What to Do if YOU Are Suicidal

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Ep. 001 : What to Do If YOU Are Suicidal

How do you know if YOU are suicidal? Most people are not great judges at knowing if their thoughts are dangerous. There is a tendency to deny or try to hide how bad we are feeling, even from ourselves, and that’s a mistake. Even passive suicidal thoughts like, “Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t wake up.” is a step down “The Ramp” of suicide. It is important to seek help if you are thinking about hurting yourself or wishing that you weren’t here anymore.

We’ll discuss the slide down “The Ramp” towards the Valley of Suicide. For some that journey moves slowly, but others can quickly descend into danger. There are number of well-known triggering events (e.g. the end of a relationship) that may prompt a suicide attempt and some groups (such as: First Responders, those with mental illness) are at greater risk than others.

In this Episode We'll Discuss

What are the four stages of “The Ramp”?
What does help look like at each stage?
Common triggers for suicidal thoughts.
What are some low cost treatment options?
What to do in case of an emergency?
Groups that are more likely to face thoughts of suicide.

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Don’t underestimate the risk you may be facing. The relationship between isolation and suicidal thought is staggering. Now is a time to reach out to friends and loved ones, and give help a chance.

Resources for this Episode

Denial of suicidal thoughts

https://www.jwatch.org/na47995/2018/12/10/why-suicidal-patients-deny-suicidal-ideation

Becoming desensitized to being suicidal

https://www.healthcentral.com/article/what-does-being-suicidal-actually-feel-like

The relationship between stressful events and suicidal thoughts

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/193026

Passive thoughts of suicide

https://www.verywellmind.com/suicidal-ideation-380609

Impulsivity and suicide

http://www.sprc.org/news/impulsivity-suicide

Loss of relationship as a trigger for suicide

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201711/how-dangerous-is-broken-heart

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death of young people ages 10-34 years.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml

Most common form of suicide attempt is by overdose.

About 85 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm end in death. (Drug overdose, the most widely used method in suicide attempts, is fatal in less than 3 percent of cases.) Madeline Drexler, Guns and Suicide: The Hidden Toll, Harvard Public Health Magazine, Spring 2013).

Lethality of suicide attempts by firearms.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/case-fatality/

The relationship between physical illness and suicidal thoughts

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4720055/

The relationship between financial problems and suicidal thoughts

https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/06/one-six-people-money-problems-suicidal-thoughts-result-7687655/

Retirement, aging, and suicidal thoughts

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2017/06/warning-baby-boomers-retirement-dont-mix/

Transgender and suicide

https://www.hrc.org/blog/new-study-reveals-shocking-rates-of-attempted-suicide-among-trans-adolescen

Trauma leading to suicidal thoughts

https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/trauma-and-suicide/