Once a year for a month, we band together to talk about suicide, the effects suicide can have and how to prevent it. Yet once September ends, the whole topic seems to go to the back burner. As humans, we tend to move from one movement to another, so it can only be natural to move on from the previous months “hot topic”.
To those who have been personally affected by suicide, you never forget. The impact can be long lasting and significant, it can lead people questioning for years as to how and why it happened. All this combines to form a question into your mind, “How to save a life?”
The answer to this question is complicated, diverse, and tends to included more due diligence than most people are willing to employ.
The most obvious yet one of the most ignored is life changing events, death in the family or close friends, divorce, sudden financial trouble, are just a few examples of stressors that can lead people to pick suicide as the only way to deal with the problem. Recognizing these moments and offering friendship, advice when asked, and financial help, can immensely help these situations and show there are other alternatives available.
Depression and other mental health issues are one most people think of quickly, when recognizing people who could be susceptible to suicide, but often fail to see the reason as to why or truly willing to do anything about it. Many people who are depressed and think about suicide often will often lie to those around them about how distressed they feel. As someone who deals with depression and has tried to commit suicide in the past, it is common to tell everyone that “everything is fine” and “don’t worry.”
People see suicide as an act of selfishness without fully realizing the person in this condition already has considered this and thinks of themselves as a burden to everyone around him. Often they are lonely and lost in their own head, living in a cyclone of negative thoughts that keep coming back ticking at the armor surrounding their psyche. Yet outwardly, none of these attitudes will be shown.
People who suffer from depression become adept at hiding just how bad they are feeling and as they already feel like a burden to everyone around them, and do not want to let anyone worry about how they are. The “solution” to this is not simple and requires knowing the individual and being able to pick up on body language and lack of interest in former activities. The lack of being social is one of the biggest signs and even most people who consider themselves introverted, will have a friend or two they still mingle with.
Quite often both of these conditions are combined, shadowing the persons mind to a point where it feels like everything is a burden. Simple tasks such as getting out of bed can become a more daunting task then most people could really comprehend. Life becomes one big chore and everything starts to wear you down. Physical, emotional, and psychological stress sets in to the point that you no longer know what to do. Often friends and family care to a point and the person realizes most people just do not and should not have to “put up” with how much care a person in this condition may need.
Even with all of these combined, the answer to "How to Save a Life?", is to do all that you can for that person.
If you are someone who is in a suicidal mindset or you know someone who is, please encourage them to call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-(800) 273-8255.
