National Suicide Awareness Month: Know the Signs

 As September marks National Suicide Awareness Month, our team felt it was important to talk about it. Suicide has impacted so many of every age, race, and income level. Please remember, you are NOT alone. Check out these statistics: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young adults ages 18-24, and the second to adults ages 25-34. This means that every single day, about 121 people will choose to end their lives. For many people, suicide is hard to wrap their minds around. For others who have felt the pain suicide brings to those left behind, they desperately want to give hope to others. 

Here are some common warning signs

1. Talking about wanting to kill oneself (It's estimated that 50 to 75% of people who attempt suicide hint about their plans in some way).

2. Describe feeling trapped, unbearable pain, or hopeless

3. Describe feeling like a burden to others

4. Excessive sleeping or not sleeping enough

5. Acting anxiously or recklessly (i.e. unsafe sex, reckless driving, excessive use of drugs and alcohol)

6. Withdrawing and isolating oneself; losing interest in things they once cared about

7. Extreme mood swings and unexpected rage

8. Sudden calmness or clarity (may indicate that they have reached a decision to commit suicide)

9. Making preparations, such as giving away possessions, visiting family and friends, buying a firearm or poison, writing a will, etc. 

10. Always talking and/or thinking about death and dying.

If you see any of the signs in someone you love or you need someone to talk to, please reach out to someone. You can call the National Suicide Hotline at all hours of the day at 1-800-273-8255.

If you want to help, the non-profit organization ‘To Write Love on Her Arms’ provides a great chance to do so. TWLOHA provides sufferers of depression and other mental disorders with hope, and invests donations directly to treatment and recovery efforts. To read more about this organization and donate, please visit https://twloha.com/.

Remember, while suicide often occurs in the younger population, it affects the elderly as well. The elderly population accounts for 18% of all suicides. For more information on this issue, please visit www.aamft.org/iMIS15/AAMFT/Content/Consumer_Updates/Suicide_in_the_Elderly.aspx.

While the issue of suicide cannot be solved overnight, help from people like you can bring us closer to finding a solution.