What doctors do to prevent suicides

A memorial service will be held in Duluth today to honor the life of an acclaimed journalist who had a wonderfully graceful way of telling a story. Sadly, Larry Oakes's own story ended last week in the woods near Hawk Ridge in Duluth.

Larry was a longtime award-winning reporter for the Star Tribune. He had battled depression for a number of years and was hospitalized after telling his children about his suicidal thoughts. Shortly after he was released from the hospital, Larry went to Hawk Ridge, a beautiful place overlooking Lake Superior, walked into the woods and took his own life.

Dr. Katharine Nelson, Program Director for the University of Minnesota Psychiatry Residency Program, talked with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer about what family members and medical professional can do to try and prevent a suicide.

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