Suicide Awareness Month
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. I want to help bring awareness to an epidemic that is impacting many members of our community. According to the World Health Organization someone dies from suicide every 40 seconds. This is a sadly preventable cause of death; we need to focus onto the importance of supporting those we love.
If you are concerned that someone you love is contemplating suicide, ask them. Asking someone if they are contemplating suicide will not give them the idea. But it will help you gain clarity about if they are struggling. If they have thoughts of suicide or self-harm but are not in immediate danger encourage them to seek counseling to help them find peace from those thoughts. If they are in danger of causing harm to themselves or attempting suicide, encourage them to call or text 988. The national suicide hotline, 988, and can provide immediate support. Please provide encouragement to those who are struggling and hopefully as a community we can reduce the number of deaths caused by suicide.
