Suicide Prevention

If you’re having a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline immediately!
1-800-273-8255

Are you in a crisis?

Call or text 988 or text "TALK" to 741741

Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves. Find more information about the Veterans Crisis Line at www.veteranscrisisline.net. Press the button below to call directly or dial 800-273-8255 and press 1. (I'm having thoughts of suicide | AFSP).

Links:

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

SAMHSA Treatment Referral Hotline (Substance Abuse) - 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

You can also go to the following locations in your area if you are Suicidal or in Crisis:

Primary care provider
Local psychiatric hospital
Local walk-in clinic
Local emergency department
Local urgent care center

Warning Signs

  • Talking about suicide, death, and/or no reason to live
  • Preoccupation with death and dying
  • Withdrawal from friends and/or social activities
  • Experience of a recent severe loss (especially a relationship) or the threat of a significant loss
  • Experience or fear of a situation of humiliation of failure
  • Drastic changes in behavior
  • Loss of interest in hobbies, work, school, etc.
  • Preparation for death by making out a will (unexpectedly) and final arrangements
  • Giving away prized possessions
  • Previous history of suicide attempts, as well as violence and/or hostility
  • Unnecessary risks; reckless and/or impulsive behavior
  • Loss of interest in personal appearance
  • Increased use of alcohol and/or drugs
  • General hopelessness
  • Recent experience humiliation or failure
  • Unwillingness to connect with potential helpers

What Do You Do?

  • Be aware. Learn the warning signs.
  • Get involved. Become available. Show interest and support.
  • Ask if s/he is thinking about suicide.
  • Be direct. Talk openly and freely about suicide.
  • Be willing to listen. Allow for expressions of feelings and accept those feelings.
  • Be non-judgmental. Don’t debate whether suicide is right or wrong, or feelings are good or bad. Don’t lecture the value of life.
  • Don’t dare him/her to do it.
  • Don’t give advice by making decisions for someone else to tell them to behave differently.
  • Don’t ask “why.” This encourages defensiveness.
  • Offer empathy, not sympathy.
  • Don’t act shocked. This creates distance.
  • Don’t be sworn to secrecy. Seek support.
  • Offer hope that alternatives are available, do not offer glib reassurance; it only proves you don’t understand.
  • Take action. Remove means. Get help from individuals or agencies specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

Feelings, Thoughts, and Behaviors

  • Can’t stop the pain
  • Can’t think clearly
  • Can’t make decisions
  • Can’t see any way out
  • Can’t sleep eat or work
  • Can’t get out of the depression
  • Can’t make the sadness go away
  • Can’t see the possibility of change
  • Can’t see themselves as worthwhile
  • Can’t get someone’s attention
  • Can’t seem to get control
  • Who Can You Talk To?
  • A community mental health agency
  • A private therapist
  • A school counselor or psychologist
  • A family physician
  • A suicide prevention/crisis intervention center
  • A religious/spiritual leader

Risk Factors

  • Individual
  • Mental disorders:
  • Depression
  • Schizophrenia
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • ”States of Mind:”
  • Hopelessness
  • Impulsivity
  • Low self-esteem
  • Psychic pain
  • Behaviors:
  • Social withdrawal
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Aggressive tendencies or history of violent behavior
  • Previous suicide attempt
  • Gender:
  • Male (for suicide deaths)
  • Female (for suicide attempts)
  • Older age
  • Race
  • White
  • Native American
  • History:
  • Previous psychiatric treatment
  • History of trauma or abuse
  • Suicide ideation
  • Physical
  • Low CSF 5-HIAA
  • Low cholesterol blood levels
  • Low blood glucose
  • Access to means (e.g., firearms, poisons)

Peer/Family

  • History of interpersonal violence, conflict, abuse, bullying
  • Family history of alcoholism
  • Social isolation: low or lack of social support and sense of isolation
  • Exposure to suicidal behavior: family history of suicide

Exposure to Suicide

  • Stigma associated with help-seeking behavior
  • Barriers to accessing health care, especially mental health services and substance abuse treatment
  • No-longer married
  • Loss of close attachment relationship (e.g., divorce, death of spouse)
  • Access to means (e.g., firearms, poisons)

Community

  • Access to lethal means: (e.g., bridges)
  • Unemployment or financial loss
  • Relational or social loss/humiliation
  • Local clusters of suicide that have a contagious influence
  • Barriers to health care and mental health care

Stigma

  • Exposure to suicide (e.g., media or memorials)
  • Society
  • Certain Cultural and religious beliefs (e.g., suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma)
  • Societal breakdown
  • Western geography

Rural/Remote

  • Cultural values and attitudes Media influence
  • Alcohol misuse and abuse
  • Economic instability
Reference: Warning Signs/Risks (tspn.org)

Post Traumatic Stress Injury

If you are a veteran, first responder (FF, LEO, 9-11 Dispatcher, Corrections, EMT/Paramedic), Spouse, or Minor Child living in the home, or Gold Star Family, please contact us at gethealed@22zero.org. There is NO cost to our mission clients, no content of the trauma will be shared, 100% confidential, we do NOT report to the VA or your employer, you will be connected with a peer after completing the Pre assessment, and NO waiting list.

Who develops PTSI?

Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. This includes combat veterans and people who have experienced or witnessed a physical or sexual assault, abuse, an accident, a disaster, a terror attack, or other serious events. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened, even when they are no longer in danger.

Risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing PTSI include:

  • Exposure to previous traumatic experiences, particularly during childhood
  • Getting hurt or seeing people hurt or killed
  • Feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear
  • Having little or no social support after the event
  • Dealing with stressors after the event, such as the loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home
  • Having a personal history or family history of mental illness or substance use

Resilience factors that may reduce the likelihood of developing PTSI include:

  • Seeking out and receiving support from friends, family, or support groups
  • Learning to feel okay with one’s actions in response to a traumatic event
  • Having a coping strategy for getting through and learning from a traumatic event
  • Being prepared and able to respond to upsetting events as they occur, despite feeling fear

How can I help a loved one with PTSI?

  • Offer emotional support, understanding, patience, and encouragement
  • Learn about PTSD so you can understand what your friend is experiencing
  • Listen carefully. Pay attention to the person’s feelings and the situations that may trigger PTSD symptoms
  • Share positive distractions, such as walks, outings, and other activities
Reference: National Institute of Mental Health: Brochures and Fact Sheets