RDS Admin

The Robert D. Sutherland Memorial Foundation offers information meetings free to the public once a month. Join us for a 30-min introductory evening where you’ll learn who we are, the services that we offer and how to access them, and how we change people’s lives for the better with research-based bipolar therapy. (This meeting is not a presentation about the illness.) For comprehensive information about bipolar disorder, join us on January 30th for our 8-week lecture series which will be held at the Hopelight Clinic in Longmont (click here). 

All Informational Meetings about the Sutherland Bipolar Center & Foundation will be held at the Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder 80302 from 7:00-7:30pm.

March 21, 2017, Tuesday – Arapahoe Room (2nd Floor)
April 12, 2017, Wednesday – Arapahoe Room (2nd Floor)
August 8, 2017, Tuesday – Arapahoe Room (2nd Floor)

 

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Our long-time funder/supporter, The Colorado Grand, gave us a challenge. They have generously given us $573,000 through the years, but in order for us to continue receiving our annual gift from them, we have to raise $80,000 in funding commitments by the end of 2016.

This challenge has actually given us renewed purpose. Not only has it become an opportunity to build on our solid mission of improving the lives of people with bipolar disorder who can’t afford treatment by providing proven evidence-based therapy, it has forced us to look at our deepest values. And it is this:

We believe that every person has the innate capacity and drive to be the best that they can be. With knowledge, support and the right environment, people can thrive. We, at the Sutherland Center, provide individualized treatment programs so each client has the best tools, support and education to manage their bipolar disorder and live a productive life. And we have been helping people for almost 15 years with our scientifically grounded state-of-the-art expertise.

For every dollar donated, $0.92 goes directly to diagnosing, treating, managing and improving the lives of those with this complex and challenging illness, and assisting and educating their family and their friends. Thanks to you, we’re helping people every day to LIVE BETTER LIVES!

Any amount helps, but what will really boost our ability to meet the Colorado Grand Challenge is if you pledge an amount every month. It could be as little as $10 or $15 a month. (That’s 2 or 3 lattes from Starbucks. 🙂 Help us and make a contribution to the only clinic in the United States that treats people impacted by bipolar disorder who don’t have the financial means to get the help they need. Make a difference in someone’s life today. And thank you!

Friends:

The Robert Sutherland Foundation, is among several non-profits that have been nominated to receive $20,000-worth of marketing services by BizWest magazine, and we’d like to ask you to vote for the Foundation on the magazine’s Facebook site.

The BizWest Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/bizwestmedia. Simply click on the Partners in Philanthropy app, accessible on the lower left side, or via the “More” dropdown menu. Then scroll down to find the Sutherland Foundation logo and click on it. Voting is limited to once per day (feel free to vote daily!) and will close at 5 PM, Nov. 30. At that point, the nonprofit with the most votes will win the marketing campaign in BizWest’s print, online and event products.

For about 10 years, the Sutherland Foundation has been serving patients with bipolar disorder in the Boulder area. Working at the grass-roots level with the University of Colorado by managing treatment on an individual basis, the Foundation has saved dozens of lives. Now, it needs our help to broaden the scope of its messages to potential donors.

Please take a minute to vote.

Thank you for your support

Following Robin Williams’s tragic death, the media exploded with opinion pieces on why people commit suicide, the stigma that keeps people from talking about it, and what might have driven someone as talented as Mr. Williams to take his own life. I was (and still am) a big admirer of Mr. Williams, and reading about him was painful. I was particularly struck by an incident on the set of “Mork and Mindy” in 1978, where, on a break between takes, Williams saw a rope dangling from the rafters offstage. Jokingly, he pretended to hang himself with it, and announced, “The series is called ‘Mindy,’ now.” I wondered whether suicide is a permanent fixture in the minds of many people, sometimes a whisper and at others times a shout, sometimes a joke and sometimes a serious plan, but always available as a means to escape from intolerable pain, anxiety, and hopelessness.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide among elderly men (a category which, although hard to believe, included Robin Williams) has always been high, particularly among those who abuse alcohol or other substances. About 20% of us will have a suicide within our family, and 60% will know someone who dies by their own hand. But beyond the epidemiological data are some truisms about the way our society handles people with suicide: few talk about it, and when they do it’s mainly with their therapists or psychiatrists. Friends and family members often fear that bringing up suicide and asking about it is as good as telling the person to do it.
As a friend or family member, what should you do if you learn – either through their behavior or their words- that one of your loved ones feels suicidal? If a therapist is nowhere to be found and you’re the only one there, what do you do? No one answer will fit all of humanity, but here are a few guidelines:
1. Ask the person whether they feel like killing or harming themselves. Being direct is usually better than beating around the bush. You may not get a clear answer but at least it’s now on the table for discussion.
2. Find out how serious the person is. Do they have the means to carry it out (i.e., access to guns, pills, knives, high places, etc.)? Have they chosen a time and a place? The more vague the plans, the lower the threat, but take all plans seriously.
3. If she or he is in psychiatric treatment, notify the doctor. The doctor may not be able to share information with you, but will surely want to know if his or her patient has had an increase in self-destructive thinking. If there is no doctor, consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK.
4. Express your concerns and worries to your loved one in an empathetic, accepting and non-judgmental way. To use a cliché, let them know you are there for them.
5. Remind him or her that suicidal thoughts and feelings – while possibly understandable in the circumstances – are not the only option and will not last forever.
6. Avoid saying overly cheerful or dismissive things like “Oh, things will get better…you’ll find another boyfriend…we all have crosses to bear…we only have one life to live.” It’s better to just listen and paraphrase what the person says they are feeling (e.g., “I know you’re feeling hopeless, and nothing feels like it’s working. Anything I can do to help?”)
7. If you have ways of decreasing access to the means to hurt oneself, make sure to do so. Take away the pills, lock up the guns and ammunition, hide the knives and stray ropes .
At the Sutherland Center, we work with people with bipolar disorder, a mood disorder that increases risk for suicide. We emphasize that it’s not just about keeping the person alive; we strive to help people create a life that they believe is worth living. Sometimes that means helping people remember what already gives their life purpose, such as their kids, parents, pets, job, personal goals, or spiritual or religious beliefs or communities.
Reasons for living and hope for building a better life can become increasingly dim as depression takes over, and the whispers of suicide become louder. When that happens, it nearly always helps to have someone there to keep you company and remind you why you’re still alive.