You\u2019ve probably seen the recent statistics about the suicide epidemic \u2014 that suicide rates over all have risen by over 30 percent this century; that teenage suicides are rising at roughly twice that rate; that every year 45,000 Americans kill themselves.<\/p>\n
And yet we don\u2019t talk about it much. It\u2019s uncomfortable. Some people believe the falsehood that if we talk about suicide, it will plant the idea in the minds of vulnerable people. Many of us don\u2019t know what to say or do.<\/p>\n
A person may be at risk of committing suicide when he or she expresses hopelessness or self-loathing, when he or she starts joking about \u201cafter I\u2019m gone,\u201d starts giving away prized possessions, seems preoccupied with death, suddenly withdraws or suddenly appears calm after a period of depression, as if some decision has been made.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re around somebody like that, don\u2019t try to argue with her or him. Don\u2019t say, \u201cYou have so much to live for!\u201d Or, \u201cDo you realize how much this will devastate the people around you?\u201d If you gasp or act shocked you\u2019ll burden the person with even more shame and guilt, pushing that person even harder to withdraw.<\/p>\n
Sufferers will often lie about their plans. According to one study, 80 percent of suicide victims deny suicidal thoughts before killing themselves. The first thing to do, Agnes advises, is validate their feelings….<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n How to Fight Suicide https:\/\/t.co\/KjTCEWxZm1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wendy Landau (@wendylandau) March 15, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n