By Kylie Jennings
Though it comes late in the year, September brings many new things: a new season, a new school year, and a renewed focus on mental health. September is Suicide Prevention Month, a month dedicated to highlighting the topic of suicide.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in America. AFSP claims that 49,476 Americans committed suicide in 2022, or about 14 of every 100,000 people in the country. As shocking as that number is, it could have been much worse: an estimated 1.6 million Americans attempted suicide that same year.
Suicide is a tragedy for many reasons, but the silence that surrounds it magnifies that tragedy. The stigma around suicide often causes people to shy away from talking about it – but talking about suicide isn’t killing us; not talking about it is. AFSP notes that 94% of adults surveyed in the U.S. think suicide can be prevented, particularly if people are able to seek help rather than taking an irrevocable step.
There is a stigma that talking about mental health and suicide causes those issues, but that is not true. Talking candidly about mental health and suicide allows people to recognize and connect with their own feelings, helping them realize that they are not alone and encouraging them to reach out for help. Those who are struggling should talk about their mental health or mental illness without being dismissed as attention-seekers. This is a brief message for those who feel like they are struggling; talking about mental health or mental illness is not attention-seeking. It is okay to not be okay. Asking for help is okay. So many people who die by suicide are often scared of being judged for asking for help. This only pushes them to consider suicide even more. We cannot allow people to continue dying in silence every day. The Happiness Project said, “We can’t live in a society that stigmatizes mental health by mournes suicide” and “accepting depression as a real illness rather than dismissing it as “sadness.”
There are ways to recognize warning signs of suicide before an attempt can happen, and there are ways to help prevent suicide as well. Warning signs include but are not limited to:
- talking as if they do not have a future, cannot see a future, or are hopeless about the future
- talking about being a burden to others
- discussing death and ways of dying
- expressing feelings of isolation and loneliness
- experiencing mood swing
- increasing their use of alcohol and/or drugs
- engaging in self-harm
- saying that a “way out” is difficult
- losing interest in things they used to enjoy
While not all of these signs will be there, maybe you cannot recognize them, and that is okay. Being educated is the first step in making a difference. If a friend or loved one shows any of those warning signs, talk with them. Listen to their concerns; ask directly if they are contemplating suicide; check in with them regularly; and let them know that help is available. At moments like that in someone’s life when they’re contemplating suicide, they need support and comfort above all else. Remember not to get angry at them. This is another big reason why people don’t often speak up if they’re struggling.
As stated above, recognizing the warning signs is the first step. There is so much more involved that could help. You do not need to try and ‘fix’ anything. Just being there physically and emotionally for a person is all they need. Remind your family and friends that you are there to support them and love and care about them. Sometimes, that is all they need.
Changing your mindset would be good as well. Instead of expecting a struggling person to reach out first, reach out to them. As mentioned above, a big reason people don’t talk about suicide and mental health is because they’re afraid of judgment. Educating yourself, as you are doing now by reading this article, is a great step in the right direction. Do not let your education stop here, though. The internet has many amazing resources on this topic.
The Happiness Project – a non-profit founded in 2017 by high school student Jake, mourning the suicide of a classmate, Nick Spaid. As Jake noted, Nick loved classic rock and wanted to be an entrepreneur. The project’s logo, a simple smiley face, is named after Nick Spaid. Nick Spaid’s mother wrote a touching tribute to him on Happinessproject.com that depicts Nick as ‘tortured by anxiety and depression’ that he masked by appearing to be like a regular teenager, dreaming of being an entrepreneur and planning to major in International Business. Since the Happiness Project has made a name for itself on social media, it has constantly brought awareness to this topic. They also run an online store selling a wide range of things, from clothes to stickers and bracelets. Fifteen percent of all of their profit from each item goes to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the other organization I mentioned before in this article.
To deter from a serious educational article and to a more personal one, this is a topic that hits home to me. I could go on for hours about this topic. I could write hundreds of pages about this, but I feel I have covered what is absolutely necessary. Suicide is scary, and we need to take it more seriously. This is not okay. Thank you for taking time out of your day to help and make this world a better place. Suicide Prevention Month is all about listening and supporting those in need. As my mother often says, “Be nice to everyone. You never know what someone else is going through.” That simple premise may help save a life.
The Suicide and Crisis hotline is available 24 hours a day in English and in Spanish. To reach the hotline, call or text 988; call 1-800-273-8255 for English, 1-866-628-9454 for Spanish, or 1-800-799-4889 for Deaf and Hard of Hearing support; or visit 988lifeline.org.
