Suicide Prevention Month
Around our offices, there is a special “buzz” that returns in August. Our own children are back to school, we are starting our school-based programs again, and during the month of September, we advocate for Suicide Prevention Month.
Suicide Prevention is something that is gaining in interest over the past years, but especially over the past 18 months. Data is still rolling in, and we do not know the long-lasting effects of a global pandemic, but we estimate that suicides and suicide ideation has increased since March 2019. Families in isolation, jobs eliminated and online school for most, are all things that are proven risk factors for an increase. We do know that 972 Indiana lives were lost to suicide in 2019. We also know that 68% of Indiana communities reported not having enough mental health providers to meet the increased need.
With all the statistics and information, we have, there is thing we do know- Suicide is the MOST preventable form of death, and we as an educated community can work together to prevent them.
If you’ve followed us for a while, you know about one of the adult training courses we offer: QPR. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer. We like to think of it similarly to CPR- it is something that you do to keep someone alive long enough to pass them off to a trained medical professional. We offer QPR several times throughout the year, often at no cost to the participants thanks to generous corporations who have sponsored them. That is the first suggestion I offer whenever I’m asked what someone can do to help.
If you are worried about someone, the greatest prevention strategy I can give you is to open conversation. So often, I am asked if talking about suicide is going to “give someone the idea”. Quite honestly, it is the exact opposite. Talking about suicide opens the door for continual, open, and honest conversation. There is always an underlying problem the person is experiencing that has gotten to the point that the individual feels like suicide is their only way. By having that conversation, you are offering them hope and reassurance that there is help for how they are feeling.
I highly encourage all people to put the Suicide Lifelines number in their cell phone- hopefully you never need to use it, but it’s better to have it readily available should you find yourself in a situation where you need it. When talking to someone who is experiencing suicide ideation, they can call the number and you can be right there with them supporting while they talk to someone. What a lot of people do not know is that the Lifelines hotline is staffed 24/7 and can help not just talk to a person who is struggling, but can even help someone start the conversation with someone that they are worried about. The number for Lifelines is 1-800-273-TALK.
I grew up in a generation where suicide was not a topic we discussed around the dinner table. It was something we knew about, but not something that we talked about openly. I felt convicted that it was a topic worth discussing- so much so- that I wrote a speech and won the state Speech Competition in 7th grade with Suicide Prevention as the topic. I have learned a lot more since my Middle School years, but what still holds true is the need to have conversations surrounding Suicide and Mental Health.
So as Suicide Prevention Month is upon us, think about how best you can educate yourself on how to have open and honest conversations when the opportunity is there. If that means taking a QPR course we offer-sign up now. Ask a Question. Save a life.