Substance Abuse

The Five Town Community has a significant problem with youth substance abuse. Youth in our community report higher than State of Maine averages for many measures, especially for grades ten and twelve. Knox County ( four of the five towns in our community lie in Knox County) rates are elevated for many measures as well. All rates are reported as percentage of the total student population, unless otherwise noted.

2008 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey (MYDAUS) Results for Substance Use

The links below will open the full graph:

Download the complete 2008 MYDAUS Data Report for Five Town Community.

For more information, visit our resources page.

Suicide

  • Maine Crisis Hotline: 1-888-568-1112
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide is the second leading killer of adolescents in the State of Maine (nationially, it is third). The Five Town Community sadly has experienced a significant number of youth suicides in recent years.

In 2003 and early 2004 the Five Town Community was the subject of an “EpiAid” study jointly performed by the Maine Bureau of Health (largely through its Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Five Town Communities That Care served as the liason between the researchers and the community for this study.

Summary Points of 2004 Study of Suicide in Mid-Coast Maine

  • The study looked at data from three different sources. Information on suicide deaths was obtained from death certificates and medical examiner records Hospital data were collected on injuries resulting from non-fatal suicide attempts. Finally, a series of focus groups were held allowing researchers to ask youth and adults living in the Five Town Area about their thoughts on suicide prevention.
  • Though the researchers could not draw any conclusions about rates of suicide in the Five Town Area, they found that suicide rates in Knox County were noticeably higher than in the rest of Maine. (The statistical tools used for this study are not as useful when applied to areas of small population with relatively rare events as they are when used on larger populations or with more common events.)
  • Five Town Area residents of all ages said they think suicide is an important problem in the community and that a major difficulty for youth is being able to talk to adults about suicidal feelings. Residents also said that preventing suicide needs to include addressing related issues such as depression, drug and alcohol use, bullying, and unrealistic pressures on youth to succeed.
  • Researchers provided four broad goals aimed at helping the Five Town Community prevent suicidal behaviors in the future. The goals include increasing community knowledge about suicide; improving how residents respond when someone is in a crisis; promoting healthier communication; and creating a more supportive community environment. The specific goals are:
    1. Promote a healthier community by addressing broad youth risk issues and improving protective factors;
    2. Increase both the level and effectiveness of communication to create a more supportive and friendly community atmosphere;
    3. Improve understanding of suicidal behavior and effective suicide prevention among community members. Change the paradigm that suicide is an option;
    4. Develop a more effective and coordinated community-based approach for grieving – one that recognizes and addresses the emotions experienced by community members and moves towards a healthier community.

Five Town Communities That Care provides suicide prevention and awareness training for all its employees and volunteers, and encourages GateKeeper training for community members. For more information about youth suicide prevention, please visit the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program website.

For more information, visit our resources page.

Violence and Delinquency

Although many people don’t equate violence or crime with rural Maine, our community has not escaped from this problem. Although rates of violent and delinquent behavior are not as high as substance abuse rates in our community, we seek to prevent such behavior before it becomes a way of life for our youth.

2006 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey (MYDAUS) Results for Antisocial Behaviors

The links below will open the full graph:

Download the complete 2006 MYDAUS Data Report for Five Town Community.

For more information, visit our resources page.

School Drop Out and Teen Pregnancy

Rates of School Drop-Out and Teen Pregnancy as generally lower than national averages in the State of Maine, and in our community. We address these problems by working to decrease relevant risk factors and boost protective factors for our youth.

Risk Factors

Protective Factors

For more information, visit our resources page.

Five Town Communities That Care seeks to promote healthy youth development and to prevent problem adolescent behaviors such as substance abuse, suicide, violence and delinquency, school drop-out, and teen pregnancy. We are not an intervention agency providing counseling or treatment for youth in crisis .

To the right are some local data on our community, along with links to follow for more information.