Suicide is the highest cause of deaths among any medical illness for children and teens. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and the rates are increasing.
Now more than ever, during a mental health pandemic, we should provide effective resources and interventions for youth who need it the most. Suicide prevention should be tackled from an individual, community, state-wide, and national level. For this blog post, I am going to focus on what you and can I do to help prevent suicide and improve the quality of people’s lives- so that their life is worth living.
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SUICIDE IS A SYMPTOM OF DEPRESSION
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Suicidal thoughts, or thoughts about death, can occur in context of feeling hopeless, like a burden on others, and loss of interest in activities. Depression looks different in children, teens, and adults.
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When individuals are depressed, all they can see is life through their depression. Imagine if I gave you my prescription glasses (and we have very different eyes). What would you see? Everything would look blurry, right? That is what depression can do, too. At times of intense emotions and deep sadness, suicide can seem like a solution to a problem.
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The goal: find more effective problem-solving strategies, increase hope, cultivate connections with loved ones, and create a life that is worth living for and does not cause suffering.
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REMOVING ACCESS TO LETHAL MEANS SAVES LIVES
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While individuals who are depressed may not think to use these objects when emotions are less intense, they may be more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors if objects are readily available in times of crisis.
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Thankfully, science and research have paved the way for some excellent suicide prevention tips. This is not the only method to prevent suicide, but it is a very important step.
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3. FAMILY AND FRIEND SUPPORT IS KEY
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If you are worried about someone’s level of suicide risk, have an open, honest, and supportive conversation. Asking about suicide does not cause suicide. Asking about suicide can show them that you are willing to have challenging conversations.
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Managing and regulating your own emotions is important. These are hard conversations to have and it is so normal to have your own emotions arise (sadness, worry, fear- all normal!).
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Check out my @drrozmid Instagram posts below for more information:
4. THERE ARE TREATMENTS THAT WORK
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy have been studied in research trials testing the effectiveness of these therapies. While not perfect, these treatments are state-of-the-art therapies that teach individuals how to effectively cope with stressful situations, regulate difficult emotions, and engage in behaviors they once enjoyed (work, spending time with family, etc.).
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If you want to learn more about therapy, check out my other blog posts on CBT, virtual therapy, and Corona-Blues vs Depression
You can also check out these websites to learn more about Suicide Prevention:
