growing concern of yours?

Oh, I think it's a growing concern and a growing hope, because I think social media is a tool.

And if you don't know how to use a hammer, you can hurt yourself with it.

And I think it's the same.

You can own a tool, but knowing how to use it is half the battle.

And I feel like social media has this presence to be so hopeful.

The gray matters is on social media, and you can reach out and someone will respond and get you help right away, or you can spend your time watching people fight on social media, or people be bullies or politics that make you unhappy.

And it's all about how you use the tool, because a lot of people think that that's a triggering mechanism.

Sure.

And you hear that all the time.

Sure.

I think it certainly can be.

For some people, it's exactly like James just said.

There's if you don't know how to use the tool and it's getting used inappropriately, it can certainly trigger somebody to get into a little bit of a worse headspace.

But if it's used positively and used, you know, maybe your closest friend is a six hour plane ride away and you get to see a social media post of them with their family, and that gives you a little bit of happiness, a little bit of hope.

You can send them a message, you can send them a text.

Maybe they're not sitting there next to you, but it does give you that opportunity for connection to a little bit of that hopefulness, a little bit of that happiness.

And James, there's always there's always hope.

There's there's always somebody you can talk to 100%.

And that's gray matters.

Collective isn't even the only one in the Quad Cities, let alone the entire world.

If you're wanting help, there is help out there.

But I think that, like we've talked about already, that first step is always the hardest, and you owe it to yourself to to get that help.

If that's what you're feeling, you need Our thanks to Natalie Kai Mag, a clinician and manager for Robert Young's outpatient treatment center, and James Castillo from the Gray Matters Collective.

Now, this is important.

As always, there is help out there every minute of the day, and we encourage you to reach out to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you need it, just dial or text 988 to get confidential support if you feel you're in distress.

Local help is always available.

Once again, the lifeline number is 988.

In a moment, getting ready for the outdoor Davenport Freight House Farmers Market.

But first, we've got some other great local events you might want to consider.

Thanks to visit quad Cities.

Check out the things to do this week in the Quad Cities.

Start off with enjoying a free screening of ones at the Philly Art Museum on April 24th.

Also on April 24th, you can witness master illusionist Rick Thomas at the Adler Theater.

Then enjoy some food trucks at Food Truck Friday in LeClaire.

On April 25th.

Next, listen to the Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show in the Redstone Room at Common Court on April 25th.

And finally, it's Kid's Night at the Steam Wheelers at Vibrant Arena at the mark on April 26th.

For more events like these, make sure you head to our events calendar at visit Quad cities.com.

The weekend of May 3rd is actually one of those weekends that many people in the cities wait for.

It is the opening of the Davenport Freight House farmers market, a tradition that goes back years and brings hundreds of people to the downtown area.

We talked to Missy Carter with the freight House Farmers Market to find out how excited they are to begin a whole new season.

So tell me about May 3rd.

I mean, it's a true start of spring when the outdoor farmer's market kicks in.

It really is so May 3rd.

We like to say May 3rd is our opening day of opening weekend.

So we are a Saturday and Sunday market.

Sundays are growing, but Saturday is really where that meat and potatoes, literally lies.

So we literally, come down and get your meat and your potatoes.

Yeah.

Spring has sprung and and we are gearing up and we are ready to go.

Are you at all surprised at the success of the farmer's market in downtown?

Denver?

It really isn't that old.

I mean, it's within 20 years.

It's just been growing and growing and growing.

Yeah.

So we started out it was just a few vendors and, there were two different groups, and they came together as one.

And, they ended outside of the ballpark for years.

Right?

They decided to rent the space indoor.

They, grew a little insidiously each year.

And here we are on a Saturday year.

We're looking upwards of 175 vendors plus, depending on the Saturday.

And and community partners and nonprofits come join us.

And I believe it was Mayor Glover who was really a driving force, I think of of of making that, freight house more of the farmer's market and keeping it for, this type of a community event.

Yes, we always have, had a lot of support from from the city of Davenport and, from our, our local governments to grow the market, to make sure that we are supported and that people know we're here So we're we're still going to be in the Florian Keene lot, 421 West River drive in that area.

With growth comes a little bit of change.

And what we discovered last year and feedback from the customers in the community is it gets a little congested in the food court area.

So we're going to do a little shifting, have a little more room for lines, which kind of means maybe the vendor that that was your standard that you went to.

And I have to stop at that food truck or that vendor, they may be shifted a little.

We try to keep everyone in the same general area that they were, but with growth comes change market musicians.

I wanted to talk about two, because you really do try to make it an entire experience.

We do.

And so we are always free admission to get into the market.

You can come in at any direction.

And, everybody kind of gravitates towards that stage where the live local musicians are.

And a lot of, musicians kind of get their start at the farmers market.

It's something they get in front of a crowd.

We partner with Common Cord, which is a local nonprofit.

Was Remy now common chord?

They've been common cord for a few years now.

Tyson and Sean do a really great job at curating that lineup for us.

I really can be hands off with the lineup.

They they know who to get, when to get why to get, how to get and to get there and they get them there.

We do not have to, worry about making sure that we have some really great lineups for the market.

One of the other things is that with your vendors, I mean, not only are they trying to, you know, sell their wares, but there's some real passion out there and you can pick up great gardening tips.

You could pick up great, information about healthier foods.

It could be an educational experience as well.

I mean, that must be really rewarding for you.

It is the amount of information that I didn't know, I didn't know going into this position, learning about mushrooms and foraging and and growing your own mushrooms and, what parts of the pig and the cow and and all of that, how that all comes into play in the process in which we, get to the end product with our local food and, and to be able to go directly to a grower or a farmer and say, hey, I was thinking about growing my own tomatoes.

What are your suggestions with this economy?

A lot of people have those interests.

They do.

And it really knowing, knowing where your food comes from in the farm to table concept is great.

Really growing your own food and knowing how to get through that process is something very rewarding.

It's exciting to see those new, you know, baby baby eggplants and baby zucchinis coming on on the garden that you grew, that you tend to, that you've tended to yourself.

It's really, it's a great feeling to be part of something, need to be part of your own health, but also to be part of that, education process and getting to know people who really know how to do that for you and support your lifestyle.

Well, in just a few weekends, it's Mother's Day as well as Easter and and you know, you're looking for things to do as a family event, and to bring people together or even to shop for somebody special.

The farmer's market really does provide that.

On the weekends, we do.

So when you're looking for whether it's a birthday, just you have family coming in from out of town, Mother's Day, Father's Day.

A lot of families come down and they say, well, what what do what do we do in Davenport on a Saturday morning?

What can we do as a family that isn't going to cost a lot of money?

Because you can spend as little or as much money as you want to at the farmer's market.

The live music is free.

You can walk around, look at certain vendors, you can sample a variety of products.

But it's that bonding and community that really, I think, is what keeps families and, people coming back to just to be able to interact with your neighbor, run into your neighbor, run into your coworker, see, see what everybody's doing kind of CNBC and down at the farmer's market.

But you can grab a bite to eat.

You can grab some veggies.

We really, have some amazing artists.

If you're looking for a specific art piece, whether it's, ceramic cup or, koozie for your bowl, for the microwave or anything like that, there are so many different variety of artists that I can't even begin to describe them all.

And with that, just ready to kick off.

I mean, there's also, you see, the same faces.

I mean, you get to see it.

It's almost a sense of community.

It very much is.

And even for us, being part of the market, there are vendors that I haven't seen since the last weekend in October, and we communicate via email and it's very business.

But to be able to see them one on one week after week and get to know their families, you get to know their life, you get to it really is a sense of belonging when you're down at the market.

And I encourage, you know, to not just buy from your vendor, but really get to know your vendor, know their name, kind of it feels good to know that you're actually supporting, you know, when they say if you buy local, you're supporting a little girl in dance or you're supporting a their son in baseball, you very much are their livelihoods depend on this.

And, that's why we all take it so seriously.

Is is we need this as a community.

We need this to support those families.

And it's very important.

So getting to know those vendors, it leaves a good feeling in your heart.

It really does.

Our thanks once again to Missy Carter with the Davenport Freight House farmers Market.

And the exciting weekend once again kicks off Saturday, May 3rd.

On the air, on the radio, on the web, on your mobile device and streaming on your computer.

Thanks for taking some time to join us.

As we talk about the issues on the city's I will.

Well.

You.

I am VCU, we've always been here for you.

You are and always will be our top priority.

We care about your financial health and we are here I am VCU is a proud supporter of Wqpt.

Public affairs programing on Wqpt is brought to you by the Singh Group at Merrill, serving the wealth management needs of clients in the region for over 35 years.

This program was made possible by viewers like you.

Thank you.