While today is “World Suicide Prevention Day”, I am reminded that the most important awareness we can have—is not globally, but locally—so local that we need to look to the people we see every day and check on them. Never be afraid to ask the hard questions.
Anybody can run into rough times. The fact is that all of us can sometimes feel down, hurt, or angry. If you see a friend who is upset, you can help. Often, just talking, listening, and focusing on their strengths, is all that people need to find their own answers.
As you listen and encourage your friend, here are some approaches you can take;
Be careful not to criticize or argue with the person’s ideas and feelings, but to acknowledge their grievances. Ask questions to understand. You don’t need to give a lot of advice. We all want to help, but listening is actually more important.
During a discussion with a person who is under stress or depression, many times a suicidal person will give some warnings signs.
Sometimes they could be verbal cues–direct statements like; “I want to die.” or “I don’t want to live anymore.” Other times the person may also give indirect statements like; “I want to go to sleep and never wake up.” or “Soon this pain will be over.”
The person may not say anything, but give behavioral signs. Some of those include sadness, crying, and withdrawal. The person may change sleeping patterns or abuse drugs or alcohol. They may begin to neglecting personal hygiene or begin making final arrangements for their funeral or their possessions.
Make sure that you take any threat seriously. Every warning sign is a call for help, so take them seriously. Take time to express that you care about the person and letting them know that they are not alone. And get help. Speak to your pastor or make an appointment with a counselor.
Take them to the hospital in an emergency.
Be Safe Rather Than Sorry.
[…] week, I featured posts on International Literacy and World Suicide Prevention Day as a part of Bloggers Unite, “Bloggers Unite is an attempt to harness the power of the […]