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09/21/2016 07:00 AMHere are some signs and symptoms to watch out for, to help prevent suicide, along with resources for help. Additional information, resources, and people who can help will be available at an event on the Madison Town Green on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to noon, and at an Out of Darkness Walk on Sunday, Sept. 25 in Hamden. Information about the walk is below.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and in Spanish, 1-888-628-9454. The Lifeline is free, confidential, and always available. Help a loved one, a friend, or yourself deal with trauma. Community crisis centers answer Lifeline calls.
Signs and Symptoms
“After a traumatic event, problems may come and go. It’s important to know when to ask for help. Please call if you or someone you know is experiencing any of the following problems, especially if a problem is making it hard to get through the day, or is getting worse.”
• Eating or sleeping too much or too little
• Pulling away from people or things
• Having low or no energy
• Feeling numb or like nothing matters
• Having unexplained aches and pains
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than you should
• Feeling unusually confused or forgetful; on edge, angry, or upset; or worried and scared
• Fighting with family and friends
• Unable to get rid of troubling thoughts and memories
• Thinking of hurting or killing yourself or someone else
• Unable to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.samhsa.gov
Some People are More at Risk for Suicide than Others
“Health factors can include mental health conditions such as depression, substance use disorders, bipolor disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis, personality traits of aggression, mood changes and poor relationships, conduct disorders, and anxiety disorders. Also people with serious or chronic health conditions and/or pain, traumatic brain injury, and people who smoke.
“Environmental factors can include access to lethal means including firearms and drugs; prolonged stress such as harassment, bullying, relationship problems, and unemployment; stressful life events including death, divorce, or a job loss; exposure to another person’s suicide, or graphic or sensationalized accounts of suicide.
“Historical factors can include previous suicide attempts, a family history of suicide, and child abuse.
Suicide Warning Signs
Talk: If a person talks about killing themselves, feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden to others, feeling trapped or unbearable pain.
Behavior: Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss, or change such as increased use of alcohol or drugs, looking for a way to end their lives such as searching online for materials or means, withdrawing from activities, isolating from family and friends, sleeping too little or too much, visiting or calling people to say goodbye, giving away prized possessions, aggression, fatigue.
Mood: People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods including depression, anxiety, loss of interest, irritability, humiliation, agitation, rage.
What to Do
If you’re concerned about someone, talk in private. Listen to their story, and let them know you care. Ask directly about suicide, calmly and without judgment. Show understanding and take their concerns seriously. Let them know their life matters to you. That one conversation could save a life. Avoid debating the value of life. Avoid advice to fix it. Avoid minimizing the person’s feelings.
If a person says they are thinking about suicide, take the person seriously: someone considering suicide is experiencing a life-threatening health crisis and may not believe they can be helped. Work with them to keep them safely away from lethal means like firearms and drugs, and remind them that their suffering is temporary. Stay with them and call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Be sure to follow up with them after the crisis to see how they are doing. If you’re struggling, don’t wait for someone to reach out. Seek mental health treatment, or tell your clinician about your suicidal thinking. Treat yourself like you would treat someone else who needs your help.
• Visit your primary care provider; psychiatric hospital, walk-in clinic, emergency department, or urgent care center. You can find a behavioral health provider at findtreatments.samhsa.gove and mentalhealthamerica.net/finding-help.
• The Crisis Text Line is 741-741, or visit CrisisChat.org, or call 911 for emergencies.
Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Walk with Others
The Out of Darkness Walk for southern Connecticut is Sunday, Sept. 25 in the Hamden Town Center Park, next to 2623 Dixwell Avenue, in Hamden. Check-in/Registration is at 11 a.m., and the walk begins at 12:30 p.m., ending at 3 p.m. For more information, contact Emily McCave & Marie Dizazzo Wilson at 203-903-4841, or hamdenafsp@gmail.com.