Welcome to May. Along with all the stress and excitement of the semester coming to a close and the summer kicking into full swing, May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. This month more than ever it's important to have a conversation about mental health and one of the greatest risks related to mental health: suicide.
Suicide in the United States and across the globe is an epidemic that we tend to ignore despite the frightening numbers behind it. According to the World Health Organization, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds and another 25 people attempt for every completed suicide. The numbers speak for themselves, and the stories behind the numbers speak even louder.
Quite frankly, we are not doing very much in the United States to combat these rising statistics.
But there are some promising efforts. Campaigns run by organizations like To Write Love On Her Arms and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention are some of the most notable. The AFSP's 2018 Suicide Prevention Campaign is called "Seize The Awkward," a campaign that sheds light on the fact that conversations about suicide can be awkward and uncomfortable and not fun to have. And once we acknowledge that, it makes it that much easier to actually have them.
These conversations save lives and the campaign gives us a platform from which to start them without feeling ashamed. The website for the campaign, linked above, also includes basic signs to watch out for in someone you think may be thinking about suicide, as well as conversation starters, tips for keeping the conversation going in an open and productive way, and what to do after the conversation is over.
Suicide prevention is important and conversations truly do save lives. And bringing up the topic of suicide to someone isn't going to put that idea into their head or trigger them to do it. Campaigns like "Seize The Awkward" make it okay to have these conversations, acknowledging how tough and uncomfortable they can be so we don't make them into monsters and avoid them at the risk of losing another person.
Start a conversation. If you're worried about someone in your life, ask them if they're okay. Ask them if they're thinking about hurting themselves. And keep asking. These conversations aren't easy but they're worth it. Conversations like this have saved my life and the lives of people around me. Please keep having them.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online here.
For Stony Brook University students, contact CAPS at (631) 632-6720 or CAPS After Hours at (855) 509-5742.
