Preventing Suicide PDF

Preventing Suicide Nearly everyone feels worried or down at times. Teens in particular are going through many physical, mental, emotional and social changes that can cause stress and difficult emotions. But anxiety and depression involve strong feelings that can affect every part of a person’s life...

Preventing Suicide Nearly everyone feels worried or down at times. Teens in particular are going through many physical, mental, emotional and social changes that can cause stress and difficult emotions. But anxiety and depression involve strong feelings that can affect every part of a person’s life and relationships. Major depression can also cause a person to feel hopeless or overwhelmed and to think about committing suicide, or the act of intentionally killing oneself. Talking about suicide can often be difficult or make people feel uncomfortable. But it’s much better to openly discuss tough topics such as suicide than to deal with this issue on your own or feel afraid for a friend and not know what to do. What you learn today could help save your own or a friend’s life. Suicide is an emotional topic. It is often kept secret or judged negatively. Because of this, there are often misconceptions about suicide. Let’s see how many of these misconceptions you may have heard of or believed, and how many facts you know. Some Suicide Facts for Thought: ​ Many people who commit suicide have given verbal clues or directly told someone else about their intentions. Comments about suicide—even if said casually or jokingly—should always be taken seriously. ​ Not all teens who commit suicide want to die. Many suicidal people are unsure about dying, even though they are looking for a way to stop the pain or suffering they’re experiencing. Suicide isn’t really about stopping life, it’s about stopping pain. People who attempt or succeed in committing suicide never mean to end the important or good things in their lives or hurt the people they love and leave behind. They’re trying to end the emotional pain they’re in. They may share their intentions to test whether someone cares enough to stop them. ​ Teens who have ways to cope with difficult or troublesome feelings are less likely to commit suicide. Everyone has tough times or experiences difficult feelings that can cause stress  or pressure. But people who know ways to help handle or cope with strong feelings are more likely to bounce back and stay balanced as they navigate the ups and downs of life. This makes them much less likely to harm themselves because they know that they can move through the difficult feelings and feel good again. ​ It’s NOT a single bad thing that happens can lead to suicide. Suicide is often a result of ongoing depression and is a response to troublesome thoughts and feelings that have been happening for some time. There may be a “final straw” in terms of a bad event or circumstance that pushes a person with suicide thoughts to act, but hurting oneself is most often the result of many emotional health problems that have been building up over time, rather than a single issue or event. ​ Talking about committing suicide will NOT make someone more likely to do it. Studies show that talking to people who are having thoughts of suicide does not push them to act or strengthen their intentions. Talking is much more likely to be the start of a person facing their problems and getting help. ​ Suicide is a significant risk for teens. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24 and among children ages 10 to 14. ​ Giving away important personal possessions and withdrawing from family and friends are two signs that a person might be considering hurting themselves. Most people will show warning signs of their intention to hurt themselves. These are just two of the warning signs to look for to help you spot someone who may need help. ​ These things can make suicide more likely: having access to a gun or other weapon; using alcohol or other drugs; and coping with ongoing depression. Having access to a gun or other weapon, using alcohol or other drugs or coping with ongoing depression can make it more likely that a person with suicide thoughts will take action. These are all factors that negatively influence a person’s ability to reason, deal with troublesome feelings or maintain supportive relationships with important people in their lives.  ​ Here is a BIG MYTH: People who are going to hurt themselves are going to do it no matter what, so there’s no point telling anyone else if you think someone might commit suicide. The reality is your intervention can make a difference. Suicide thoughts must be taken seriously, and they won’t just go away. But people who are having suicide thoughts can get better with professional help. This is why it’s very important to tell a trusted adult if someone tells you they are thinking about suicide, or you see warning signs that make you worry about yourself or a friend. Like eating disorders, anxiety and depression, suicide thoughts aren’t something that will go away on their own or something a person can just “get over.” These mental health disorders require professional help and treatment. So it’s very important to learn to recognize the warning signs and to get help right away from a trusted adult if you or any of your friends are having suicide thoughts. It’s a myth that suicide happens without warning. Many people give verbal clues or directly tell someone else about their suicide thoughts. Most people will exhibit warning signs of their intention to hurt themselves, if others know what to look for. People behave in different ways when they’re in trouble. Any behavior that gets the attention of others because it’s worrisome, ongoing or different from the person’s usual behaviors can be a warning sign that the person needs help. Being alert to these warning signs can help you step in and offer support before it’s too late to help. Suicide isn’t a response to a single problem or event. It’s the result of an accumulation of issues and feelings. Because suicide thoughts can build over time, knowing the warning signs can be very important. It’s very important to remember that people who are having suicide thoughts need professional help. Suicide thoughts must be taken seriously, because they won’t just go away on their own. It’s critical to tell someone if you or any of your friends are having suicide thoughts. Telling a trusted adult is often the best first step. You could talk to your parent, a teacher, counselor or school nurse. There are also agencies that deal with suicide prevention that can help you in an immediate crisis and provide referrals for ongoing professional help. It is important to ask for help because you won’t have the power or skills to stop someone from committing suicide. Suicide thoughts are the result of many problems that have been building up over time, and a person who is having them requires professional help. Coping With Loss and Grief Grief is the emotional pain people feel in response to the death of a loved one or some other serious loss. Feelings of grief are a normal response to losing someone or something important. Almost everyone experiences grief at some point in life. It’s important to understand the grieving process so that you’ll know more about how people cope. This understanding may be helpful the next time you experience a loss, and can help you support a friend who’s grieving. You may have heard people talk about grief as a process or something people go through in stages. This is because there are many different feelings a person might experience when grieving, and how a person feels or acts in response to grief can change over time. It’s important to understand that everyone experiences grief in their own way. Some of the most common feelings people may experience when they’re grieving include: ​Shock, disbelief, denial. When people experience a loss or death, sometimes it's difficult for them to understand or accept that it's happened. They might be in shock, feel confused or express disbelief. They might act as though nothing bad has happened. ​Sadness, pain, guilt, despair. After the initial shock, many people have strong emotions. Deep sadness or emotional pain sets in over the loss. Sometimes people feel guilty because their friend or loved one died and they're still alive. They may regret things they did or  didn't do. They may worry that it's wrong for them to experience happiness, or wonder if they'll ever feel happy again. ​Questions, anger, bargaining. People often feel a need to make sense of the loss, or seek a cause or logical explanation for it. They may have questions about why it had to happen, or fears and worries about the future. Sometimes anger comes up. They may blame themselves or others for the loss, or take out their intense feelings on the people who are still around. Sometimes they wonder what they could have done to prevent the loss. They may even hope that certain actions or promises could magically undo it. ​Extended sadness, mourning. After the more intense feelings have faded a bit, people often go through a time of ongoing sadness or even depression. They realize that the loss is final. They may feel empty or hopeless. As they mourn, they may focus on memories of the past or the things they miss. Crying, wanting to be alone, not sleeping or sleeping too much, feeling lonely, being tired or not having much energy are all things people may go through during this time. ​Acceptance, adjustment, recovery. Over time, the pain of the loss doesn't hurt quite as much, or doesn't hurt all the time any more. People are more able to accept the loss and begin to adjust to life after it. They get back into a routine and can find joy in life again. They may begin to think about the future in positive ways. It doesn't mean that the person who died or the loss is forgotten. It means that the person going through the grieving process has figured out a way to go on with their life. But, again, everyone experiences grief in their own way. People don’t necessarily experience a series of feelings in a set order. A person might bounce back and forth between different types of feelings as they work through the grieving process. Let’s read more about these different reactions to grief. We are all unique in how we handle our feelings when grieving. Some people may do some of the following: ​ Cry a lot ​ Yell, scream or hit something ​ Ignore the feelings or pretend the loss hasn’t happened ​ Talk to people about the loss ​ Spend time alone or avoid people ​ Hold a memorial or other type of ceremony  ​ Escape by using alcohol or other drugs (NOT a healthy way to respond) All of these different feelings or reactions are normal and natural when a person suffers a loss. The most important thing is for people to find healthy ways to cope as they go through the grieving process such as: Take it one day at a time. Grief is different for each person. Don’t put pressure on yourself to feel a certain way or grieve only for a set amount of time. Be gentle with yourself. Let yourself feel what you feel, and do what you need to do to work through things. Cry when you need to. Spend time alone if that feels right. Seek out friends if having company helps. Give yourself permission to grieve in your own way. Get enough sleep. Being rested can help you cope with the strong feelings that come with grief. Try to keep a normal routine. Doing the things you usually do may seem strange after a loss. But it can help you stay connected to the other things and people that you value in your life. Take care of your health. Moving your body by being physically active can help relieve stress and keep you fit. Eat a healthy diet to help keep your body strong. Continuing to take care of your body and your health can help you cope with the feelings and the changes that a loss brings. Find creative ways to express your feelings. You might write in a journal, draw or paint, write a song or poem, dance or play music. These things can help you work through your grief and can also be a way to remember or honor the person you’ve lost. Share your memories about the person who died. Talking about the qualities of the person and the things you shared together is an important part of many funerals or memorial services. Sharing and listening to others share their memories can be comforting. It can help bring people together to express their grief and mourn their loss. Talk about your feelings. It’s important to get the support you need when you’re grieving. When feelings are strong it can help to talk to someone you trust. It also can be helpful to talk to a counselor or therapist if the feelings are causing problems in your life. Unhealthy ways to deal with grief can cause harm to the self or others or have negative consequences. Bottling up strong feelings, expressing anger in a violent way or using alcohol or other drugs to escape are all unhealthy coping strategies that have the potential to cause serious problems. Healthy ways to cope with grief allow people to work through the grieving process and express their feelings without hurting themselves or others. Remember that everyone goes through grief in their own way. It might be healthy for one person to talk about the loss, while another person might need to spend a lot of time alone. Finding healthy ways to cope with grief can keep the feelings from overwhelming people and causing them to do things that could hurt themselves or someone else. It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who’s experienced the death of a loved one or some other serious loss. Some people are nervous or scared they’ll say the wrong thing, so they don’t say anything. However, people who are grieving need support. Here are some ways to show support and what to say to a person who’s grieving: Acknowledge the situation. For example, you could say, “I heard that your brother died.” Using the word died will show that you understand what happened and are open to talking about the situation. Express your concern. For example, you could say, “I’m so sorry that this happened,” or “I’ve been thinking about you and your family.” Be real and don’t hide your feelings. It’s OK to feel awkward or unsure. The important thing is to communicate your support. For example, you could say, “I really don’t know what to say, but I want you to know that I care.” Offer your support. For example, ask, “Is there anything I can do for you?” or say, “I’m here if you need my help or want to talk.” Dealing with grief isn’t easy. It’s important to know that grief is normal, to know some of the feelings a person can expect when going through the grieving process, and to know some strategies for coping with grief in healthy ways, as well as some ways you can support others who are grieving.