Suicide Prevention: How You Can Help

People don’t like to talk about suicide. It makes us uncomfortable, upset, and oftentimes it’s something we simply just don’t understand. For some, it hits close to home. For others, they could never fathom knowing someone who would commit suicide. Regardless of your experience with the topic, it’s important to acknowledge the devastating reality that suicide has on many people and know how to help prevent it. Since September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, what better time than now to open the discussion?

On average, there are more than one thousand suicides on college campuses each year, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15-24.

The majority of people who commit suicide are depressed at the time and the majority of those with depression go untreated.

Although our society has come a long way in acknowledging depression as a serious illness, there is still stigma related to it. Many depressed people are told to “chin up” or “try yoga” or “get more sleep”, but this is largely ignorant advice since everyone’s depression manifests itself in different ways. Not to mention, depression is debilitating and those affected often physically cannot simply exercise more or power through it. No one would ever think to tell someone with cancer to try harder, think on the bright side, or any of the above, and depression should be no different.

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Because depression is an invisible illness, some may struggle to understand its severity. By definition, depression is “a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep” and this often leads the depressed person to suffer in everyday life, hygiene, health, and relationships. The feelings of hopelessness can lead to the conclusion that life is not worth living. This is where thoughts of suicide surface. Unfortunately, many people are ashamed of these feelings, or believe they can cope with them on their own, and so they don’t talk about it. What they don’t know is that refusing to talk about the problem sustains it.

It can be difficult to understand, let alone talk with someone about their depression, but the alternative is much worse.

So, how can you prevent suicide?

1. The first, and most important, step is that you address depression and suicide as real threats to a person’s life. This means that when a friend tells you that they feel depressed, don’t feel like waking up anymore, or hate their life, you don’t simply brush it off.
2. Ask them if they are okay. Tell them that you are there for them if they ever need to talk. Let them know that you won’t judge or look down on them for this, but don’t force them to talk if they aren’t ready. Just letting them know you are there is enough.
3. Urge them to see a professional. The key is that they seek help as soon as possible, so don’t wait until they mention thoughts of suicide or hurting themselves. Many college campuses provide free counseling to enrolled students. Offer to go with them if they feel intimidated. Remind them that seeking help does not mean they are giving up. On the contrary, it means they are still fighting.

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If you are experiencing depression, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself, know that you are never alone, that you are not broken, and that this isn’t the end for you. It gets better. Your life is not meant to be a constant struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Sometime soon, you will wake up and feel happy to be alive. Please hold on long enough to see that day.

Visit Nami.org for more information on Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and how you can help.

Call 1-800-273-TALK if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts.