Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1510906
7 "It's not a specific therapy that everyone has had experience with so far. And it's not usually something we use specifically for suicidality, but maybe for certain personality disorders. So that was something new," Masolak said. "We discussed how we could modify it to make it more practical on a daily basis. The tips on just using part of the whole DBT regimen were helpful." Another session in March focused on "Taking the Guesswork Out of Suicide Assessment & Intervention" and featured Ronda Reitz, Ph.D., of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. "With the McKnight Fund, we're able to get some bigger speakers who have more experience to come to our grand rounds. And that gets everyone excited," Masolak said. "We can learn more by getting people from dierent places in the country with dierent backgrounds." grand rounds, typically twice a month. A financial resource born out of tragedy, the Jarrett McKnight Fund for Suicide Prevention, helps make sessions on suicide possible. Its namesake, the son of Shean McKnight, M.D., a Wichita residency graduate and local psychiatrist, took his life in 2018. Faculty, practicing physicians and others also attend the rounds to deepen knowledge and skills. A December 2022 session, "DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) for Suicidal Adolescents: Reducing Suicide and Building Lives Worth Living," featured Alec Miller, Psy.D., a specialist based in New York. DBT, designed for patients having trouble regulating emotions and behaviors, can be eective but is time-consuming and can stretch already-thin resources. psychotherapists with weakness, so some health care professionals suer in silence until things blow up. We need to reframe that thinking by recognizing the harmful eects of emotional distress on these professionals," said Samuel Ofei-Dodoo, Ph.D., MPA, M.A., CPH, assistant dean, Undergraduate Medical Education. KUSM-Wichita and its faculty and sta work on numerous fronts to improve mental health before things "blow up" into crisis and the most tragic outcome, suicide. The eorts, from research to education to wellness to speaking out about suicide prevention, reach from everyday Kansans to medical students, residents and practicing physicians. Studying risks and treatments Learning about mental health is part of the curriculum, with students doing a required four-week psychiatric rotation. Their schooling takes place in classrooms, clinics and inpatient settings. "A big job in the emergency room is suicide assessment," said David Masolak, M.D., associate chief resident in psychiatry. "Attendings give a lecture on suicide and depression and risks and protective factors of patients who may be at risk. Things like whether someone has had a prior attempt, whether there's a family history of attempts, whether someone has a support system or whether they have weapons at home. It's very important to know how to ask those questions and know how to interpret them." Medical students attend the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences' David Masolak, M.D., associate chief resident physician Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Samuel Ofei-Dodoo, Ph.D., MPA, M.A., CPH, assistant dean, associate professor Undergraduate Medical Education, Family & Community Medicine Signs to watch for • Talk: No reason to live. Feeling trapped. Unbearable pain. • Behavior: Isolation from family and friends. Sleeping too much/too little. Withdrawal. • Mood: Depression. Loss of interest. Rage. Irritability. Sources: Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition Risk Depression&