My last blog linked research on gun violence that concluded that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were one of the four commonalities of all shooters. We can’t ignore that relationship. So, what else can’t we ignore?

One thing is the relationship with suicide. September is suicide prevention month and many organizations and civic groups are rightfully calling attention to this horrific issue. But do we have a similar relationship of ACEs to suicide, particularly adolescent suicide as we do to gun violence?  The answer is yes. The population attributable risk methodology highlights the likelihood of suicide based on the number of ACEs as an adolescent. For adults who had 7 or more ACEs as a child, they are 3000% more likely to attempt suicide and more importantly, adolescents are 5100% more likely to attempt suicide. Clearly, we need to identify those persons with high ACE scores and provide the intervention necessary.

Because of the pervasiveness of ACEs in our society, we are “numb” to many of the downstream affects—the examples listed above are but two examples. As this is being prepared, the Michigan Legislature is taking final action on House and Senate Resolutions that recommend comprehensive and sustain approaches.

Our supportive testimony will remind them what most know now:  many chronic diseases have their roots in ACEs—this includes cardiovascular diseases, various types of cancer and diabetes. Moreover, many of our addictive afflictions likewise have ACEs as their roots. We can’t ignore that relationship, can we?  The relative risk analysis suggests that as much as 65% of alcoholism, 41% of depression, and 31% of all current smoking all have their roots in ACEs. We can continue to ignore this relationship and continue to wonder why we aren’t making headway in reducing the incidence in these categories.

But there are many positives that we can’t ignore either. The work of many of our ACE Master Trainers continue to raise the bar—they aren’t waiting for direction—they are doing it. (Shout outs of “well done” to Jason Gold and his new advocacy company, Dr. Teresa Holtrop for leading the way on screening options in ACE, Jodi Spicer for her work inside State government, and for her involvement with Community Champion training, Alison Arnold for her work in bringing universities together for different aspects of training and coalition building, among many others).

We can’t ignore the work of those around us that support our work. This includes our colleagues at Mott Children’s Health Center and their annual Tuuri Day that will again feature updates on ACEs; the tremendous work done nationally by our May ACE Conference keynote speaker, Dr. Christina Bethell, whose endless energy is producing new research and providing congressional testimony. We can’t ignore what is happening around us.

Our next Michigan ACE Initiative Steering Committee meeting is next month. Our agenda will be forward looking intended to map out the most aggressive strategic plan possible to support our Master Trainers (and bring more cohorts into being); to create more community champions (to meet the overwhelming demand that we are feeling); to continue to have the “drumbeat” on awareness, including an annual conference next spring; and to move forward on fundraising.

When most, including myself are first acquainted with the ACE data and impact, you can’t walk away. You may not know what precisely to do—but you know we can’t ignore the data and research.

Nothing has changed since then. We can’t ignore it— but we can use it as motivation to continue on our common agenda of awareness, community involvement, and community solutions.—