Mom shares story of son's suicide

EPHRATA - Wenatchee author Julie Zielinski will sign copies of her book "Matt's Last Call," which details the life and circumstances of death of her oldest son, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday at The Bookery bookstore, 1 Basin St. NW, Ephrata.

Matt Zielinski was a Chelan County Sheriff's deputy and Marine veteran who committed suicide in 2005. His mom's book was written to educate people about suicide, how to spot the warning signs and what to do if it appears a person is contemplating suicide.

"Basically I want to save a life," Zielinski said. Suicide affects thousands of families each year, and thousands people more have contemplated it or attempted it. (Zielinski's daughter-in-law falls into the latter category, and she wrote a chapter about her experiences for the book.)

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website, 38,364 suicide deaths were reported in the U.S. in 2010.

But suicide is a subject that many people avoid, Zielinski said, and that makes it more difficult to talk about what people need to know.

One thing people definitely need to know, she said, is that any talk of suicide should be taken seriously. "Get them help immediately, not tomorrow but right now," Zielinski said.

People who are contemplating suicide don't always talk about it; sometimes they write about it, or draw pictures, or behavior changes. Any or all of those signs should be taken seriously, said Jalene Christian-Stoker, director of Grant County Mental Health Care.

The mental health offices in Grant and Adams counties are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and people can get help there, Christian-Stoker said. "Anybody can walk into the Grant County Mental Health clinic."

Grant County Mental Health is located at 840 East Plum St. in Moses Lake, while Adams County Mental Health is at 425 East Main St., Othello.

After clinic hours, both counties have a crisis help line, where there are always mental health experts available. "You get a lot of help from that crisis line," Christian-Stoker said.

It's difficult to tell whether or not a person actually is contemplating suicide, Christian-Stoker said, but mental health professionals have training that helps assess a crisis. If someone is acting in a way that suggests they're thinking about suicide, people should take that seriously and let a professional assess the state of mind.

"Most people will respond to help if it's presented in a professional and sensitive way," she said.

The Grant County crisis number is 509-765-1717 or toll free at 877-467-4303. The crisis line number in Adams County is 509-488-5611.

Every local hospital in the Columbia Basin has an emergency room, and ER personnel can put people in touch with mental health professionals, Christian-Stoker said. "Our staff will go to the ER and work with them (patients)."

"We have a good, strong working relationship with all the local clinics," Christian-Stoker said. Grant County has one psychologist in private practice, but no psychiatrists, she said.

Zielinski said she hopes people will use her book to help them spot signs of potential suicide and what to do if they suspect someone is suicidal. She also talks about how to treat family and friends left behind, "what not to say," she said.

Through the book promotion she has met many people who contemplated suicide, or who have been impacted by suicide, she said. "Many people. It's incredible." That the conversations and her experiences could help people has been one of the positive things about writing the book, she said.