The following suicide warning signs have been compiled from leecountycares.org. Visit their website for suicide prevention information and resources.
Warning Signs to Look For
- Depression
- Dramatic Mood Changes
- Withdrawing from friends, family and society
- Self destructive behavior, rage and anger
- Changes in behavior
- Talking about feeling worthless or helpless
- School, work, family crisis
- Giving away prized possessions
What To Do Next
- Familiarize yourself with the warning signs
- Get involved
- Listen, be direct, have open communication
- Offer hope and alternatives, ways to get help
- Take action
Take a step, stretch or leap towards suicide prevention with the ideas and tips below.
Help Prevent Suicide—Keep Your Eyes Open
Step:
People who are thinking about suicide often give warning signs. Visit Stop A Suicide and print out a checklist to understand the warning signs. Share what you’ve learned with your family, friends and neighbors.
Stretch:
Walk for suicide prevention. Join your local chapter or start your own.
Leap:
Start a local suicide prevention network in your community. Work with area leaders, clergy and schools to save another life.
For more information, visit these websites:
- Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
I was glad to read that Readers Digest made a large donation to AFSP! I lost my son to suicide Oct. 1, 2000. I now faciitate a support group for suicide survivors after training with AFSP. We also just had our second annual community walk, which I organized with a friend, and it was a wonderful event to raise funds and honor the lost lives of our loved ones. As for signs, I think it is important to note that there aren't always signs. There weren't with my son. Signs? - Hindsigt is always 20/20.
I just read "A Death and a Life", & I understand it too well, but from the reverse side of Virginia Cervasio. I have been diagnosed with many things, from depression to biopolar disorder, been on so many medications, yet suicidal thoughts and attempts have been with me since I was 13. At 33, I'm still incredibly sad, tense, numb. Yet, reading that, I realize I'm not only just myself; I am Mom, sister & daughter. My kids have kept me alive, literally. I feel her pain as well as her son's.