Suicide And Self Harm Awareness During The Holidays

Over the past month an alarming number of suicides have taken place in the Treasure Valley according to Warm Springs Counseling Center. Experts say the fall and winter months tend to bring on SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Plus they add the holiday season can lead to additional stress and tension in families. I

November is Children’s Grieving Awareness Month

You Are Not Alone. It is not your fault.

Loss, however, it occurred, impacts all of us in different ways. With suicide, the ripple effect can spread far and wide.

When someone has taken their own life, many can feel the impact, even if they were not close or even knew the person well. Suicide is something that can impact individuals and the community. Think of it as when the attack on the Twin Towers occurred on 9/11/2001; it didn’t matter if you knew someone there or not. It didn’t matter if you were there or not. Most of us all felt impacted and grieved in some way. Of course, those closest felt the loss on a different and deeper level and as the ripple effect happens, we can all end up feeling a similar mix of emotions. Similar to an earthquake, there is the epicenter of the quake and then the reverberates beyond.

Somethings to know/do after someone has lost their life by suicide:

• Each person grieves in their own way. There is no standard linear grieving process.
• Be honest about what happened.
• Allow for all the emotions, which there will be a mix: shock, anger, sadness, fear, regret, guilt, curiosity, and anxiety.
• Talk openly about suicide. Talking about suicide does not encourage it. In fact, talking about suicide, asking someone how they are doing and if their suicidal reduces the risk.
• Find ways to memorialize those who have passed.
• Ask what the person who is grieving what they need to feel supported. 
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Red Flags: When seen, talk. Talking can save lives. These would be changes you notice:

•  Withdrawing from social things, grades change, withdrawing from friends, family
•   Any unexplained significant changes in behavior, including mood swings
•  Not caring about their personal appearance/hygiene
•   Exhausted, bored or lose interest in school, activities, hobbies-they previously engaged in
•   Talk about death, suicide, and/or self-harm often
•   Express feeling the need to be perfect, stressed about making mistakes, feeling like a failure

FREE Resources

Call or text 988, the crisis and suicide lifeline—24/7 –You can reach out to them if you have a friend or family member you are worried about and not sure how to help. 

https://www.mentallycovered.org/

Suicide Resources: Understanding suicide and supporting children:

Suicide-Resources.pdf (dougy.org)

Tips for Teens Who Are Grieving:

Tips-for-Teens-Who-are-Grieving_2023-03-17-201232.pdf (dougy.org)

Children, Teens and Suicide Loss-Book

https://dougybookstore.org/collections/after-suicide

Counseling Services for Teens and Children

www.childrenshomesociety.com