It’s that November time of year. I haven’t been feeling well or up to posting lately, full of magical thinking that my back injury is another sign that I am broken and can’t function in the old ways. The days are getting shorter, and my husband is getting glummer as we approach The Holidays and the many suicide prevention and suicide survivor support activities that come with them. These activities are meant to provide a safety net at a hard time of year, both for those inclined to depression and for suicide loss survivors. Inevitably, these events remind us of our lost ones, vulnerability, and grief. But importantly, this happens in the company of others who share or bear witness to some of our pain.
To
my fellow survivors: If you’ve never taken part in International Survivors of
Suicide Loss Day on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, consider going this Saturday, November 22, to a gathering
in your area (see www.survivorday.org for locations; in the Los Angeles area, it
happens from 1-5pm at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, 4760 S. Sepulveda
Bl., Culver City 90230, RSVP twinters@afsp.org). This year, there will be
screenings and discussion of a documentary film, The Journey, about a wide range of survivors’ experiences. It can
be comforting to see and debrief this kind of thing with fellow survivors, but
if you prefer not to, you can attend a virtual event online at www.survivorday.org/survivor-day-live/
Today,
at the university where I work, I’ll be at a candlelight vigil for those lost
to suicide. I’ll be giving a talk on lessons from our son’s life and death,
including several suicide awareness tips for young people that I wish our
family and Noah’s friends had known. I include them here and invite you to pass
them on wherever you think they might be helpful.
Be a Lifeline:
5 Things Young People Can Do to
Help Friends & Family in Crisis
From
a survivor of suicide loss
1. Know that it starts with you. You can be a first responder when someone you care about is struggling. Young
people confide most in their peers. You notice when their talk or texts become
incoherent, when they are sleeping too much or too little, abusing drugs,
isolating themselves, or saying they feel hopeless. For our son, Noah, these things
began months before he died while he was still at college, but we didn’t know.
2. Talk to them. Don’t just notice that someone is acting strange
and hope that it will pass. Try to get the person to talk with you about what’s
on their mind. Do it now while they
are still reachable; if not, they may end up in such despair that they are past
helping. I’m grateful to one of Noah’s courageous friends at college who, while
others were shunning him for his weird behavior, made a point of meeting with
him every day to talk.
3. Show your concern. Don’t avoid the person and make them feel
more isolated than they already are. Their strange behavior probably isn’t
about you and may not be under their control. They need you now more than ever.
Show your care and concern and listen.
Be like those few friends of Noah who kept trying to contact him in the last
weeks of his life, even after he stopped responding.
4. Tell a responsible adult. Don’t assume you can handle the problem
alone, especially if you see serious changes in mood, behavior, or thinking.
Tell an adult like an older relative, the friend’s parents, a
teacher/professor, or a doctor/mental health professional. I have a lot of
respect for Noah’s hometown friends who asked to meet with me to share their
worries about Noah.
5. Be prepared to ask about suicide. Don’t be afraid to ask the person if they are thinking of harming
themselves and if they have a plan; this question will not cause them to
consider suicide. Know the resources available for help; prepare yourself so you know what to expect and how to respond. You
can check out web sites like www.ulifeline.org
that have excellent info on mental health for college students, or see if your
campus or local mental health center offers training in mental health and suicide
awareness, such as QPR or SAFETalk, or call a suicide crisis line like 877-727-4747
for advice. Be ready to call 911, if
needed, or go with the person to get help; don’t leave them alone. I will always regret that I didn’t
ask Noah the question at a crucial time and wasn’t prepared for the answer.
Thank you for being a lifeline!
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