Ala. Attorney General discusses mental health issues and late addiction



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"It's hard," said Alabama's Attorney General Steve Marshall, while standing in front of the Baptist Church pulpit in his home town on Wednesday. 39, rural Alabama, facing cameras and dozens of people, three days after his wife, Bridgette Marshall, 45. </p>
<p>  The cause, Marshall said, was suicide. But it was not his goal. </p>
<p>  "What we want to focus on is the story of his life," he says, surrounded by family members, who sometimes stand with their heads down, crying calmly </p>
<p>. In fact, he said he was "forced to be here today" after his family discovered reports describing the death of his wife on Sunday in Tennessee. </p>
<p>  Marshall said that these reports had made him angry. But he and his family realized. </p>
<p>  "Maybe transparency about how we arrived last Sunday could be helpful," he said. Because we know that we are not the only family to deal with a family member who has suffered from mental health issues and we know that Bridgette is not the only person who ever thought of committing suicide . </p>
<p>  His wife suffers from debilitating migraines from an early age. </p>
<p>  She asked for medical help and was eventually prescribed oxycodone, then fentanyl, "an incredibly potent drug," he said </p>
<p>. Again, she asked for help and went to a hospital treatment. </p>
<p>  "But even at the time of her death, she was not always taking her medication as she should," Marshall said. "It's one of the reasons why, professionally, you hear me talk about opioids, it's personal." </p>
<p>  M. Marshall is co-chair of Governor Kay Ivey's Council on Opioids and Addictions </p>
<p>. per capita nation for opioid prescriptions. In 2016, there were 121 prescriptions per 100 people, according to a council report. It's more of a prescription for every man, woman and child in Alabama. </p>
<p>  The Council – and Marshall – are working to contain these numbers through a multi-pronged approach that includes prevention, treatment and community response. As the report admits, addiction disorders are complex. </p>
<p>  "I lived it and I looked at it and saw how it destroyed it in many ways," he said of the battle of his wife. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice has made the national opioid epidemic a central issue. </p>
<p>  On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the progress made by the Department of Justice in an opioid fraud operation. </p>
<p>  Since January 2017, more than 400 doctors and other medical personnel have been charged with opioid-related crimes, according to Sessions. Marshall did not give details on his wife's opioid use history </p>
<p>  The Centers for Disease Control notes that addiction may be a contributing factor to suicide. 19659003] Earlier this month, the CDC released strict figures on suicide, saying rates have risen in almost all states in recent years. </p>
<p>  Some 45 thousand people lost their lives to suicide in 2016. </p>
<p>  Mental health problems are often seen as the cause of suicide, says the CDC, but suicide In fact, many people who have abducted life did not diagnose mental health problems, according to the CDC. </p>
<p>  Marshall stated that his wife also suffered from depressive disorder and anxiety. </p>
<p>  He said that because she was anxious, it was difficult to be in the public eye and he wondered if things would have been different if it was not became Attorney General. </p>
<p>  "I will be haunted (by)" </p>
<p>  Bridgette Gentry Marshall was born on June 6, 1973 in Boaz, Alberta, according to the obituary on the website of the McRae Funeral Home </p>
<p>. worked as a volunteer at a hospice. </p>
<p>  The funeral is scheduled for Friday. </p>
<p>  Marshall stated that he felt compelled to make public the story of a woman who never wanted to be a public figure </p>
<p>  "And we do not share this lightly, because it's the most personal secret of this family. " </p>
<p> "We are hoping today to share our story to give strength to the families who endured what we endured, and perhaps to this person who wanted to do what Bridgette did." Sunday morning. that there is hope and that there are people who love them. </p>
<p>  <em> If you or someone you know are considering committing suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Service </em><em>  at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628 -9454 Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or </em><em>  Crisis Text Line </em><em>  by texting 741741. </em> </p>
<p>  Copyright 2018 NPR. For more information, visit http://www.npr.org/?</p>
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