Together, as a community, we can prevent suicide.
Suicide is a community issue.
How does someone get to the point of suicide? People often attribute suicide to mental illness, but most people who die of suicide do not have mental illness. Suicide is also driven by thoughts, feelings, and importantly, social experiences. Many people who die of suicide experience stress, crisis, or trauma – negative experiences that happen to them. Preventing suicide requires more than just mental health interventions. Preventing suicide requires creating a community in which people feel valued, affirmed, and loved. Suicide prevention is not just about preventing death, but also about promoting living.
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Suicide prevention happens upstream.
The parable of the river:
“There I am standing by the shore of a swiftly flowing river and I hear the cry of a drowning man. So I jump into the river, put my arms around him, pull him to shore and apply artificial respiration. Just when he begins to breathe, there is another cry for help. So I jump into the river, reach him, pull him to shore, apply artificial respiration, and then just as he begins to breathe, another cry for help. So back in the river again, reaching, pulling, applying, breathing and then another yell. Again and again, without end, goes the sequence. You know, I am so busy jumping in, pulling them to shore, applying artificial respiration, that I have no time to see who is upstream pushing them all in.”
We can’t wait until people are in suicidal crisis to intervene. We have to stop people from being pushed into the river – we have to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for suicide. We must address discrimination, oppression, bullying, sexual assault, abuse, violence, and other traumas, and we must develop a community that supports emotional wellness for everyone. We must build resilience, teach healthy coping skills, and encourage acceptance and understanding. We must create a culture in which people feel safe talking about suicide. We can’t expect people to ask for and accept help if we haven’t created a community in which they feel safe doing so.
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Suicide prevention respects lived experience.
People who have thoughts of suicide, who have attempted or died of suicide, and who have lost a loved one to suicide are always at the center of our work. People who have experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviors deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. They are individuals with unique identities and unique needs, and they deserve better than one-size-fits-all suicide prevention. We strive to provide affirming and culturally sensitive events and services to everyone affected by suicide.
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You are suicide prevention.
Suicide prevention is not something reserved for experts or professionals. It is something that we all do, every day, in our interactions with people in our community. You can help to prevent suicide in your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even in people you don’t know. Get trained in suicide intervention and get involved in upstream community prevention efforts.