Suicide prevention is everybody's responsibility
What do people always seem to say whenever they have heard the shocking and heartbreaking news that someone they know or once knew has committed suicide?
“I never saw this coming” or “I wish there was something I could have done.”
What people often do not understand is that there are almost always red flags. Anyone on this earth is capable of reaching out and turning someone’s life around.
You could be the one person who made a person decide not to end their life.
Is this a tremendous responsibility? Yes. But it shouldn’t feel like one.
It should be natural to want to help people in need, and to see past whatever behaviors they could be exhibiting that could be clouding our judgment of this person, and see them exactly for who they are: someone who needs help.
It is amazing to me how taboo suicide still remains.
People don’t want the responsibility of being the one to bring it up, or they believe the myth that if they talk about it, it will give them ideas. They instead sweep things under the rug because it’s easier to do.
These are often good people, but it seems that a lot of times misinformation, denial or mistaking behaviors as simply attention-seeking come into play, preventing people from reaching out to those who need them the most.
Of course, it is always ultimately up to the person who is contemplating suicide whether or not they want to end their life. It is their choice, and depending on whether or not they are actively seeking help, the unfortunate reality is that there will always be cases where the decision may not be able to be reversed in time.
I can personally say that I have benefitted greatly from expressing concern for an acquaintance through a simple Facebook message. I cannot say that I am the sole reason this person changed their life around, but knowing that I reached out, even though I barely knew the person, wasn’t just an option to me — I felt it was my duty as a human being. Anything you can do to relate, to give resources, to assure them that they aren’t alone in this, are of immeasurable value.
Simply put, it can never hurt to reach out. It is far better to know that you did what you could to help someone than to live with regret because you never said a word.
Do you know of someone who says they “won’t be around” to see certain events transpire? Are they giving away possessions? Saying things that allude to wanting to die — like that they wish that they could sleep forever?
If so, it is your time to step up, you will be glad that you did.
For more information on getting help, warning signs, and causes of suicidal ideation, visit suicide.org.
