How to Stop Suicide

Blog 2 – How to Stop Suicide for yourself and others…

For You:

We are our own worst critics most of the time. Some of us find it easier to be nice to others, but not show ourselves the same love and self-compassion (Firestone). If this sounds familiar, don’t stress, we’ve all been there. Self-Awareness is when you recognize how and why you are suffering. I suggest writing it down to help you come up with a strategy to conquer whatever you’re going through. Practicing self-compassion means treating yourself like you would treat a family member or friend, if they were faced with the same situation. While we are all very different, we all have imperfections! That’s one thing that makes us the same! We are all human and made in a flawed version. Whether you’re a person of faith, or science, both will show you that no one is perfect. It doesn’t matter if you have money, friends, fame, or whatever else is holding you back from succeeding in your mind. Our brains are complicated machines, and we need to understand that it’s our mind AND life stresses that cause us to become depressed or hopeless. Thus, we need to start with our mind in order to fix outside issues. Without a clear mind, we won’t accomplish much. Going easy on yourself is the first step to avoiding that rabbit hole of despair.

Once you’ve determined what is causing you to be depressed, or stressed out, it’s best to come up with a strategy and approach. That’s actually where the vision for Hunter’s House of Hope began. I wanted to know at what point did we lose Hunter. So, I sat down and wrote out various life stressors during different intervals of his life, and development in general. Such things like puberty, peer pressure, social media exposure, glorification of suicide, economic strain, personal loss of family/friend/child, or an inability to cope with change. I truly believe that social media has heavily added to changing the dynamic of peer pressure by making everything we do available for all to see. Twenty years ago, if you were being peer pressured to do something, you could find new friends. Today, however, you have to make sure no one publicly humiliates you or ostracizes you from a group. Further, it concerns me that we’ve allowed children and adults alike the opportunity to get caught up in this reality show to the point where people are committing suicide on such platforms as Facebook Live. Just google “facebook live suicide news story” in your browser and several new reports populate. 

Which brings me back to the beginning of this blog, you are NOT alone. Each of us is struggling in one way or another. Some more severe than others, but a struggle still the same. BUT if we can retrain ourselves to be more compassionate with ourselves. We’re off to a good start for healing!!

For Our Loved Ones:

First, being aware of the signs that someone may be considering suicide is the most important!! Check out the first blog, if you haven’t already… But in order to prevent suicide, the CDC postulates there are two goals needed: “reduced factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience and coping” (Suicide, CDC). While researching topics to discuss in these blogs, I came across this webpage recently. As I went through their chart, I was surprised to see that the foundation of Hunter’s House of Hope was built around these key strategies and approach. 

For instance, Hunter’s House of Hope was designed to provide useful life services such as job assistance, housing/shelter, food and clothing. The first strategy mentioned by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) was to “strengthen” economic support with an approach to help with financial security and stable housing. We’ve got you covered!!

Another service we provide is mental health assistance. However, we carefully select those whom we partner with to ensure the best care possible and removing the difficulty of finding the right doctor for the right person, or reason. With our advocacy, we remove those barriers and frustration, by getting to know the person’s individual situation and placing them in good hands. The second strategy on listed by the CDC is “strengthen access and delivery of suicide care”. We can do that too!!

In addition, we’re able to “create protective environments” by helping those who may be in danger or risk to find shelter and protection (Suicide, CDC). The strategy list goes on to talk about coping, support systems, and postvention. We will have AA, NA, and grief sessions to help reduce suicidal ideation after the loss of a loved one or those struggling with addiction. We want to engage the community with our monthly events to promote education and empowerment for our neighbors. We are stronger in numbers than alone… 

If you’re interested in more information about what to look for and how to stop suicide, take a look at this quick article in Psychology Today written by Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. 

How Can You Stop a Suicide? | Psychology Today 

References:

Center for Disease Control (CDC). (2019). Suicide: Prevention Strategies. Retrieved from Prevention Strategies|Suicide|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC

Firestone, L. (2013). How You Can Stop a Suicide? Retrieved from How Can You Stop a Suicide? | Psychology Today