September is recognized as the National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide was responsible for 48,183 deaths in 2021, making it one of the leading causes of death in America.
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month promotes lifting the stigma around mental health. Mental health issues being minimized or misunderstood can lead people to feeling alone and humiliated while struggling alone with no support.
Meaning behind the Semicolon:
Project Semicolon was founded in 2013, in which the semicolon became a symbolization for a continuation of someone’s life, rather than an end. Similarly to how an author uses a semicolon when they could have ended a sentence but chose to continue it instead. The semicolon grew to be a display of strength during a storm. The semicolon acts as a reminder in the darkest times of people’s lives that there is more to life and this is not the end.
Common Warning Signs of Suicide: (but not limited to)
- Isolating themselves from friends and family
- Discussing or engaging in self-harming behavior
- Constantly putting themselves down
- Asking questions relating to death and/or suicide
- Expressions of hopelessness and/or helplessness
- A loss of interest in hobbies or activities that they were once passionate and excited about
- Change in sleeping habits and/or eating habits
- Neglecting personal hygiene and activities of daily living
- Investing in a gun or deadly weapon
- A decline in school or work performance
- Giving away personal belongings
- Rehoming beloved pets
- Developing unhealthy habits such as drug use, excessive drinking, or unsafe promiscuous behavior
Be mindful that someone that is contemplating suicide or having suicidal thoughts may not display all these warning signs. Sometimes, people do not show any warning signs at all. Other times, warning signs may look different dependent upon the person.
How To Support the Cause
- Be informed and educate others
- Know the warning signs, so you can recognize when people may need help
- Listen without judgement
- Sometimes all people want is to be heard
- Participate in awareness events
- Getting involved in awareness events within the community like walks, or fundraising events is a great way to spread awareness to suicide prevention
- Reach out today! Not tomorrow
- Check in on people frequently
- Make it known that you care about their well-being
- A simple conversation can go a long way and make a great difference
- Change the language around suicide
- People do not “commit suicide” as the term commit is used to describe people committing crimes
- People die of suicide or die from suicide similarly to how people die from other illnesses
- Share resources
- Sharing information such as helplines and other resources with friends, family and people in the community may save lives
- Posting on social media can be helpful as it may reach someone that does not feel comfortable asking for help
- Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386
- The Trevor Lifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7 providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
- Trevor Text is available by texting “START” to 678678.
- Crisis Text Line is available by texting “HELLO” to 741741
Suicide prevention awareness is all year-round, not just in September.
If you or a loved one is in need of some support, please reach out for help.
Mental Health Support in Saginaw, MI
At Human Kind Saginaw, we have a team of experienced clinicians to offer support to everyone.
Give us a call today at 989.249.3671 to receive the help you need.
