A few weeks ago, social media feeds were a flurry of activity with news of Robin Williams’ death by suicide. A scroll through Facebook or Twitter yielded articles about Williams and his life, memes of Williams with quotes from his movies, and outpourings of grief. The pain of all who loved his work and his humor was evident.
As emotions ran high, theories of why he chose to end his life were discussed by many. Visibly absent from the online conversation, though, was prevention. In the immediate aftermath of a death by suicide, rarely is the message of preventability addressed. The time following a death by suicide often provides an opportunity to talk about prevention and address myths and misunderstandings.
Many people feel helpless following a suicide. However, by promoting a culture of understanding and utilizing protective factors (factors that may help prevent suicide), communities can work proactively toward using those protective factors to create a safer place and help prevent suicide. These protective factors include: receiving effective mental health care; positive connections to family, peers and community, and social institutions such as marriage and religion that foster resilience; and the skills and ability to solve problems.
Many of the protective factors above may already be parts of your community, and still more than 34,000 people per year die by suicide, and 376,000 people seek medical treatment after a suicide attempt. The protective factors can create a strong foundation, but there is more you can do to help lower the number stated above:
Recognize everyone has mental health. When we hear the phrase “mental health,” it’s often associated with someone who is having difficulty with his or her own. However, we all have mental health. And like physical health, our mental health requires attention, care and sometimes a little help from others. We don’t think twice about someone seeing a dietician to help them eat better, or someone who hires a trainer to help them learn how to exercise. Acknowledging that we all have mental health — and that we could use a little help sometimes — can help reduce stigma and allow for more open discussions when someone is struggling.
Talk about it. Most people are uncomfortable talking about suicide. They think that if they talk about suicide, they are planting the idea as an option. However, the opposite is true. Asking people if they want to kill themselves is often the first step to getting them help. Most who die by suicide tell someone about their plan to hurt themselves. It can be awkward to have a conversation about suicide because so many of us are taught that people who kill themselves are selfish or crazy. However, people who die by suicide often have treatable mental health issues. Don’t lose the opportunity to talk to someone — on your own or with another person — if you’re concerned. You may help save someone’s life.
Know your resources. Knowing who to call in the event that you or someone you know may be considering suicide is a great step toward prevention. Often, people feel overwhelmed by the idea of seeking treatment or help. Having the number available may help someone overcome his or her fear of getting treatment. The 24-hour national suicide prevention helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-273-TALK(8255), and the Maine-based hotline can be reached by calling 1-888-568-1112 or dialing 711 Maine relay (if you are deaf or hard of hearing).
The more we work toward suicide prevention, the healthier our communities will be. And like all public health issues, it takes the entire public to respond to solve the problem. We can prevent suicide, and we can start by talking about it.
Cara Courchesne is the communications director at the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She may be reached at cara@mecasa.org. Jeb Murphy is the director of communications and data coordination at the Maine Primary Care Association. He may be reached at jmurphy@mepca.org.