Suicide Prevention Month: Knowing the Signs, Starting the Conversation and Taking Action

By Corey Nydick

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about an issue that affects individuals, families, workplaces and communities everywhere.

For me, this topic is deeply personal.

My family has experienced firsthand how close you can come to losing someone you love. It changed the way I think about mental health, the importance of paying attention and what it means to truly be there for someone who may be struggling.

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that we cannot always know what another person is carrying.

Someone can appear strong, successful, productive or even happy while experiencing tremendous emotional pain privately. That is why suicide prevention begins with something incredibly simple but powerful: noticing, listening and being willing to ask.

Know the Warning Signs

There is no single sign that tells us someone is considering suicide, and suicidal behavior is complex. But certain changes may indicate that someone needs help.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, warning signs can include talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless or trapped, believing they are a burden, withdrawing from friends and family, giving away important possessions, extreme mood changes, increased alcohol or drug use, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, or taking unusually dangerous risks.

What matters most is paying attention, particularly when these behaviors are new, have become more frequent or seem dramatically different from how the person normally acts.

Sometimes the sign is simply that something feels off.

Don’t ignore that feeling.

Start the Conversation

If you are concerned about someone, start by talking to them.

The first question does not have to be the hardest one. Sometimes a simple, genuine check-in can help someone feel safe enough to begin opening up.

Ask, “Is everything okay?” “You don’t seem like yourself lately. Is something bothering you?” or “How are you really doing?”

Then listen.

Give the person your full attention and allow the conversation to develop without judgment or pressure. If what they share makes you concerned about their safety, continue the conversation and ask whether they are thinking about harming themselves.

That question can be difficult to ask, but it can also create an opportunity for someone to share what they have been carrying privately.

You do not need to have the perfect words or immediately know how to solve what they are experiencing.

You simply need to care enough to start the conversation, listen and be willing to ask the harder question when it becomes necessary.

Be There

When someone is experiencing overwhelming emotional pain, one of the most meaningful things another person can do is simply stay present.

Listen carefully.

Acknowledge what they are feeling.

Avoid minimizing their experience with statements like “things could be worse” or “you have so much to be thankful for.” Even when those words are well-intended, they can make someone feel as though their pain is not understood.

Instead, let them know that they matter, that you are there and that they do not have to face what they are experiencing alone.

Help Keep Them Safe

If someone tells you they are considering harming themselves, take them seriously.

If it can be done safely, reducing access to potentially lethal means can help protect someone during a crisis. Most importantly, do not leave an individual alone if you believe there is an immediate danger.

In a life-threatening situation, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Help Them Connect

You are not expected to handle a crisis by yourself.

Help the person connect with people who are trained to provide support, whether that is a mental health professional, physician, counselor, trusted family member or crisis resource.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People can call or text 988 or use the online chat to connect with a trained crisis counselor. The service is free and confidential.

Sometimes helping someone make that first call, send the first text or find a provider can make an enormous difference.

Stay Connected

Support should not end when the immediate crisis passes.

Check in tomorrow.

Check in next week.

Send the text.

Make the phone call.

Invite them to lunch.

Ask how they are doing — and give them an opportunity to answer honestly.

Continuing to show someone that they are valued and remembered can be an important part of helping them move forward.

If You Are the One Struggling

Perhaps the most important message during Suicide Prevention Month is for the person who feels as though there are no options left.

You are not alone.

What you are experiencing right now does not mean that you will always feel this way.

There are other options, even if you cannot see them at this moment. There are people who want to listen. There are professionals who know how to help. There are treatments, resources and paths forward that may be difficult to imagine when you are in the middle of a crisis.

Asking for help is not weakness.

Asking for help is an act of strength.

You do not have to figure everything out today. Sometimes the next step is simply telling one person, “I need help.”

That one conversation can change everything.

We All Have a Role to Play

Suicide prevention is not only the responsibility of mental health professionals.

We can all pay closer attention to the people around us. We can create environments where discussing mental health is not something to be embarrassed about. We can check on the coworker who has become unusually quiet, the friend who has stopped responding or the family member who just does not seem like themselves.

We can listen.

We can ask.

We can stay.

We can help someone connect.

And we can remind people that even in their darkest moment, they are not alone and there is still hope.

Help Is Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. Online chat is also available through the 988 Lifeline.

In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.