Depression Suicide - Preventing Suicidal Attempts

Suicidal attempts are a very serious aspect of depression and one should seek professional help to resolve the problem. There are people who threaten to commit suicide and there are people who make no threats and just do it. Both kinds must be taken seriously. Suicide is chosen as the only way in which depressed people can escape when they are unable to tolerate life as it is any longer. They believe that they can no longer fulfill any useful purpose in life and are a burden to those they love, their friends, or society.

They need help - professional help and the acceptance and support of those close to them. They need to be taken seriously: they cannot just snap out of it - believe me, they would be the first to de just that if they could!

Suicidal feelings are part of being clinically depressed, just as a high white blood cell count is a symptom of an infection. A person with a urge of suicide does not need lecture about the morality or immorality of suicide, or about responsibility to the family. A person in a state of despair needs support, not an argument.

If you come across a person who is getting suicidal because of depression, you need to assure the person that depression is a treatable illness and that help is available. If the individual is too depressed to find support, do what you can to help him or her find support systems-e.g., psychotherapy, medical treatment, and support groups. Being a loved one or a friend of the sufferer, you need to remember that all he (depressed person) needs is your helping hands and support.

SUICIDE HELPLINE

American Association of Suicidology -- AAS is dedicated to the understanding and prevention of suicide by promoting research, public awareness, education and training for professionals and volunteers.
Web site : www.suicidology.org (also provides listings of state-by-state suicide crisis lines).

The Samaritans are a non-religious charity that have been offering emotional support to the suicidal and despairing for over 40 years by phone, visit and letter. Callers are guaranteed absolute confidentiality and retain the right to make their own decisions including the decision to end their life. The service is available via E-mail, run from Cheltenham, England, and can be reached from anywhere with Internet access. Trained volunteers read and reply to mail once a day, every day of the year.

Suicide Helplines - A gateway to 1,700 suicide helplines and emotional first-aid centers worldwide and on the Internet.

Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN) -- A non-profit organization "dedicated to the creation of an effective national suicide prevention strategy."
Web site: www.spanusa.org
Phone : 1-888-649-1366 (not a crisis line)

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention -- 120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10005.
Web site: www.afsp.org
E-mail: inquiry@afsp.org
Phone: 1-888-333-AFSP (not a crisis line) or 1-212-363-3500.

Covenant House Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-999-9999

You may also want to read this if you're still thinking of doing it.

DEPRESSION SUICIDE HELP TIPS- to prevent suicidal attempts:

Allow him/her with a poor self-concept to help someone else. Doing something special for someone else helps the helper feel better about himself/herself.
Feelings of rejection, depression appear when people are compared to others in family and feel that they do not measure up.
Write out a list of the his/her strengths to help you form a more positive conception about them.
Ask them to write down ten positive things about himself/herself. Help them find ways to use his/her positive attributes to increase positive feelings about himself/herself.
Provide opportunities for success. Praise and reinforce the sufferers' behavior whenever possible.
Discuss what he/she would like to do or accomplish. Set up realistic goals and a step by-step program to guide them toward achieving the goals.
Have them list situations that he/she finds uncomfortable or difficult. Discuss ways of behaving in these situations and role play new behaviors. Encourage them to try the new behaviors in realistic situations.
Use active listening. Teach the sufferer problem-solving skills; being able to solve one's own problems builds confidence in self.
Help them change thoughts of "I can't" to "I will try." Encourage positive thinking (cognitive restructuring).
Accept no excuses for poor behavior. Avoid being judgmental and criticizing.
Utilize group techniques for improving self-concept.

SUICIDE AND BEREAVEMENT (loss of something or someone that one loves)

There is an increased risk of suicidal gestures, completed suicide and death from accidents following the death of a spouse or a parent. The suicide risk for those widowed was first observed over a century ago by Durkheim who found that suicide was higher amongst those widowed compared to those married.

When compared to the general population Mergenhagen and colleagues found the mortality ratio for suicide in young widowers (45-64 years of age) was about four and a half times the rate for married men of similar age.

You might also be interested in:
Teen Depression Suicide - The most common disorders that predispose to suicide are some form of mood disorder.

What parents can do in Teen Depression? - Teen Depression has been one of the most pressurized situation for their parents and guardians.

Does Depressed Teens Smoke More? - Teenagers suffering from depression are much more likely to reach for a cigarette than contented teens, says a new study.

Whatever the truth, those of us who suspect someone is contemplating suicide will do all we can to prevent them, in the belief that they will be glad to be still alive one day.