Suicide Prevention

Call 988 for a Mental Health or Suicide Crisis

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Hopefully you’ve already heard of 988, the national free and confidential lifeline for mental health or suicide crises. But even though the line launched in July 2022, many people still aren’t aware of it or its life-saving utility. Let’s review the basics of 988 and how to use it. What is 988? Call the 988 Lifeline toll-free number (988) from anywhere in the United States when you or someone you are concerned about is experiencing a mental health or suicide …

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How to Develop a Safety Plan to Manage a Suicidal Crisis

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One commonly used and effective tool to help prevent suicide is a safety plan, also sometimes referred to as a crisis response plan. A safety plan is a written list of coping strategies and sources of support than can be used before or during a mental health crisis in which there may be suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors. Safety plans have been used in clinical practice for some time. Although there are some minor variations in their content and format, a …

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Let’s Stop “Committing Suicide” Once and For All

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We were shocked to learn that one of our Kentucky state representatives, Dan Johnson, recently accused of molesting a 17-year-old girl in 2012, killed himself on December 13. Johnson denied any wrongdoing in a recent press conference. Stepping aside from the issue of Johnson’s alleged behaviors, his death by suicide is tragic. Johnson’s death was reported on the front page of the December 14th print and digital editions of the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader under the title “Accused of molesting teen, …

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Recovery After a Suicide Attempt: ‘A Journey Toward Health and Hope’

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Perhaps you (or someone you care about) have had such significant distress, depression or hopelessness that you attempted to end your life by suicide. However, if you’re reading this, I’m so glad you made it through that incredibly difficult experience. Often there is little support for suicide attempt survivors, so I’m always looking out for helpful resources. Not long ago, I came across a free publication called “A Journey Toward Health and Hope: Your Handbook to Recovery After a Suicide …

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Do’s and Don’ts for Media Reporting on Suicide

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Trigger Warning: This article discusses the public health issue of suicide and guidelines for responsible reporting of suicide in the media, but does not refer to specific methods of suicide or other details related to specific deaths by suicide. Even though I’m a mental health professional and issues surrounding suicide are an ever-present part of my work, I’m still astounded by how often the topic of suicide comes up in the media. It seems that hardly a week goes by …

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What’s In Your ‘Hope Box’?

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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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Raising Awareness to Prevent Suicide: Results from a National Survey

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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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Learn ‘QPR’: Ask a Question and Prevent a Suicide

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Chances are you’re familiar with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a well-established emergency procedure used to save lives when a person is in cardiac arrest. But have you ever heard of QPR? QPR stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” and it’s used to intervene to prevent suicide. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a comprehensive training program to learn about QPR. What’s really interesting about this approach is that you don’t have to be a mental health professional to use …

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