New Suicide and Crisis Line, National Number 988

 

If you are feeling suicidal please reach out.  If you are in crisis please reach out.  Stickers from SAMHSA.

When You Fear Someone May Take Their Life

This pamphlet is from The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  It is not big on graphics and pictures, but very good on the information provided.
90 percent of people who commit suicide are suffering from a treatable mental disorder including: depression, bipolar depression, alcohol abuse or dependence, schizophrenia, post traumatic stress, drug abuse, eating disorder or personality disorder.  Most of these disorders are recognizable and treatable.  Another telling sign for suicide risk is past attempts.  Access to easy means is also a risk factor. 
Things that could signal risk for suicide include suicide threats or threats to hurt others, looking for means to commit suicide, talking or writing about death and suicide plans.  Other warning signs include withdrawing form family and friends, increased alcohol or substance use, engaging in violent behaviors and acting reckless. 
If someone mentions they are suicidal it should be taken seriously.  Be willing to listen.  If you see signs don't be afraid to ask if the person is considering suicide.  Don's try to argue the person out of suicide. 
Seek professional help.  Persons contemplating suicide sometimes don't think they can get help, but there is help available.  In an acute crisis do not leave the person alone, remove means for suicide--fire arms, pills, knives, etc.  Take the person to a crisis center, or lacking this to the nearest hospital.  9-1-1 is always an option; as are suicide prevention lines.  1-800-273-8255 is a national hotline.  Santa Clara County the hotline is 1-855-278-4204.
Persons with suicidal thoughts often hesitate to seek treatment.  You can support them in seeking treatment.  Also medications have side effects and you can help them through this.  It is also important to stick with treatment.  The first medication is not always the right medication.

Suicide and Crisis Line

Talking Points: 13 Reasons Why

I don't do this often, but thought it important to deliver the message in this flyer from the Jed Foundation.  You can click on the header for the original location.  

13 REASONS WHY

www.save.org | www.jedfoundation.org

13 Reasons Why is a fictional story based on a widely known novel and is meant to be a cautionary tale.

You may have similar experiences and thoughts as some of the characters in 13RW. People often identify

with characters they see on TV or in movies. However, it is important to remember that there are healthy

ways to cope with the topics covered in 13RW and acting on suicidal thoughts is not one of them.

If you have watched the show and feel like you need support or someone to talk to, reach out. Talk with a

friend, family member, a counselor, or therapist. There is always someone who will listen.

Suicide is not a common response to life’s challenges or adversity. The vast majority of people who

experience bullying, the death of a friend, or any other adversity described in 13RW do not die by suicide.

In fact, most reach out, talk to others and seek help or find other productive ways of coping. They go on to

lead healthy, normal lives.

Suicide is never a heroic or romantic act. Hannah's suicide (although fictional) is a cautionary tale, not

meant to appear heroic and should be viewed as a tragedy.

It is important to know that, in spite of the portrayal of a serious treatment failure in 13RW, there are many

treatment options for life challenges, distress and mental illness. Treatment works.

Suicide affects everyone and everyone can do something to help if they see or hear warning signs that

someone is at risk of suicide.

Talking openly and honestly about emotional distress and suicide is ok. It will not make someone more

suicidal or put the idea of suicide in their mind. If you are concerned about someone, ask them about it.

Knowing how to acknowledge and respond to someone who shares their thoughts of emotional distress or

suicide with you is important. Don’t judge them or their thoughts. Listen. Be caring and kind. Offer to stay

with them. Offer to go with them to get help or to contact a crisis line.

How the guidance counselor in 13RW responds to Hannah's thoughts of suicide is not appropriate and not

typical of most counselors. School counselors are professionals and a trustworthy source for help. If your

experience with a school counselor is unhelpful, seek other sources of support such as a crisis line.

While not everyone will know what to say or have a helpful reaction, there are people who do, so keep

trying to find someone who will help you. If someone tells you they are suicidal, take them seriously and

get help.

When you die you do not get to make a movie or talk to people any more. Leaving messages from beyond

the grave is a dramatization produced in Hollywood and is not possible in real life.

Memorializing someone who died by suicide is not a recommended practice. Decorating someone’s locker

who died by suicide and/or taking selfies in front of such a memorial is not appropriate and does not honor

the life of the person who died by suicide.

Hannah's tapes blame others for her suicide. Suicide is never the fault of survivors of suicide loss. There

are resources and support groups for suicide loss survivors.

TALKING POINTS

If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide... Talking points by:

Text START to 741-741

Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Pamphlet Review: Suicide: How faith Communities Can Provide Hope and Promote Healing

This is an interesting pamphlet form Mental Health Ministries and distributed by National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.  We here so much about suicide, 1,000,000 people attempt suicide.  In the United States this accounts for 36,000 deaths annually.  Risk factors include previous attempt, depression, alcohol or drug abuse, family history of suicide, physical illness or chronic pain.  Most people who complete a suicide give some warning, either giving away possessions, impulsive purchase of a firearm, or obtaining other means of killing oneself.  As an individual you can acknowledge the pain of those who are in need, talk to them and listen, don't be afraid to ask if someone is contemplating suicide, ask if they are seeing a therapist or taking medication, help them get help or to a safe environment.  Do not try to argue someone out of suicide.  Let them know you care and they are not alone.  As for the faith community there is a need to talk openly about suicide, and provide information.  Mental illness is a treatable illness, no a moral or spiritual issue.  Be aware of local resources and hotlines.  In Santa Clara County the line is 1-855-278-4202

**SuicideisPreventable.org

You should always be aware of where others may be coming from.  You may save a life

**My3: Suicide Prevention App

http://www.my3app.org/

**American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Here is a link to a page with ideas for suicide prevention.  You can help save a life.
http://www.afsp.org/preventing-suicide/warning-signs-and-risk-factors

**Spanish Language Crisis Line in the Bay Area

The county of San Francisco has agreed to have Spanish speaking crisis counselors available on their crisis line afternoons and evenings 1-9.  Other lines may have to use interpretive services.

**National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives 2001

I am looking at some National goals 12 years after the fact.  The goals and objectives were redone in 2012.

Goal #1  Promote awareness that suicide is a public health problem that is preventable.

One of the objectives for this goal is increase the number of public service campaigns.  Outside of the mental health community, I am not sure how effective we have been in this area.

 

Goal 2: Develop Broad-based Support for Suicide Prevention

One objective here is to increase public/private collaboration.  Another objective is to integrate suicide prevention in professional and other groups.  I know it is a big part of education and licensure for social workers and other help professions.

Goal 3: Develop and Implement Strategies to Reduce the Stigma Associated with Being a Consumer of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Suicide Prevention Services.

There has been a slow push for parity with medical insurances with regards to treatment of behavioral health being equal to physical health.  The only great push in this area that I have noticed was the discourse of Elder Holland at the last conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2013/10/jeffrey-r-holland-speaks-of-compassion.html

Goal 4: Develop and Implement Community-Based Suicide Prevention Programs  As a result of this goal we now have a national suicide hotline, which is actually answered locally in most cases.  Many of the local hotlines have gone through a national certification to be included.  1-800-273-2855

Goal 5:  Promote Efforts to Reduce Access to Lethal Means and Methods of Self-Harm This objective could be alarming to gun rights advocates, but reduced access does not necessarily mean gun control.  This area should include better safety measures, and ways to keep guns safe.  Also included are proper disposal of medications and manufacturing cars in such a way as to make carbon monoxide poisoning more difficult.

Goal 6: Implement Training for Recognition of At-Risk Behavior and Delivery of Effective Treatment

  There is a campaign among the professional community to recognize at-risk signs.  This is spilling over into the population in general.

Goal 7: Develop and Promote Effective Clinical and Professional Practices 

Goal 8:  Increase Access to and Community Linkages with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services  This is a tricky area which is influenced by budgets, and most often budget cuts recently.

Goal 9: Improve Reporting and Portrayals of Suicidal Behavior, Mental Illness, and Substance Abuse in the Entertainment and News Media  I do not know how to judge the media, but for myself I have seen no change

Goal 10: Promote and Support Research on Suicide and Suicide Prevention

This is an area which is slowly developing

Goal 11: Improve and Expand Surveillance Systems

This sounds scary, but I th ink they are hoping for better reporting of suicide so numbers will be more accurate.  This includes investigation of all deaths which may be attributable to suicide or other violent causes.

The biggest judge of the effectiveness of what we are doing would be by adecrease in suicides.  However the opposite has been true, a slight increase.  You can argue the increase could have been more, or that we are more aware of and report suicide more often, but the bottom line is to this point there has not been a decrease in suicides. 

**What Would You Do if You Knew that I Want to Commit Suicide

This is the front, and an inside page to this pamphlet in Spanish. What would you do if you knew I was thinking of suicide?  This pamphlet answers this question with three answers.
1) First recognize the signs.  The pamphlet explains that recognizing signs of suicide can be difficult.  If you have a sense something is wrong, go with your feelings.
This our clues to look for:
Talking about suicide or wanting to die
Feeling without hope, desperate or trapped
Giving away possessions
Rage or anger
Increase in consumption of alcohol or drugs
Distancing self from others
Feeling anxious or agitated
Change in sleep pattern
Sudden changes in humor
Feeling useless

2)  Second is to communicate, to talk; to ask "Are you thinking of suicide"  This pamphlet suggests starting the conversation.  Mention the things you have observed, the things that are worrying you.  Ask are you thinking of suicide, listen.

3) Look for help.  This pamphlet suggests
911 for emergency situations,
  for advice and direction
http://elsuicidioesprevenible.org/
The national hotline is

1 (800) 273 8255

**Suicide Prevention

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6YzgGGCxLQ&feature=youtu.be

In our internal email, this suicide prevention video was mentioned.  I worked with the suicide and crisis line for three or four years.  Thee are people able to listen.  There number is now 1-855-278-4204.
A friend at work mentioned that a girl from Fremont, who goes to her daughter's high school, recently committed suicide.  Please, take advantage of the numbers offered.  Please reach out.  You are of worth.  You are precious to God.  You are precious to others.

**What Would You Do if You Knew that I Want to Commit Suicide

This is the front, and an inside page to this pamphlet in Spanish. What would you do if you knew I was thinking of suicide?  This pamphlet answers this question with three answers.
1) First recognize the signs.  The pamphlet explains that recognizing signs of suicide can be difficult.  If you have a sense something is wrong, go with your feelings.
This our clues to look for:
Talking about suicide or wanting to die
Feeling without hope, desperate or trapped
Giving away possessions
Rage or anger
Increase in consumption of alcohol or drugs
Distancing self from others
Feeling anxious or agitated
Change in sleep pattern
Sudden changes in humor
Feeling useless

2)  Second is to communicate, to talk; to ask "Are you thinking of suicide"  This pamphlet suggests starting the conversation.  Mention the things you have observed, the things that are worrying you.  Ask are you thinking of suicide, listen.

3) Look for help.  This pamphlet suggests
911 for emergency situations,
  for advice and direction
http://elsuicidioesprevenible.org/
The national hotline is

1 (800) 273 8255

**Suicide is Preventable

http://www.suicideispreventable.org/

Each Circle adds something you might watch out for: Increased alcohol or drug use, Reckless behavior; Anxiety or agitation; Changes in sleep' Withdrawal; Anger; Sudden mood changes; Talking about wanting to die or suicide; Putting affairs in order; Feeling Hopeless, helpless, desperate; no sense of purpose; Giving away possessions.  The number given is the national suicide line.  The line for Santa Clara County is 1-855-278-4204.   

Prior crisis line numbers are old.  The number is now 988 text or call.

**Documentary:The Bridge (Suicide) and My Thoughts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhARXu3wWDc
This is a documentary that was presented on HBO.  It was a bit difficult to watch. I had to do it in several parts.  If this subject is a problem for someone, it would be best they not watch.  The Bridge is a 2006 documentary film by Eric Steel that tells the stories of a handful of few individuals who committed suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge in 2004.  They had two cameras filming the bridge  during daylight hours.
This movie was introduced to me at a training I attended this week at work dealing with "Mental Health First Aid."  In the training the presented just one story, of the individual who jumped and survived.  They trainers were making the point that perhaps if someone how, there were times when, if a mental health first aid intervention had been offered, the individual may not have jumped. 
This movie is very impactful.  I don't know how many suicides were taped in the making of this film, but there were several, and many were shown.  The movie becomes more personal as they talk to survivors of suicide, and then show the suicide.  There is one case where someone is able to pull someone back over the railing.
The movie contends that more suicides have taken place here than any other place in the world. 
I was impressed with the showing, and telling of the stories of people in pain.  Some suffered from depression, or other mental illnesses.  Some were homeless, some with substance issues.  There abuse were 24 suicides in 2004 off the bridge.  There were those with relationship issues, and those with loss issues.  It helped me as a mental health worker to step back, and see people as individuals in pain, rather than just callers, or clients. 
Before leaving this some words of advice from someone who has manned the suicide and crisis line, and after-hours line for most of my professional career, 30 years now.  Do not be afraid to ask someone if they are contemplating suicide.  Don't no be afraid to ask, because the asking might save someone's life.  But also be prepared to give some assitance if the answer is "yes." You can refer to a crisis line:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-talk
Santa Clara County Suicide Line  1-855-278-4204
You can explore self-help resources: a friend, a parent, a church leader, a coach whoever.
However: always take it seriously.  Do not minimize how someone else feels.  People hurt, and need support sometimes to make it through a rough period.  Professional help is available: 911, nearest emergency room, county mental health Santa Clara County 1-800-704-0500.
If you would have trouble seeing someone jump to their death, do not watch this movie.  It shows several jumpers, and follows some as they fall.