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National Suicide Prevention Month

     September is National Suicide Prevention Month. There are certain conditions in a person’s internal or external environment which predisposes them to commit suicide or at least attempt to do so:

1. Mental disorders, particularly, mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and certain personality disorders (psychosis-a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality).
2. Alcohol and other substance use disorders (many times people drink alcohol and or abuse substances to self- medicate their emotional pain away).
3. Hopelessness (Clinical Depression- persistent sadness or loss of interest in life and the things of life).
4. Impulsive and/or aggressive tendencies
5. History of trauma or abuse (some forms of trauma can be PTSD. Abuse can be physical and or emotional).
6. Major physical or chronic illnesses (Two examples of this might be terminal cancer or chronic severe pain).
7. Previous suicide attempt (I made four suicide attempts in my lifetime).
8. Family history of suicide (I had a friend whose mother committed suicide at the age of 25. She attempted suicide at the age of 21).
9. Recent job or financial loss (People commit suicide when their self-esteem reason for living is wrapped-up in their job or in their economic status).
10. Recent loss of relationship (Divorce, separation, or death).
11. Easy access to lethal means (this means objects or things used to commit suicide-gun, sleeping pills, a bed sheet etc.)
12. Local clusters of suicide (This means one’s friends commit suicide)
13. Lack of social support and sense of isolation (This means refusing to talk with someone about your feelings. Not reaching out for help).
14. Stigma association with asking for help (The person believes that they will be stigmatized it they reveal that they are having mental problems. They believe that they will be labeled as “crazy” or “weak”).
15. Lack of health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment (the person will not get healthcare because of mistrust of the medical system, lack of health insurance, lack of money, or that they love getting high).
16. Cultural and religious beliefs, such as the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma (During World War II the Japanese soldiers would deliberately do suicide missions because it was considered as an honorable way to die. The soldiers were called Kamikazes.)
17. Exposure to others who have died by suicide (in real life or via the media and internet)¹

There are eleven warning signs that someone will attempt suicide:

1. Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself;
2. Looking for a way to kill oneself’
3. Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose;
4. Talking about feeling trapped or being in unbearable pain;
5. Talking about being a burden to others;
6. Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs’
7. Acting anxious, agitated, or reckless;
8. Sleeping too little or too much;
9. Withdrawing or feeling isolated;
10. Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge; and
11. Displaying extreme mood swings²

There are factors that protect someone from committing suicide:

1. Effective clinical care for mental physical and substance use disorders. (One is proactive reaching out for help and treatment).
2. Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions (There are systems in place that are accessible to the person).
3. Restricted access to highly lethal means of suicide (The person does not have access to objects used to commit suicide).
4. Strong connections to family and community support. (The person is not isolating but is engaging their support systems).
5. Support through ongoing medical and mental health care relationships. (The person is proactively seeing his or her doctors and therapists.)
6. Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution and handling problems in a non-violent way. (The person has or is developing strong coping skills).
7. Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation³

     The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a voluntary health organization based in New York City, with a public policy office in Washington D.C., and local chapters in all 50 states in the United States. The organization’s stated mission is to “save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.” The organization was founded in 1987 by Mariette Hartley. The AFSP was created in order to establish a private source of support for suicide research, education, advocacy, and prevention efforts that could be sustained into the future.

     One of their programs is: Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention. It is an umbrella of prevention education which provides a general understanding of suicide, including its scope and what can be done to prevent it. The group instituted International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (also known as “Survivor Day”) It is one of the most prominent postvention programs or events organized by AFSP. It was and is observed on the Saturday before the American Thanksgiving. Senator Harry Reid, himself a survivor of suicide loss, introduced the resolution to the Senate. The first day of observance was 1999.

     The Interactive Screening Program, or ISP, is an online tool offered by AFSP first piloted at Emory University, and has since been implemented in colleges, police departments, workplaces and the NFL Players Union. Francis Levesque created this tool in September 1973. The (ISP) provides a mechanism to reach out to people who are at risk for depression, suicide, and related problems, and encourages them to get help.

      It is recommended that if a person is not successful at committing suicide the person should work to stay alive. He or she should be kind to him or herself, take care of one’s health, find a mental health professional, join a support group, talk to someone that he or she can trust, join a AFSP group and be active in that community, get rid of objects one would use in committing suicide, engage with people and places which takes one’s mind off suicide, reach out to one’s family and friends when in crisis, and lastly, one should call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

     People can be pro-active in regards to suicide ideation. Everyone encounters stress. Make plan for how you will cope with stress. If one is prone to suicide make up a sequence of steps that will keep one from attempting suicide. The plan should include distraction techniques, breathing exercises, internal self-regulating techniques, people to turn to for help and support. Equip your toolbox.

“National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-Talk (8255) any time day or night, or chat online.

Crisis Text Line also provides free 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741

     ¹https://save.org/about-suicide/warning-signs-risk-factors-protective-factors/

     ²Ibid.

      ³Ibid.

     ⁴Dastagir, Alia E. (September 11, 2020). “More young people are dying by suicide, and experts aren’t sure why”. U.S.A. Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/11youth-suicide-rate-increases-cdc-report-finds/3463549001/

Signed: Renee D. Warring founder of Uniquely and Wonderfully Made Ministries