Risk Factors
- Mental health condition
- Prior suicide attempt
- Access to firearms or medications
- Family history of suicide
- Loss of loved one or significant relationship
Warning Signs
- Threatening suicide
- Looking for guns, medications or other lethal means of self harm
- Talking, writing, drawing about death or dying
Look for risk factors & warning signs
in this case study:
Anyone describing Alexandra would say she was brilliant, beautiful, gifted and good-natured. Her parents love her and are very supportive as is her close circle of friends. As a senior in high school, her future looks promising.
But two years ago in January, she plunged into a terrible depression. The funk lasted almost until September. The fall went well, but by winter she was feeling depressed again, helpless and hopeless for no apparent reason. Even though they put her on medication, she hated the way it made her feel and stopped taking it.
Now she finds herself getting angry, even hostile, without provocation. She just can't keep up with the flute lessons and modern dance classes like she used to. The only thing she enjoys is her art work – a great late night preoccupation when she's too restless to sleep.
Her psychiatrist would probably freak if he saw her paintings: self-portraits with distorted, elongated faces and tortured expressions. He must be totally frustrated with her anyway. Her parents probably are too. She knows people care about her but maybe they'd be better off without her.
Risk Factors:
- Mental Health Condition
- Trouble Sleeping
- Not Taking Medication
Warning Signs:
- Dropping Out of Activities
- Drawing about Death
- Feeling People are Better Off Without Her
Fast Facts
- Over 33,000 suicides in the U.S. annually
- There is one suicide every 16 minutes
- There are 4 male suicides for each female suicide
- Twice as many females attempt suicide as males
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth aged 11 - 23
- Firearms are the most common means of suicide in Vermont
Show you care
- Listen
- Be supportive
- Be honest & direct
- Be positive & reassuring
- Acknowledge the person's pain
Ask about suicide
- Are you thinking of hurting yourself?
- Are you thinking life's not worth living?
- Do you have thoughts of killing yourself?
Get help
- Who do you trust that you'd like to talk to?
- You are not alone. Help is available.
- Can I go with you to get some help?
Offer hope
- Help them understand that their life has purpose and meaning
- I'm sure there are people who need you and count on you.
- As bad as you feel, there are other solutions to help you feel better.
- Maybe you can't see it now but you do have a place in the big picture.
Remember...
- Never leave a suicidal person alone.
- Do not leave the person with access to firearms, medications, alcohol, or drugs that they might use to hurt themselves.
- If you are offering hope, be authentic.
Protective Factors
Health: physical, mental, emotional
Safety: home, school, community
Relationships: positive, loving, supportive
Competence: intellectual, social, physical
Life Skills: decision-making, problem-solving
Control: autonomy, empowerment, boundaries
Connection: life meaning, purpose
Asset Building
- Support
- Empowerment
- Boundaries & expectations
- Constructive use of time
- Commitment to learning
- Positive values
- Social competence
- Positive identity
Resilience
The ability to bounce back from adversity
Umatter
Language
Model Language that Educates
Please Use:
- Died by suicide
- Took her (his) own life
- Killed himself (herself)
- Suicide attempt
- Suicide survivor
Please Avoid:
- Committed suicide
- Successful suicide
- Completed suicide
- Failed attempt
Links
Building Resilience
Hotline Services
Mental Health Services
Mental Health
Survivors
Young Adults
You can make a difference.
Recognize the warning signs of suicide.
Be supportive and know when to get help.
Help
Understand
Umatter You Can Help
Adult Web Site
- How to Help
- Training Opportunities
- Resources
www.UmatterUCanHelp.com
Youth Web Site
- When to Get Help
- Resilience Quiz
- Videos
www.UmatterUCanGetHelp.com
People who are resilient have...
Suicide Prevention
Active Minds on Campus
www.activeminds.org
People Prevent Suicide
www.peoplepreventsuicide.org
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
www.afsp.org
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
www.sprc.org
@
Youth
External Assets
Internal Assets
Fierce Goodbye
www.fiercegoodbye.com
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
www.afspvermont.org
Lifeline Gallery
www.lifeline-gallery.org
Search Institute
www.search-institute.org
Mental Health America
www.nmha.org
National Alliance for Mental Illness - Vermont
www.namivt.org
What a Difference a Friend Makes
www.whatadifference.org
Live Your Life Well
www.liveyourlifewell.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK
Find Mental Health services in Vermont
http://mentalhealth.vermont.gov
- Feelings of competence
- A belief one can manage feelings
- Positive social relationships
- Impulse control
- Problem-solving skills
- Conflict-resolution skills
- A healthy lifestyle
- Goals, dreams, a sense of purpose
- Life-affirming spiritual or cultural beliefs
- A sense of humor
- A positive outlook
- Comfort with ambiguity
- Tolerance for differences in people
Resources
Support
www.HealthandLearning.org