BY SANDRA GUY
DePaul’s Fall quarter coincides with a somber reminder of how stressful the COVID pandemic and its precautions continue to be. And how you can help others who need help.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has designated the week of Sept. 5-11 as National Suicide Prevention Week. And Sept. 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day.
This year’s message is #BeThe1To Ask. That’s because research shows people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way. Findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may reduce rather than increase suicidal thoughts.
The message underscores how the Lifeline network and its partners are working to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention, and to actions that can promote healing, help and give hope.
The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices for professionals. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
The act of asking how someone is doing isn’t easy, but it can be a lifesaving one, experts say.
That’s because depression, whether unipolar or bi-polar, can be treated successfully, and efforts are gaining traction to support suicide prevention and research.
Yet for a person considering suicide, “the energy required to negotiate the system can be a significant barrier,” Alexa James, executive director of the Chicago affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Another barrier is recognizing when someone is suicidal, since some people experience a jovial or uplifted mood and feel calm, relaxed and relieved when they decide to die by suicide, James said.
For some, suicide can be an impulsive act, while for others, it’s the result of weeks or months of consideration.
Dr. Pedro L. Dago, medical director of the psychiatric emergency department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said suicide-risk factors include history of trauma, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, unstable relationships and illnesses – especially those involving chronic pain – as well as recent losses such as with a job, a divorce or life status.
Anxiety, hopelessness and psychotic symptoms are other red flags, Dago said.
The best way to help is to stay aware of others’ cues, experts say, and that’s more important than ever as the COVID delta variant prompts widespread infection upticks.
Over the past two weeks, new coronavirus infections have risen by 148 percent in the United States, and hospitalizations have increased by 73 percent, according to data compiled by the New York Times. The surge of infections has been largely attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant and to low vaccination rates in some states.
Health officials have also expressed concern over a simultaneous rise in Delta infections and cases of a respiratory virus known as rrespiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., a highly contagious, flulike illness, that is typically more likely to affect children and older adults.