Just talk to someone. The advice is deceptively simple, and can save a life.
Delisa Guadarrama, a child psychiatrist at DHR Health Behavioral Hospital, said people often wonder how they can help someone who may have suicidal tendencies. Sometimes, she said simply asking someone if they’re OK can make a big difference.
She shared these thoughts Wednesday in observance of September being National Suicide Awareness Month.
For Guadarrama one of the key factors in suicide prevention is to check in on loved ones, friends, or even colleagues. Merely showing interest is a gesture of kindness that can go a long way.
Guadarrama referenced various mental health resources that provided further information on the complexities of mental health and how one can help prevent suicides.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for instance, encourages starting a conversation, providing support and directing help to those in need can save lives.
Suicide is among the leading causes of death for people between 10 and 34 years old. In 2020 there was one suicide approximately every 11 minutes across the country, according to the Crisis Lifeline.
Although communication is Guadarrama’s first recommendation she also suggests motivating loved ones who are struggling with mental health, to reach out to services available to them such as a therapist or contacting the newly established suicide hotline.
On July 16, 2020, Congress established a new dialing code, 988, as the official hotline that operates through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The hotline operates 24/7 all year.
The goal of the hotline is to provide those struggling with thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other emotional distress with a trained crisis counselor who can help people.
One can call or text the hotline at 988 or chat with someone on 988lifeline.org.
While it is important to be attentive to those who show signs of suicidal thoughts, Guadarrama also believes it is important to be courteous toward the family and friends of those who have lost someone to suicide.
“There are family members affected by people who (died by) suicide, who take their lives by suicide and it’s the person who committed suicide that we grieve but we also need to remember the people who are breathing for them,” Guadarrama said. “Whether it is a colleague, a family member, a child, those people are impacted not just at that moment or during that period of time but for years afterward.
“I think that is a big struggle that people still haven’t embraced.”
