What’s In Your ‘Hope Box’?

A common approach used to treat people who are depressed and thinking about suicide is to help them identify and remember several reasons for hope and to keep living. One specific intervention often used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to cultivate hope is to create a “hope box” (also known as a “crisis kit”), a collection of various items that remind the depressed person that their life is meaningful and worth living. A hope box is made by getting a box, envelope, …

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How to Support Someone During a Psychiatric Hospitalization

If someone you care about has been hospitalized related to a mental health condition, you may have found this situation confusing and overwhelming, and you may have felt you weren’t well-equipped to handle it. This can be even more stressful if it’s the first time you’ve ever faced this challenge. I worked for many years with patients and their families in psychiatric hospitals and I’ve found several tips and strategies that can make this difficult time perhaps just a little …

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Raising Awareness to Prevent Suicide: Results from a National Survey

The month of September includes National Suicide Prevention Month, National Suicide Prevention Week, and World Suicide Prevention Day. So it’s timely and of interest to review the findings from a Harris Poll organization online survey of 2,020 US adults (age 18 and over) regarding attitudes and experiences related to suicide awareness. The survey was prepared for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The survey findings are quite …

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