Let's Talk About Suicide

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It is National Suicide Prevention Week September 10th to the 16th, with September 10th being World Suicide Prevention Day! If you search the word suicide on Google you will receive 1,190,000,00 results to peruse. You will find information on definitions, terminology, statistics, risk factors, prevention, unlimited resources, and much more. So, with all this available at our fingertips, why is it so difficult to talk about suicide?
 
The word itself is somewhat unpleasant with a harsh edge to it. The word originates from the two Latin words, sui and caedere, which when combined means to “kill oneself”.  Suicide has an extensive history, going back more than 2, 000 years. A very significant part of this history is the stigmatization of suicide. The stigma related to suicide has continued through the years and greatly contributes to the reluctance to talk about suicide. Stigma can also increase the risk of suicidal behaviors as it contributes to the reluctance to seek treatment. While stigma can be a significant risk factor it is important to recognize other elements that contribute.
 
Let’s Talk About Risk Factors and Warning Signs
First, it is important to realize that experiencing risk factors does not mean that suicide will be attempted. However, it is important to recognize and have an awareness of them. Some common risk factors are.

• Previous suicide attempt
• History of depression
• Chronic illness
• Loss of finances or employment
• Addiction or substance abuse
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Social isolation
• End of a relationship
• Abusive relationships
• Suicide cluster in communities
• Stigma

It is also important to distinguish the difference between the risk factors and the warning signs of suicide.  Warning signs are serious indicators that someone may be considering suicide and action may be needed. Some common warning signs are.

• Talking about suicide
• Talking about feeling hopeless
• Talking about emotional or physical pain
• Talking about being a burden
• Withdrawing
• Giving away possessions
• Making a will
• Taking risks that could lead to death
• Extreme mood swings
• Using alcohol or drugs more frequently
• Making a plan to harm self

Let’s Talk About Prevention
The focus of National Suicide Prevention Month is to create awareness and provide education to assist everyone in having direct and candid conversations related to suicide. An important part of this is understanding what prevention consists of. While there are many resources available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has highlighted this serious public health issue by developing the Suicide Prevention Resource for Action. This strategy is based on the knowledge and evidence that suicide prevention saves lives. While this is a comprehensive public health approach, what can we, as individuals, do to contribute to the prevention of suicide? Becoming involved, increasing awareness and knowledge about suicide is important, and there are programs available to assist with this. The program QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) is a national suicide prevention training program, with the mission of saving lives and reducing suicidal behavior. The program trains individuals to become Gatekeepers, who will recognize the warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, and know how to get help and save a life. Everyone can be a Gatekeeper!
 
Let’s Talk About the Faces of Suicide
We cannot talk about suicide and not discuss the statistics that are related to this subject. In 2021, 48,183 Americans died as a result of suicide, making suicide the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 132 Americans die from suicide every day, with one suicide related death every 10.9 minutes.
It is important to talk about these statistics as it gives insight to the gravity and seriousness of the situation. However, we need to put faces to our numbers and remember the individuals and everyone affected by this. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is promoting this cause with the ‘Talk Away the Dark’ campaign, which focuses on personal stories and viewpoints. By looking at the actual ‘Faces of Suicide’,  it is evident that suicide impacts all ages, genders, and cultures. It is important to remember that every number coincides with one of these faces.
While suicide may be an unpleasant word, it is a word that we need to be comfortable saying and talking about. Even if it is difficult.
“It is time we shed a light on this leading cause of death. It is time we talk away the dark” (AFSP, 2023).
                                                                                        Peggy Fossen, DNP, RN, CNE

 
 
References
 
AFSP( 2023). National Suicide Prevention Week. https://afsp.org/national-suicide-prevention-week/
 
CDC(2022).Suicide Prevention Resource. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/prevention.html
 
Faces of Suicide. https://www.facesofsuicide.com/
 
IASP (2023). World Suicide Prevention Day. https://www.iasp.info/wspd/
 
Lu DY, Wu HY, Cao S, Che JY. Historical analysis of suicide. Journal of Translational Genetics and Genomics. 2020; 4(3): 203-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2020.33
NIH (2023). Suicide Prevention, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention
 
QPR Institute. What is QPR? https://qprinstitute.com/about-qpr
 
SAVE. Suicide Statistics. https://save.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
 
SPRC. Topics and Terms. https://sprc.org/topics-and-terms/
 
Tadros, G., & Jolley, D. (2001). The stigma of suicide. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 179(2), 178-178. doi:10.1192/bjp.179.2.178
 
Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/suicide