Talking about suicide can be scary, but it is critical to prevention.
"With the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, suicide and mental health are becoming more commonly discussed," wrote Dr. Raymond J. Kotwicki in a blog for Skyland Trail. "Having difficult conversations is an important part of destigmatizing the issue."
Dr. Kotwicki is the Skyland Trail Charles B. West Chief Medical Officer. He offers the following tips to shape the conversation:
- Remember that suicide is not taboo. Talk openly about your concerns about suicide and the impact of suicide deaths on your own feelings and the community, even with children and adolescents who likely know about the suicides through media or peers. But avoid “glamorizing” suicide; do not describe lethal means or suicide notes left behind.
- Use direct and appropriate language. Avoid criminalizing the behavior. Don’t say “He committed suicide.” Instead say, “He died from suicide.” Please call them suicide attempts and completed suicides rather than “unsuccessful” and “successful” suicides.
- Be honest. Even though celebrities have fame and money and are believed to live “charmed” lives, it is clear that people who die from suicide are troubled. Kate Spade may have had a mood disorder, and Anthony Bourdain likely had mental health and substance misuse issues as well. Treatable mental illnesses are usually associated with suicide.
- Mental illnesses are medical problems associated with suicides. Just like a heart attack is not selfish, a personal weakness or a character flaw, neither are suicides.
- Suicide is preventable. Mental illnesses can be (and need to be) treated just like any other medical problem.
- If you are worried that someone you know may be considering suicide, don’t be afraid to ask about it. Research has proven that talking about suicide does not introduce the notion of suicide into someone’s head who isn’t already contemplating it.
- Access to lethal means is key. Please ask anyone who may be contemplating suicide to get their firearms out of their homes until they feel better. This will save lives.
- Finally, believe it when someone says they are thinking about suicide. Call 9-1-1 or escort the person to the emergency department for assessment. Please don’t shoulder this significant responsibility alone.
