Attitude about suicide

Suicide is a difficult subject. It is a topic most people avoid discussing. Even professionals have difficulty until they are well trained and seasoned to say the words " are you thinking about suicide?" to a client or caller. People avoid talking about suicide for many reasons. Some reasons include being afraid, wanting to deny it happens, anxiety, lack of knowledge, or a negative attitude about suicide. Some people know that they have a very negative opinion about suicide and do not wan to talk about it.

The sad part is that talking about suicide will help people to understand not only their own thoughts and attitudes about it better, but other peoples thoughts and attitudes as well. So it should be a topic that is spoken about much more often. In fact discussion and education about suicide is one of the best approaches to prevention.

The reason this topic is important, I mean your attitude about suicide, is because your attitude will either hinder or assist you in any efforts to recognize or assist in a time of need. How you think, and therefore feel about suicide, will determine how you react and respond to warning signs that a person may demonstrate. Your attitude will affect how you behave. Whether you choose to ignore warning signs or take action and why you choose to do so could make a difference. Your attitude could either hinder or enhance the likelihood that you would save a life or not!