Suicide Prevention Archives

On Saturday, I walked among 1250 people in the Out of the Darkness Walk in Santa Monica. Together we raised more than than $130,000 that will go toward raising awareness and educating people about mental health-related issues and preventing suicide.

It was a tough space to be in. They gave out beads at registration. Colors that represented the walker’s tie to suicide such as “lost a friend,” “lost a child” or “supporting the cause,” etc. I felt like everywhere I turned, someone was wearing the face of someone far too young to die on their shirt. I saw too many arms go up when they asked everyone with the “lost a child” beads to raise them in the air. Suicide is the great equalizer, my friends. It does not know gender or race or age.

But I also saw smiles and hugs and strength in numbers. And while it was sad to see all of these people touched by such a sad, terrible thing, it was also empowering to see what we could do together to confront it.

And while it’s not a competition, I am still proud to brag that my team, which I co-captained with Alyssa, was the 8th highest fundraising team of 146 teams that joined in the day, raising nearly $3000 between us. I was the 16th highest individual fundraiser of 1250! None of that would have happened were it not for the support of some really incredible friends and family who contributed. THANK YOU. And thank you, Alyssa, Danielle, Naomi and Kelly for the… stroll. 😉

OTHER RESOURCES

Removing the stigmas attached to mental illness is imperative. I admire these celebrities who deal with it every day. And here are even more. If ever I wanted to shout “CELEBRITIES ARE PEOPLE, TOO!”….
Glenn Close actually co-founded an organization whose goal is to “end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.” I am a big fan of Bring Change 2 Mind.
Princes William and Harry and Kate Middleton are working with “Heads Together.”
Amanda Seyfried just gave a rather serious and poignant interview about her own struggles.
In a previous post of mine, you’ll find other ways to seek help such as the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273 TALK (8255) (or dial 911!)

And we’re just getting started…. If you’d still like to donate, the site is still up and we appreciate it — visit this page.

A suicide prevention app? Well, they say there’s an app for everything and I guess they ain’t lyin’.

Post by Bloggers of Health.

Never mind how alarmed I am this post has been shared three times. And the hashtag offense — why are we hashtagging the word “prevent,” pray tell?

To be fair, at the very least, they are not wrong. According to the CDC, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in America. Also:

Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for ages 10-24.
Suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18.
More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.
Each day in our nation there are an average of over 5,400 attempts by young people grades 7-12.
Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs. source

You do not get to post something like this so casually. Not without citing sources. Not when you’re making a claim. Not when the site you’re directing to gives no indication of any medical expertise. The address for their “business” is a private residence. No names are apparent. They have “contributing partners” like Ford and Las Fotos Project — these have nothing to do with health.

The post you click through to explains nothing. Just that the app will be demonstrated via webinar. You too can “be among the first to try this new suicide prevention learning tool—optimized for tablets.” (Cue jazz hands!)

The app in question is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:

Perhaps they were hoping to ride Facebook’s coattails and jump on the suicide prevention trend-train. There was also a similar app launch in February – The Broome HOPE App helps users recognize the warning signs of suicide and allows them to immediately connect to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. And MY3 let’s your create a an online support system and build a “safety plan.” Do we live in a society where suicide prevention is trendy? I can’t even begin to wrap my head around that tragedy. This should never be a thing. This should never be trendy.

SAMHSA’s app differentiates itself because it’s targeted at healthcare professionals instead of consumers, since about 50% of people who commit suicide have seen a doctor in the last month of their life. The app helps healthcare providers identify people who may be contemplating suicide.

Because I guess healthcare professionals don’t get enough schooling. They need an app for that.

Sigh.

I’m not against anything that aids in suicide prevention. I’m really not. But while we’re pushing this technology out, I hope we can all be responsible enough to know an app will NOT prevent suicide. I hope we can provide research and cite sources and word things with care. This is an area where we can’t afford to be cool and trendy with jazz hands.

Yes, an app can provide resources and a network of support. You know what else does that? Google. Friends and family. And properly trained healthcare professionals.

And that’s all I got for this round of rant. If you or someone you know needs help, make sure you get help. Here are two excellent starting points:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255
The Trevor Project: 1 (866) 488-7386