Suicide Prevention and Awareness

The word suicide is not just a word or behavior but it evokes strong emotional responses when used as a term. A few feelings that prevent involvement in suicide-related concerns are fear, worry, disbelief, and wrath. As a result, avoidance- and indifference-based attitudes and behaviors emerge. However, this avoidance and indifference can be reduced and replaced with constructive activities and responses with sufficient information and the development of reasonable expectations.

Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among teenagers, according to the CDC, Center for Disease Control. According to a recent survey, the suicide rate among females is at its highest level in forty years. Numerous young people believe they lack access to tools that might improve their capacity to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health difficulties.

Whether we are a young person’s friend, parent, caregiver, sister, brother, relative, teacher, or therapist, we must be aware of the warning signs and risk factors for suicide and be ready to intervene. Both the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health offer resources for learning more. Learn about the warning signs, risk factors, and strategies to assist below.

Warning Signs of Suicide

• Talking about dying or wanting to die or kill themselves
• Talking about feeling empty, hopeless
• Talking about not having a reason to live or that others would be better off without them
• Social withdrawal and isolation
• Giving away personal items and wrapping up loose ends
• Talking about feeling trapped or feeling that there are no solutions
• Feeling unbearable emotional or physical pain
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Putting affairs in order, such as making a will
• Taking great risks that could lead to death, such as driving extremely fast
• Talking or thinking about death often
• Expressing feelings of hopelessness, guilt, or shame
• Researching or planning suicide
• Changing eating and/or sleeping patterns
• Using drugs or alcohol more frequently
• Displaying mood swings
• Saying goodbye, giving away possessions, and/or putting affairs in order

Risk Factors of Suicide

Suicide is not limited or related to any particular age group or gender, and does not have any specific cause. But there are a few risk chances that can lead to suicidal thoughts, which include –

• Depression, and other mental disorders
• Substance use
• Chronic pain
• A history of suicide attempts
• Family history of a mental disorder or substance use
• Family history of suicide
• Stressful life events (prolonged stress due to bullying, harassment, and relationship issues)
• Financial crisis
• Exposure to family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
• Presence of guns or other firearms in the home
• Having recently been released from prison or jail
• Exposure, either directly or indirectly, to others’ suicidal behavior, such as that of family members, peers, or celebrities

Psychotherapy For Suicidal Tendencies

Psychotherapy is the best way to tackle suicidal tendencies and reduce suicidal thoughts. Psychotherapists can assist the person in identifying the when, where, how, and why they begin to consider suicide and plan for treatment. The goal of this suicidal treatment can then be to teach the person with suicidal thoughts coping mechanisms and abilities. Suicidal behavior is to be avoided. Motivating the patient so that they are better equipped to handle their suicidal urges and less likely to commit suicide is another common objective of the suicidal therapist.

Certain successful therapies have been utilized in psychiatric and mental health care settings as well as investigated in controlled clinical trials to assist minimize suicidal thoughts, according to research on suicide-specific treatments.

• 1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  Regarding lowering suicidal thoughts and subsequent suicide attempts, lowering depression symptoms, and boosting hope, CBT for suicide prevention (CT-SP) has shown significant outcomes. The main objective of this therapy is to reduce suicide risk factors and improve coping skills. Also, this therapy includes relapse prevention and helps prevent subsequent suicidal behavior to ensure there are no more trials in the future.

• 2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy

  Dialectal behavior therapy is effective psychotherapy to help reduce suicidal attempts and ideation of the individual. This form of psychotherapy is more beneficial for people who have borderline personality disorder because they can learn new coping skills not just to control suicidal thoughts but to protect themselves. It also includes addressing motivational barriers, skills training in group and individual psychotherapy, skills strengthening and application in daily life with the help of a suicidal therapist.

• 3. Collaborative Assessment And Management of Suicidality

  Collaborative assessment and management of suicidality is a suicide-specific intervention that employs a variety of clinical methods and theoretical approaches. Suicidal therapy uses CAMS to better comprehend the patient’s suicidality. As a result, the suicidal therapist creates a suicide-specific treatment strategy. The focus is on identifying and treating suicidal drivers and creating an outpatient treatment plan.

• 4. Yoga, Mindfulness Exercises, And Meditation

  Physical activity, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are tried-and-true treatments that assist people with depression and other mental health issues in coping with recurrent or chronic suicide ideation and behaviors, even though they are not major interventions for lowering suicidal thoughts. As a result, these therapies need to be used in combination with counseling and other psychiatric modalities

Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day/Month

To provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, some nonprofit organizations worked together. Together they planned an awareness day called World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed on the 10th of every September. Thus, the entire month of September known as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month since 2003.

Nonprofit organizations, like International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), join forces with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host World Suicide Prevention Day. The aim is to encourage individuals to understand their surroundings, situations, and people, and also to reach in and share experiences to avoid negative or suicidal thoughts.