Matthew Dovel

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Television

  • ABC, NBC, CBS
  • Good Morning, America
  • 20/20 Special Report

Interviews

  • Coast to Coast "George Noory"
  • Dave Glover Show
  • Bill Reddish Show
  • The Bob Dornan Show
  • Louisiana Live
  • USA Radio Network "Day Break"
  • Word on the Street
  • The Mary Jones Show

Lectures, Workshops & Classes

  • Military training preformed:
    • Awarded the coin of excellence by the base commander of US Army Basic Combat Training Brigade, GA while performing suicide prevention, drug and alcohol abuse awareness classes.
    • Awarded the coin of excellence by the mental health professionals of Fort Benning, GA for my dedication to helping the US Army stay drug free.
    • Was asked to sit on the panel in Fairbanks, Alaska for a symposium open to the public at the request of the North Star Borough School District and the US Army at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Community symposium: addressed gang awareness, drugs, alcohol and suicide awareness.
  • Interventions:
    • At the request of the Cree reservation of Ouje-Bougoumou, Canada, Mr. Dovel conducted a specialized intervention on the aboriginals for their adults and youth

Certificates

  • CTS Decontamination Specialist
  • Bloodborne Pathagens 29CFR 1910.1030
  • E.R.T. Emergency Response to Terrorism 29CFR 1910.120
  • 29 CFR 1910.120 HAZWOPER

Special Training

  • Certified crime & trauma scene decontamination specialist
  • Matthew Dovel holds a seat on ABRA’s (American BioRecovery Association) Board of Advisors in which duties would include serving an advisory role and aiding ABRA in any related policy topics in which the expertise and insight of you or ISP may aid in when called upon. When called upon, to advise and aid ABRA in a leadership role in activating any contingency plan during a disaster if need be.

Know "WHY" to Prevent a Suicide!

A message from ISP (International Suicide Prevention)

Facts on Suicide

  • Over 90 people commit suicide in the USA everyday.
  • More people die by suicide than murder or AIDS/HIV.
  • For every suicide there are 25 attempted suicides.
  • It is estimated that 80% of all in home suicides are being cleaned up by a family member due to a lack of funds, or because of the guilt and shame they feel, they can not bring themselves to include one more person in their very personal tragic situation, including an insurance adjuster.
  • Once a person cleans up a suicide scene of a loved one, they are in the highest risk group for future suicides.
  • They are now 75% more likely to commit suicide later on in life than the general population.
  • Of all suicides, 75% of them have told someone of their intentions.

Know WHY about suicide!

If you learn WHY you will save more lives than “CPR” or the “Heimlich Maneuver”.

WHY stands for the three rules to prevent a suicide:

  • W - Warning signs of suicide.
  • H - How to help someone that is suicidal.
  • Y - You will personally make a difference.

The two main reasons for people to attempt suicide are because of romance problems and/or financial issues.

So, if you know someone that has just recently experienced a breakup of a relationship, or the loss of a job, following three simple rules called, “WHY” can save a person’s life.

Human beings have a tendency to associate their self-worth & identity with their possessions and positions in life. Romance and finance can give individuals a false sense of control, power or security. When either one, romance or financial, situation changes drastically, some individuals will experience a feeling of being out of control, powerlessness, and in an identity crisis.

The top warning signs of someone that is contemplating suicide are:

  1. They tell you that they want to die, or simply say that they cannot do it anymore.
  2. They give away prized possessions.
  3. They are suddenly happy after a long period of depression.
  4. In youth, 10 to 18 years of age, depression is mostly expressed through apathy.

Help:

If you know that someone is suicidal, and you do not know what to do, call 911. It is better that someone be mad at you for awhile than for you to be attending their funeral in a few days.

Watch:

If you know that someone just found out that they are breaking up from a relationship, just be fired, laid off, lost money in the stock market, etc., the first forty-eight hours is crucial for them to process the change in their value, status, and self image. It is imperative that you do not leave individuals alone during this process as they my act out in a knee jerk reaction to a major life change, such as already stated. If after forty-eight hours they are not accepting the change, then you need to get them professional help.

Listen:

Listen to what people have to say without wanting to fix them. By allowing someone to verbalize the thoughts in their head, without judgment, will allow them to see that there is another way.

Questions:

We have control over two things in this life: what we focus on and the intensity of what we are focusing on. Getting an individual to change their focus off of a suicidal thought is easily changed through questions. Asking a person a question will immediately redirect their focus to a new thought, requiring considerable effort to return to thoughts of suicide.

Looking forward, not backwards:

Those that are suicidal tend to live in the past, not able to see tomorrow without their identity. We can only have one thought at a time, so getting another person to set a goal is a good way to move their focus off of what is, to what will be.

Rising suicide rates:

Suicides are on the rise. There are four main causes driving social issues that address our culture negatively today: they are the uncertainty over the price of gas, the collapsing housing market, the over all economic recession, and the on going war. These issues affect all classes, races, and creeds. To add pressure to these uncertain times, we are having an election year with those running for the office of president of the United States of America offering no clear course of action or solutions. This information was collected through individuals nationally that are experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or depression that can lead to a suicide attempt.

So, how do we deal with living in uncertain times all the while keeping our sanity? The rules that follow are to change your focus off of things we have little or no control over:

  1. Have a life plan that is reviewed every six months.
  2. Have at least five goals that you are working on at any given time that are realistic and obtainable.
  3. Eat healthy meals and get your rest.
  4. Spend time sharing how you are feeling with someone everyday.
  5. Plan something you can do that is fun at least once a week.
  6. Get outside at least once a day and take a walk.

Murder suicide:

With over ninety suicides happening everyday in the USA, it’s hard to believe that most, if any of them, rarely make the evening news. As horrific as an individual committing suicide is, they do not even compare to murder suicides. Murder suicides are when one family member kills another family member(s) (including children, even newborn babies) and then they kill themselves. Murder suicides can also be described as when a disgruntled employee or someone with a grudge goes to a place of business or gathering of large groups of people killing as many as possible and then themselves.

What is the thought process of an individual that could carry out such a heinous task and how can we prevent future tragedies?

  1. Individuals that carry out a murder suicide within a family can not see anyone else other than themselves in the position they hold within their family unit. This is their identity and purpose, and if they have the thought that they may be replaced in reality or through a hallucination, it can lead to a psychotic episode. This episode can lead to the thought that if they can not be with those that they love and control, no one else will be with them either. The decision to kill and act out murdering another family member can happen within minutes or days of a fight or after a conversation that has finality. Once the act has been completed, murder, they realize what they have done was insane and now they no longer have what they have been living for, giving them no other choice but to commit suicide.
  2. Identifying individuals that have problems with control issues are not hard for those that live with them. They are rigid in their thinking and insist that everyone in there family adhere to their beliefs, morals and values. Anyone that thinks differently than them can be physically or verbally abused. These behaviors can be symptoms of mental illness and professional help should be sought out immediately.
  3. Sometimes people can fall into these controlling behaviors through environmental conditioning over time. There is hope for them if they are willing with behaviorally change techniques, therapy and/or treatment.

It is very important that we do not put any individuals that carry out murder suicides in the same category as a person that commits a lone suicide by themselves or a suicide pack. Murder suicides are motivated by homicidal thoughts, seeing others as the problem and getting rid of the other person as a solution. These individuals are often described as being selfish, controlling and rigid in thought and behavior that can also have abusive physically and/or verbal histories.

Individual suicides:

Suicides are motivated by those that see themselves as the problem, not others. People that commit suicide are generally loved by many and are often described as kind, gentle, caring and sensitive individuals that will be missed.

Suicide packs:

Suicide packs are when two or more people that are suffering either physically and/or emotionally, conspire to die together rather than live without each other.

Learn how to save a life today, before it is too late!

Developed by: ISP (International Suicide Prevention), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity.

To learn more facts about suicide, go to: www.supportisp.org.