The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host World Suicide Prevention Day each year.
THINGS TO SUPPORT WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY
- Raise awareness at work/school
- Reach out to someone
- Listen well
- Rethink attitudes toward mental health
- Encourage people to get help
- Awareness means changing the mindset
* Keep an eye open for the signs~!
- Comments about suicide or expressing emotional pain online
- Self-medicating in response to emotional or physical pain
- Feeling alone or isolated
- Feeling guilt, shame, anger or rage (revenge talk)
- Feeling like a burden to acquaintances or loved ones
- Feeling trapped or in immense pain
- Expressing hopelessness or no purpose to live
- Saying goodbye or making plans to escape
- Giving away items that they previously valued
- Describing methods of suicide
THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT SAY TO SOMEONE SUICIDAL:
- “It’s not that bad.” “Stay positive!” “Don’t say that.” – Don’t invalidate someone’s feelings. It won’t help them. Verbalizing your emotions and feelings is an important step towards healing.
- “I know how you feel.” “I would be devastated if you were gone.” – You can’t read someone else’s mind. Everyone’s experiences are different. This can be frustrating to the person that’s pouring their heart out to you. Don’t make the conversation about yourself.
- “You have a lot to live for.” – During a moment of depression, someone that’s suicidal is unable to count their blessings. They don’t know how to accumulate their positives. It won’t help the current situation.
- “Other people have it worse.” “You’re being selfish.” – This isn’t a contest. Everyone’s experiences are different. There isn’t a level of deserving to be depressed. Help someone with their situation and their reality, don’t compare it to others.
- “You’ll go to hell.” – Don’t bring religion into this situation. It’s not helpful during a crisis.
As someone deeply invested in mental health awareness, I want to also say that while reaching out is very important, always remember that you are not the sole salvation of another person. Offer assistance as you can, but never at the determent of your own mental health. As they say on most commercial flights: “In the event of emergency, put your oxygen mask on first.”
I want to thank everyone for reading this week. It was definitely a journey this week working on all of these different posts. Tomorrow is the last day of the National Suicide Prevention Week, so I’ll be attempting to put a ton of the DBT skills into that post. Until then, ❤️ you all!
Atelier Whootique 