Suicide Awareness

It will be two years on June ninth and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting on my bed that night when my phone rang. Which was odd considering the time of the night… my mother never called me that late so I knew that it must have been important. I can remember her voice saying that my uncle had chosen to end his life merely an hour before she called. My heart raced as tears filled my eyes. And I remember that all I could say was “No,” over and over again. It was a constant loop that echoed through my lips. You see we all knew that my uncle suffered from depression; there was even a point when he had to go to rehab for drug/alcohol addiction. Which all runs in the family, but nobody said anything or really even tried to help. Not even when he purchased the gun. A week before I had sent him an e-mail trying to reach out, but it went unanswered. Now here I am trying to hopefully raise some awareness about suicide.

Suicide is defined as ending one’s own life by tragic means and can leave the survivors with a strong emotional response. There are often strong emotional repercussions. In 2015, more than 44,000 people ended their lives. That is a staggering number in my opinion. Many suicide prevention lines are focused on helping teenagers and young people, the highest demographic for suicides are actually people ages 45 to 54 years old. And men are especially susceptible; as they are four times more likely than women to want to end their lives for whatever the reason may be. Suicide is a scary word as well as a scary thought people.

In times life can be overwhelming and things can get scary. We might even go through things that we can’t properly deal with. Lord knows that I am an expert on not dealing with my issues. But as I have found out there is always a way. Suicide does nothing except tear families apart and leave children without their parent/parents.

There are people to talk to and people who understand. If anyone hears someone displaying suicidal tendencies than we should do what we can to help them… to reach out. Because in the end, we all need a helping hand every once in awhile.

Things that will help:

1. Listening
2. Taking away sharp objects
3. Being there for the person
4. Implement a Safety Plan
5. Take away any extra medication

Pain isn't always obvious, but most suicidal people show some signs that they are thinking about suicide. If you see even one warning sign, step in or speak up. You are not alone in helping someone in crisis. There are many resources available to assess, treat and intervene. Crisis lines, counselors, intervention programs, and more are available to you, as well as to the person experiencing the emotional crisis.

Also be aware that sometimes certain anniversaries of a traumatic event can trigger a suicidal response. If you do try to talk someone off the edge than you should be careful what you chose to use as far as speaking to them. Never use the word suicide or say things like "don't do anything crazy". Because it could trigger them to think that you are calling them crazy or talking down to them. Which is not the case.

There are many people whom just need someone that will listen to them in their time of need. Will you be their shoulder to cry on?