and we're also here to raise education and awareness, to let people know there's hope, and suicide is preventible.

>> there's so many facets to all that you do. >> i unfortunately lost my husband of 29 years $years ago to the battle of depression. he was very well known in the d.c. area. showed very few signs. he had suffered from depression. it did run in his family. but at the same time, really seemed as if he was getting the help that he needed and we were providing him support. but unfortunately, it just wasn't enough, that the pain just got to be too much for him. so i've had to deal with that for the last three years. >> i know a big part of what you do there at sp is to reach out to people who are left behind by suicide. how important is it for people that you see day to day to realize that they're not alone in this, that there's a community of other people out there ready to welcome them in

and help them? >> it's really critical. i didn't even really know about afsp until after the loss of paul. it was through a friend who had lost a cousin who suggested that i get involved with them and partake in one of our community walks, the dwction c. walk. and is during that walk and i realized there were 1 thousand people around me all of whom either had suffered from depression, lost someone from suicide, a combination, sa variety of different mental illne illnesses, and we all had our own stories, we all had our own grief, our own paths. but we all had a commonality and with that we could be a force to be reckoned with and we really can turn this around to be something to talk about hope instead of the pain of loss. >> mike, you have overcome the struggle. tell our viewers if you would, take them back to when it all began for you. this is several years ago now. >> several years ago.

i was actually a hurricane katrina survivor coming out of new orleans. originally from this area but came back to this area and was misdiagnosed with different things. heart problems, all this kind of stuff. really what it ended up being was a panic disorder and depression. coming from having to go through that whole thing with hurricane katrina. and i didn't really get the help i needed at first. so i've had attempt on my own life four types. the last one being in 2010. and the way afsp really helped me is after that last attempt in 2010, it literally about two weeks after i got out of the hospital, there happened to be a community walk in fairfax. and a few of my friends, one of our good friends who's also on the board of afsp, asked me, she had lost her asked me to join her team. i went and did the walk and it got me involved. i've seen all the people around, seeing all the people there to

support you, it makes a huge difference. >> one big community. and it's gotten bigger and bigger. ryan, tell our viewers about the various walks. my co-anchor are taking part in the one in montgomery county, doreen's going to be in d.c. all over the region. >> we're really excited about this, we're excited about the partnership we're having with nbc. and we feel too because we're at the press, this is so many areas, whether it's programming and education and resources, but these walks happen to provide funds, but they also provide awareness and education as much as anything else. and so september 7th we have our fairfax walk which mike is the co-chair of. september 13th, which you and wendy will be at, is in rockville. >> right. >> then we have september 20th is our big d.c. walk which we'll have between 1,500 and 2,000 people at. on the national mall. it's a beautiful walk. and then we have september 28th,

a manassas walk this year. we hope to continue to exup and down those every year. >> that's great, wonderful. we've got to get a little competition going, those are big numbers in d.c. fairfax versus rockville. >> we're working on it. >> we've got much more to get to. we're going to take a quick break and talk about risk factors when we come back, also your programs that you have helping young people who have either attempted suicide or considered it. we'll be right back after the break. as we go to break we're going to put up the web address if you'd like to learn more about changing minds and afsp and all the great work they do. logon to changingminds@nbcwashington.com.

our focus is suicide prevention. we're here with folks from afsp. if we can break down young people, you do a lot of work with young people.

children and college-age students too. taunt the virus programs you've got to reach out to them and help them. >> i would like, to before i start, give vicki the if you want are opportunity to talk about an incredible program, more than sad. as well as a model school district policy which we hope to see implemented throughout the dmv area. hugely positive. and something that has been developed recently. but, you know, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds in the united states. and in our local area. and so it's something that we have to get a grasp on, get our kids educated to realize it's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength to seek help. and so more than sad is a program that is for middle school and high school-aged students. and so if you do want to talk about that? >> sure. it's a wonderful opportunity for us to come into high schools and middle schools. but typically high schools. and present vignettes. we've got two different tapes.

one for the faculty and parents. and one for the students themselves. typically bringing them in based on smaller groups so that they feel comfortable in that environment. and the vignettes are real individuals. they're not actors. they're people who have suffered from depression, have thought about suicide. and their journey in getting the help that they need and reaching out for it. and then we follow that up with a tremendous amount of conversation and discussion, dialogue. and there's a lot of front work to that because we're really speaking with the schools about being prepared for those individuals to then reach out for help after this entire program is rolled out. and we've seen such a huge benefit from it where kids really literally go to the councilors and call the 1-800 talk line and really are very willing then to say, you know, i have a friend who's in need.

and i know she wouldn't necessarily, doesn't necessarily want me to talk or share, but i'm concerned and i would rather have her alive than to be in danger or at risk so i'm going to go ahead and share that with my parents or my family or my, you know, teacher, whomever it may be. so it's a whole education process that's been wonderful. >> mike, how much did sharing your story really help you, your journey, in dealing with this and overcoming, in your struggle too? i can remember talking with you months ago when we did a profile on you, that that was very important for you to be able to tell other people. >> it's hugely important. for me it's really therapeutic to be able to go out and know that, you know, it is -- tough for me to tell my own story and talk about those things, i know that i'm at least getting out to some people and helping some people. after we did the piece i got a

lot of feedback from different people that just would never talk about, that they have mental illnesses or anything like that. to know that i'm at least helping one person, two people, whatever it is, is huge. i'm still dealing with it every day myself. but to be able to at least get the word out there and know the people -- the stigmas don't need to exist, you can be strong, you can be successful, and you can still fight through these things. >> let's talk more about stigma. it seems to be improving, that we're opening up a dialogue here and have been for months here at nbc 4. do you see less of a stigma? people are more willing to talk about it or seek help? >> i think especially younger generations. when given the opportunity, when we go into these schools and present more than sad in northern virginia, we had 20 students self-refer as a result of that program at one school alone. we had six peer did peer referrals in that school. we had one actual suicide

intervention where we saved a life. the police were called, a life was saved, someone got help. i'm a consumer of mental health resources myself. and nbc has given me the opportunity to share that publicly for the first time too. and, you know, as someone who does struggle with it every day, as mike indicated, whether it's through healthier living, through medicinal treatment and therapy, it's a constant life effort. and that's what we want to get out, that it's treatable, and you can live a healthy, productive life. when it comes to stigma, i think we have to get the message out there that your brain is just like the rest of your body. so you look at your kidneys and your heart and your lungs. we treat the brain the same way. so if someone is on dialysis or experiencing the issues of a diabetic, they wouldn't refuse their medication. in the same way we need to look at our brains and realize that when a chemical is off-balance or therapy is needed or a combination of many things that

can help change that person and help them, that's okay. just like a diabetic would get treatment. >> sure. important point to take a break on, that was very good. we'll be right back on "viewpoint" so stay with us.

welcome back to "viewpoint." talking about suicide prevention. let's talk about signs and risk factors people should watch for. maybe it's in a friend, a child, a spouse. what should parents look for, and anyone, really? >> it's incredibly important that you really keep your eyes open and aware and that you have open dialogue, especially between parents and kids. but even more so amongst any of your friends. because some of the signs can be fairly subtle. you don't really see them.

and the common thread that we almost all hear afterwards is, i didn't see that. i didn't know that. i didn't see that he was in a bad place. so some of the signs can be, if there's a major shift in their appetite. whether they lose their appetite tremendously or they eat incessantly when they haven't previously. a lot of it is disengaging with your friends and your peers. so if you see someone who's sleeping a lot. not gaming in the regular activities that they might otherwise engage in and go out with friends, that type of thing. they may stop going to school or their grades may slip dramatically. so if you see for any two weeks or longer, any major changes of that nature, they start to pull into themselves and stop communicating, then those are

pretty major signs that you need to ask them, how are you doing? and it's okay to ask, are you thinking of hurting yourself? are you thinking of taking your life? >> isolating. mike, did you isolate yourself? >> that's one of the key triggers for me. if i start isolating myself, thankfully i can see it in myself enough to know it's there. my friends all know because i've been open and communicating about it, if i start to isolate that's normally not a good sign for me. and that they typically will intervene at that point. come in. it's always -- you really have to talk to your peer group, talk to your friends, talk to your family, let them know what you're going through and what your triggers or signs are and they can really help you out. >> i remember you talked to your dad on your community home. >> yes, i talk to my father every day on my commute home. one of my biggest triggers was driving for a while, being in the car. having someone to talk to -- traffic in this area is not the

best thing ever. >> exactly. it can be a long conversation. >> it can be quite stressful. sometimes talking to my dad for a half hour, sometimes an hour. just one of those things that helps out. it's just one of my -- >> you have to find someone, someone, whoever that is. if it's more comfortable for you to do it anonymously, then afsp has put together programs that ryan can communicate about that help provide that support. so that if you aren't in a comfortable space or don't have the support group around you that you feel could help you, then we have a whole program for that. >> what did they reach out on? say if you know somebody or if you yourself are feeling in trouble or struggling, where do you reach out to? what should someone do? >> sure. i think there's a couple of really greatresources. you can go to www.afsp.org. ncac is for the national capital

area for local resources. i think if someone is in immediate crisis and need of help, take them to the emergency room, call 911, call the lifeline crisis link. it's 800-273-talk. 800-273-8255. that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. you don't have to be in immediate crisis, you can just call to talk if you're concerned about someone you know or love. one of the programs that vicki referenced that we created to research and our programming efforts as afsp is the program called interactive screening program. it's a program that's been adopted -- we're talking to several universities and colleges in the d.c. metro area right now about adopting it. we're really excited about that. there's five in the state of maryland that have adopted it. it's a program that screens anonymously. research found that the stigma of saying, i have a struggle

with this or feel these things, was the key to areas of treatment. and so once they were able to anonymously say they had issues to the screening program, we're then able to get a dialogue engaged to realize that it doesn't affect their school, it doesn't afct their corporate advancement, it doesn't affect their getting into graduate school at a college level. >> sure. >> it's also a program the va uses. it's a program that the nfl uses. it's a program that qualcomm, our first fortune 500 company, uses. they screen their employees and their students for general mental health and then they look and see who is at highest risk, how can we engage them, and get them in for an in-person discussion in the end? it really reaches the unreachable. and so we're really proud of that program.

it's kind of one of afsp's primary efforts in getting across the country in funding. >> we're going to take another break. we're changing minds with our friends from the afsp. stay with us on "viewpoint."

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welcome back as we wrap up "viewpoint" talking about suicide prevention. there are four walks across our region through september. i mentioned we're going to take part, wendy and i, doreen, taking part in calm them. who comes out to these walks? it's not just about walking. >> it isn't. it's about awareness. many of the people who come out don't raise any money, they come out to support either someone that they love and/or honor someone that they've lost. so you have little kids all the way up to individuals that are in wheelchairs that need assistance waking the walks. they are called out of the darkness walks. it really is a theme about coming out of that darkness and

seeing some hope and some light. and so the d.c. walk is actually one that's done around the tidal bas basin. it's done in the evening time. it really does reflect that entire thinking. >> in person to person, these make a tremendous difference in lives. >> absolutely. and we're so honored to be able to do them. as a professional i'm so honored to work with great people like vicki and mike that have made this their personal crusade and cause to help other people from preventing and going through the same things they've gone through. these walks, which you can find on afsp.org/ncac, all four of them. whether it's fairfax, rockville, d.c., or manassas. will bring thousands of people together across our community. whether they're struggling on their own or have lost someone. and they're beautiful experiences. >> you're chairing the fairfax. parting comments or wisdom. you mentioned during the break you received two calls from

people struggling yesterday. what do you tell people out there who may be struggling or know someone who is? >> if you are struggling or know someone that's struggling, the biggest thing you can do is reach out to them. i think through just being able to get out there and people knowing on social media, i have a big part in this college. i'm out there. i get people to reach out to me that i don't think normally would reach out for help. and they talk to me about things because they know that i'll understand. so if someone's in crisis or anything like that, reach out to your friends. your friends will understand you. there's not going to be any judgment there. reach out to your family. it's treatable. you can make it through. and you can still be successful. >> a success story right here. we thank you all for sharing your stories and we wish you the best in these walks. ryan, vicki, mike, thank you for all that you do. we're looking forward to september, an exciting month for your organization. the afsp. learn much more on

nbcwashington.com and all you have to do is click on "changing minds." back to "news 4 today." enjoy the rest of your weekend, everybody.

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"news 4 today" starts now. a deadly crash involving nascar driver tony stewart. a news conference just wrapped up. what we're learning about the confrontation that led to one man's death on the racetrack. >> a country worried about war watching closely military strikes in iraq. the new help headed to those forced to hide out on the top of a mountain. good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm angie goff. >> i'm david cull ver. a lot of headlines from overnight. a lot of headlines. we start with a dose of good