Suicide is preventable. That is the central message of National Suicide Prevention Week each September. The week is a time to recognize the tragedy of suicide and take steps to reduce the number of suicides in our communities. Each year, tens of thousands of Americans die from suicide, and over a million Americans attempt suicide. Each suicide that National Suicide Prevention Week can prevent from happening is a life saved and a tragedy avoided for a family.
In this article, we share ways that anyone can get involved in National Suicide Prevention Week. Participating can be both simple and effective, and every effort to help prevent suicide counts. We then detail how one can identify when a person is at risk of suicide, and we share steps one can take to help the at-risk individual. Additionally, we share several treatment programs that can help people who suffer from mental health conditions. Mental health treatment is essential, as when mental health conditions become unmanageable, they can lead to suicide.
Participating in National Suicide Prevention Week 2020
Anyone can participate in National Suicide Prevention Week, and simple actions can have a significant positive impact on at-risk people. One way to participate in National Suicide Prevention Week is by taking part in a suicide awareness social media campaign. Among several organizations, the National Alliance on Mental Illness offers ready-to-go social media graphics for suicide prevention. To take part in the campaign, you can share the ready-to-go content with your friends and followers.
Another way to participate in National Suicide Prevention Week is by taking part in the #BeThe1To campaign from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. While this campaign also has a social media component, the campaign promotes five actions to take with people who may be suicidal. The #BeThe1To campaign’s five actions are: (1) ask, (2) be there, (3) keep them safe, (4) help them connect, and (5) follow up. The set of actions offers a blueprint for safely and effectively engaging with an individual who may be suicidal. If someone in your life may be suicidal, you can use the #BeThe1To campaign’s five steps to help a person in need.
National Suicide Prevention Week occurs each September from the 6th to the 12th. The week covers World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th. While National Suicide Prevention Week is, of course, just a week-long, we encourage you to raise awareness of suicide prevention and lend your support to others throughout the year.
How to identify when a person is at risk of suicide
To help prevent suicide, one needs to identify who is at risk in their community. While not everyone who is at risk shows warning signs of suicide, many people do. One common warning sign is if the person exhibits mood swings, increased irritability, or sudden changes in their sleeping pattern. Those changes may indicate depression and other mental health conditions, which can eventually lead to suicide. A second warning sign is if the person appears to have the idea of death on their mind. They may bring up death in conversation repeatedly or make jokes about death, and that behavior may be a call for help. Lastly, another common warning sign of a person being at risk is if they begin to disregard their safety or well-being. The person may increasingly engage in dangerous or self-destructive behavior, such as substance abuse.
If you notice that a person shows warning signs of being suicidal, you can take action to help them. An excellent first step is to talk to the person and ask them how they are doing. As the #BeThe1To campaign indicates, you can ask the person directly if they are thinking about suicide. Bringing up suicide can let the person know that you are open to talking about the subject. Additionally, studies on asking about suicide show that asking does not increase instances of suicide. Once you talk with the person, you can refer them to resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where they can talk with a trained professional for free at any time of day or night.
Remember that some situations require immediate in-person help from first responders. If you or someone else is at immediate risk of hurting themselves or others, call 911.
How Desert Parkway Behavioral Healthcare Hospital can help at-risk individuals
Untreated mental health conditions can become overwhelming for a person, and the person may wrongly consider suicide to be the only way out of their struggle. Fortunately, mental health treatment programs can help treat the underlying mental health conditions. Proper treatment can help a person can regain control of their mental health and reduce the risk of the person dying from suicide.
At Desert Parkway Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, we understand the importance of treating mental health for suicide prevention, and we offer a range of mental health treatment programs for people at risk of suicide. We offer adult inpatient mental health programs, and we also offer partial hospitalization programs for adults who wish to stay at home each night. We also provide mental health treatment programs for adolescents.
