Suicide and those you knew

Have you had someone you know commit suicide? or attempt suicide?

Are you OK? Have you talked with a professional about how you feel or the impact this experience has made upon you? If not I am recommending that you do?
If you have , has the interaction helped you cope and be healthy? If not I recommend you seek another professional.

If you know someone who has attempted, do you know what to say or do? are you OK? is there an continuous underlying stress or do you feel confident about all you do and think?

If not I recommend talking with a suicide prevention and intervention specialist.

Substance Use and Abuse

Using substances to self medicate is common. Most people use substances to make themselves feel better. Unfortunately it works but the effects are temporary. The bigger problem is that using substances usually causes other problems...many other problems.

Problems include: poor judgment, accidents, financial problems, irrational thinking and decisions making, absenteeism from work or school, poor memory, reduced productivity, physical ailments, ( many) and psychological issues...depression and anxiety are a very common effects from abuse or use of substances.

Suicidal behavior is MUCH more likely when someone is using as compared to someone sober.

Woman and suicide

Woman attempt suicide more often than men. Men complete suicide more often than women. One of the cause of this difference is that the method used more often by men is more lethal.

Women predominantly use drugs to overdose in an attempt to commit suicide and often do not know what a lethal dosage would be.

Men tend to use fire arms which obviously would be less likely to fail at an attempt.

As always there are many other factors to consider and each individual is unique.

If you are aware of these stats it could help you be better informed and to be aware of a potentially lethal situation.

Please let me know your thoughts

If you have questions or comments about suicide please share them with me. If you know someone who might be suicidal and have questions about how to approach them or help in some way please let me know.

mindcareusa@gmail.com
410-528-3329

Teens and Suicide

Though there are times when teens threaten suicide or say they wish they were dead, during a heated moment or out of frustration, these threats cannot be ignored or taken lightly.

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for teen and young adults ages 15-24. Suicidal behavior in teens is more profound than most people realize.

Even if a teen often uses the threat of suicide as a strategy to manipulate and has never indicated a method or any other warning signs, this is clearly a serious concern. At best this is still a serious behavioral problem or an indication of some other cry for help. There is a reason why this behavior is occurring.

Never leave a teen or anyone alone when they have expressed or otherwise indicated a desire to kill themselves or even hurt themselves.

It is important that the teen is assessed and has a professional to talk with to ensure safety and appropriate intervention or treatment to help minimize or eliminate such distress.

Please take suicide threats very seriously and contact a professional.