Suicide Prevention Month provides a dedicated time to come together with passion and strength to address this difficult topic. We can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life. Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues.
September is World Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month - a time to remember the lives lost to suicide, acknowledge the millions more who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and the many individuals, families and communities that have been impacted by suicide. It’s also a time to raise awareness about suicide prevention and share messages of hope.
Here we will cover warning signs, risk factors, protective factors, passive vs active suicidal thoughts, the role of the suicide hotline (988) and when to seek additional support. At the end of the blog you will find a list of resources.
Suicide Warning Signs:
Things ones might say:
"I feel like a burden to my loved ones"
"I want to die"
"I feel trapped"
"I have no reason to live"
"I am so tired of the pain"
Behaviors:
Using substances such as alcohol or drugs.
Isolating from loved ones.
Withdrawing from activities.
Giving away important possessions.
Sleep differences.
Reckless behavior.
Increased aggression or irritability.
Searching for a way to kill themselves, collecting a method for suicide.
Visiting or calling people to say goodbye.
Mood:
Loss of interest in once pleasurable activities.
Depression and anxiety.
Irritability or rage.
Humiliation.
Any significant change in mood.
Suicide risk factors:
Previous efforts to complete suicide.
Easy access to lethal means.
Experiencing a trauma or major life event such as grief.
Having pre-existing mental health conditions or diagnosis.
Serious illness such as chronic illness.
Job/financial problems.
Social isolation or loss of relationships.
High conflict or violent relationships.
Lack of access to healthcare or mental health services.
Many others.
Protective factors against suicide:
Effective coping and problem-solving skills.
Reasons to stay alive.
Strong sense of cultural identity.
Feeling connected to others and a community.
Support from loved ones.
Availability of consistent and high quality healthcare.
Access to treatment for mental health concerns.
Reduced access to lethal means.
Cultural, religious, or moral objections suicide.
Many others.
Active vs Passive Suicidal Thoughts:
Active suicidal ideation is characterized by having a specific plan or intent to take one’s own life. It goes beyond mere thoughts and involves a clear intention to carry out self-harm. This is a critical distinction, as active suicidal ideation demands immediate attention and intervention from mental health professionals or support networks. Active suicidal ideation factors include:
Intent and Planning: Active suicidal ideation involves thoughts of suicide with a clear intent or desire to end one’s life. In this state, the individual may actively plan or have a specific intention to carry out a suicide attempt.
Higher Risk: Active suicidal ideation is generally considered a higher-risk situation because there is a greater likelihood that the individual may take immediate action to harm themselves.
Emergency: When someone is experiencing active suicidal ideation, it is typically considered an emergency, and immediate intervention is needed to ensure their safety. This may involve hospitalization or crisis intervention to prevent a suicide attempt.
Passive suicidal ideation involves thoughts of death or a desire to die without a specific plan or intent to act on these thoughts. Those experiencing passive suicidal ideation may feel overwhelmed by the challenges they face, but they have not yet formulated concrete plans or taken steps toward self-harm. These thoughts can be distressing and intrusive, often causing significant emotional pain. Passive suicidal ideation factors include:
Lack of Intent: Passive suicidal ideation involves thoughts of death or suicide without a specific intent to act on these thoughts. Individuals with passive ideation may wish they were dead or think about what it would be like to die, but they may not have a concrete plan or desire to carry out self-harm.
Lower Immediate Risk: While passive suicidal ideation is a concerning sign of emotional distress and should not be dismissed, it is generally considered to be at a lower immediate risk compared to active ideation.
Still Serious: Passive suicidal ideation should not be taken lightly, as it can progress to active ideation, especially if the underlying issues causing the distress are not addressed. It is important to provide support and professional help for individuals with passive ideation to prevent escalation.
The Suicide Hotline:
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. 988 operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week across the United States and its territories.
Here is what to expect when dialing the suicide hotline. There are options for call, text, online chat, and ASL now. 988 breaks the process down into 5 steps:
First, you will hear a message for service selection options.
Next, you will be placed on hold while you are connected with a counselor.
Then a counselor will answer your call and introduce themselves.
Your counselor will ask if you are safe.
After they inquire about your personal safety, the counselor will listen to you, understand how your problem is affecting you, provide support, and share any resources that may be helpful.
The steps vary based on the the option you select, the above are the steps for calling the hotline.
When to seek additional help:
Asking for help is one of the hardest things we can do. If you find yourself experiencing suicidal thoughts it is vital you ask for help. You don't have to go through it along - getting connected with a mental health professional and beginning counseling services can offer you support. A therapist can offer tailored interventions for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, a mental health professional can address other elements of your mental health that might be contributing to these thoughts.
At Balanced Minds Psychology & Wellness we specialize in assisting individuals navigating life’s challenges. To learn more about me and the services I provide, checkout my profile. If you are ready to start the therapy process, contact us today to start a free consultation.
Additional Resources:
Below is a list of resources in the United States:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support via phone or chat for people in distress, resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Includes information on finding your local crisis center. Phone: 988 Website: http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
BeThe1To: Embodying the ethos that everyone that takes action to prevent suicide, # BeThe1To details the five evidence based steps that any individual can take to help someone that is in suicidal crisis, as well as stories of recovery. Website: http://bethe1to.com
Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator: Offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the behavioral health treatment services locator offers confidential and anonymous sources of information for persons seeking treatment facilities in the United States for substance abuse/addiction and/or mental health problems. Website: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: Is NOT a child abuse reporting hotline. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, literature, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are confidential. Phone: 1-800-4 A CHILD (1-800-422-4453) Website: https://www.childhelp.org/hotline/ Service Area: The United States, its territories, and Canada.
Compassionate Friends: Provides support for bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents who have lost a child. Chapter meetings are open to families that have experienced the death of a child at any age, including pre-birth, from any cause. Supports chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam as well as chapters in more than 30 other countries. Also offers “virtual chapters” providing support online. Serves all ages, any children attending should be old enough to understand the meeting discussions and not be upset by them. Some chapters have sibling groups for children 12 or older. Chapter Locator: http://www.compassionatefriends.org/Find_Support/Chapters/Chapter_Locator.aspx
Crisis Text Line: Crisis Text Line is a free, 24/7 support texting service for those in crisis. Website: http://www.crisistextline.org
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender National Help Center offering the following four programs and services:
A) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Youth Talkline: National telephone, online private one-to-one chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources for cities and towns across the United States. Assists with coming-out issues, relationship concerns, parent issues, school problems, HIV/AIDS anxiety and safer-sex information, and more. Maintains a resource database with 15,000 listings containing information on youth groups, social and support organizations, as well as gay-friendly religious organizations, sports leagues, student groups and more. Phone: 1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743) Hours: Monday-Friday from 4pm-12am, EST; Saturday from 12-5pm, EST Website: http://www.glnh.org/talkline/ Ages Served: Teens and young adults up to age 25
B) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Hotline: Provides telephone, online private one-to-one chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources for cities and towns across the United States. Assists with coming-out issues, relationship concerns, bullying, workplace issues, HIV/AIDS anxiety and safer-sex information, and more. Maintains a resource database with 15,000 listings containing information on social and support groups, as well as gay-friendly religious organizations, sports leagues, student groups, lawyers, doctors and various counseling professionals Phone: 1-888-843-4564 Hours: Monday-Friday from 4pm-12am, EST; Saturday from 12-5pm, EST Website: http://www.glbthotline.org/national-hotline.html Ages Served: All ages
C) GLBT Online Peer Support: Chat Free, confidential, one on one peer support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning people. Volunteer-run service, not a casual chat service or a substitute for ongoing professional counseling Website: https://www.volunteerlogin.org/chat/index.html; Hours: Monday-Friday from 4pm-12am, EST; Saturday from 12-5pm, EST Ages Served: All ages
D) Trans Teens Online Talk Group: A weekly moderated group for transgender teens to talk about concerns, issues and personal victories in a safe space and to be able to fully express themselves without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Giving out personal contact information is prohibited. Website: https://www.glbthotline.org/transteens.html Hours: Wednesdays from 7-9pm, EST Ages Served: 12-19 year olds
Love Is Respect: (formerly known as the National Dating Abuse Helpline) Engages, educates and empowers young people to prevent and end abusive relationships. Trained peer advocates offer support, information and advocacy to young people who have questions or concerns about their dating relationships. Also provides information and support to concerned friends and family members, teachers, counselors, service providers and members of law enforcement. Phone: 1-866-331-9474 Text: 22522 (Message and Data rates apply) Online Chat: http://www.loveisrespect.org Website: http://www.loveisrespect.org Hours: 24/7 (Phone, text and chat)
National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI Helpline offers education and information about mental health issues including symptoms of mental health conditions, treatment options, local support groups, and helping family members get treatment. NAMI does not offer counseling. Phone: 1-800-950-6264 Website: http://www.nami.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline: The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides lifesaving tools and immediate support to enable victims to find safety and live lives free of abuse. Callers to The Hotline can expect highly trained, experienced advocates to offer compassionate support, crisis intervention information and referral services. Phone: 1-800-799-7233 Website: http://www.thehotline.org
National Eating Disorder: The National Eating Disorders Association supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. Phone: 1-800-931-2237 Website: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
RAINN–Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network: RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, which runs the National Sexual Assault Hotline and offers support, guidance, and advocacy for those who have been affected by sexual assault or violence. Phone: 1-800-656-4673 Website: https://www.rainn.org
Reporting on Suicide: Free guidelines for responsible reporting and storytelling related to suicide. Website: http://reportingonsuicide.org S.A.F.E. Self-injury (Information only) Offering education and support, SAFE Alternatives works to promote healthy choices over self-injury. Educational-only. Phone: 1-800-366-8288 Website: http://www.rainn.org
SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator: An online source of information for persons seeking treatment facilities for substance abuse/addiction and/or mental health problems. Website: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
Stomp Out Bullying is an anti-bullying organization focused on reducing and preventing bullying, cyberbullying, sexting and other digital abuse, educating against homophobia, racism and hatred, decreasing school absenteeism, and deterring violence in schools, online and in communities across the country. Website: http://www.stompoutbullying.org/
Stop Bullying: StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying. Website: http://www.stopbullying.gov
The Trevor Project: founded in 1998, is a leading national crisis intervention service aimed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people between ages 13–24. Their hotline is available 24/7 and offers phone, texting, and chat services. Phone: 1-212-695-8650 Website: http://www.thetrevorproject.org
Trans Lifeline Hotline: staffed by transgender people for transgender people and gender non-conforming people. Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs members of the community might have. The line is primarily for transgender people experiencing a crisis. This includes people who may be struggling with their gender identity and are not sure that they are transgender. It connects callers with services that can help them meet their needs whenever possible. Phone: 1-877-565-8860 (United States); 1-877-330-6366 (Canada) Website: http://www.translifeline.org/ Ages Served: All ages
2-1-1: 211 Free. Provides information and referral (I&R) services connecting people to local community government, non-profit and faith-based services. Types of services listed in 2-1-1 databases include (but are not limited to): Food, Shelter, Transportation, Mental Health Services, Legal Assistance, Environmental, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child Care, Aging Services, Youth Services and more. 2-1-1 services are provided by a wide range of contact centers across the country. Phone: 211 Website: http://www.211.org
International Association for Suicide Prevention: IASP is dedicated to preventing suicidal behavior, alleviate its effects, and provide a forum for academics, mental health professionals, crisis workers, and suicide survivors. IASP offers a considerable library of international suicide prevention efforts. Website: https://www.iasp.info
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