Suicide Awareness and Assessing Signs of Risk in Loved Ones:

 According to the CDC, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 46,000 people died by suicide in 2020, which would equate to an average of 1 death every 11 minutes. But suicide can be preventable, and there are resources available to help.

On July 16th of this year, 988 became the nationwide suicide hotline number. All texts or calls made to 988 are directly rooted to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline where you will be supported and helped by trained mental health professionals.

YOU can also help!

Noticing signs of suicide:

If you hear or notice any of the following thoughts or behaviors in someone you know, they may be at risk for suicide.

• Talking about wanting to die

  • “I just can’t take it anymore”

  • “I wish everything could end”

  • “I feel too much guilt or shame to continue on”

  • “I feel like a burden and people would be better off without me”

• Expressing feelings surrounding:

  • Loneliness, feeling isolated and that there is no one to live for

  • Hopelessness, feeling like there is no “light at the end of the tunnel”

  • Trapped, feeling stuck in a difficult situation with no foreseeable way out

  • Sad, depressed, anxious feelings

  • Strong emotional or physical pain

  • Low self-esteem, feeling unworthy of love and connection

• Behaviors:

  • Researching ways to die

  • Making a suicide plan

  • Purchasing lethal weapons (guns, knives, pills, rope)

  • Withdrawing from social circles and saying goodbye to loved ones

  • Giving away important keepsakes

  • Writing a will

  • Dangerous risk-taking behaviors, such as driving reckless

  • Exhibiting extreme mood swings

  • Eating and/or sleeping less

  • Increased substance use (drugs and/or alcohol)

  • Poor self-hygiene

The first step in being a helpful resource to someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts is knowing and understanding the signs above. If you notice someone who is exhibiting any of these signs, it’s important to talk directly with them about it. It’s also important not to pass judgment or shame on the individual for having these thoughts.

When I work with clients who are struggling with suicidal ideation, I start by normalizing those thoughts and taking some of the weight and judgement away. I explain that it’s natural for our minds to search for escape routes from life’s struggles. For some people, that escape route looks like “I just want to drop everything and move to a remote island where I know no one and have no responsibilities.” For others, it may look like suicidal thoughts. The theme of escaping life’s responsibilities is the same — and we can share empathy about how hard it can be to face overwhelming difficulty, especially when we don’t have enough support. 

Suicidal thoughts can be very isolating for an individual. Letting someone know that you are aware of their struggles and here as a helpful support for them can make all the difference. Know that it can help to talk with the individual openly about their suicidal thoughts, make it known that it’s okay that they are dealing with this, and always share that there are resources to help.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

https://988lifeline.org/

Also, helping that individual find a supportive therapist can help with long-term improvement and maintaining safety plans. Book an appointment for you or a loved one today.

Author: Jamie Rudden, MFTI https://SouthTampaTherapyBOOKAPPT.as.me/JamieRuddenMFTI

For more facts on suicide visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html#:~:text=Suicide%20rates%20increased%2030%25%20between,one%20death%20every%2011%20minutes.&text=The%20number%20of%20people%20who,attempt%20suicide%20is%20even%20higher.

A special thank you to Jamie Rudden for all of the supportive work that you have done with us and prior to your hard work at South Tampa Therapy! It takes a special compassionate and supportive person to BE THERE and STAY ATTUNED.

I appreciate you.

Liz

3 Way to Help Your Anxious Child

Watching your child struggle with anxiety can be heartbreaking and leave parents feeling lost and helpless about how to help their child. On top of feeling helpless, as the anxiety grows, you may find that you are sacrificing more and more to lessen its effects on your child. The good news is that anxiety is treatable and there are things parents can do to help their kids overcome it. 

Here are three tips for helping your child through their anxiety:

1. Don’t avoid it

   • Anxiety grows bigger and stronger when we allow it to tell us what we can and cannot do. It might relieve the distress and uncomfortable feelings for a day, but it only reinforces the idea that avoiding what makes someone anxious is the only way to overcome it.

   • For many parents, when their child is in distress, their natural instinct is to try to help their child by taking what is causing that distress away. When dealing with anxiety, it makes sense why encouraging a child to face their fears and subjecting them to discomfort is counterintuitive for a lot of parents. However, supporting your child through doing scary things and not helping them avoid what triggers their anxiety, only works to make the anxiety bigger.

1. Offer Support

• Another way to respond when your child’s anxiety shows up is to offer them support through it. Support in this sense involves two parts. First, acknowledge what your child is feeling. Let them know that you see it is hard for them and empathize with what they are going through. Second, instill confidence in them that no matter what happens you know they will get through it. We may not be able to assure them that everything will be okay but they can make it through the hard feelings.

• If your child is suffering from severe anxiety and is not ready to face their fears, start small and introduce them to the idea that avoidance only makes the anxiety worse. Starting a conversation with them about how they think they should start facing the anxiety is a great way to get them involved.

1. Find a therapist

• Finding a therapist who is CBT informed can make a huge difference in the life of an anxious child or teen. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy allows a child to be gradually exposed to things that trigger their anxiety in a safe setting. Children can also learn techniques for identifying their anxious feelings and valuable coping skills for when they come up.

• Therapists can also work with parents to focus on behavioral changes that parents can make to increase their child’s tolerance to anxiety. Parents and therapists work to gradually decrease accommodations that the family may be making that are not only making the anxiety bigger, but may also be causing a lot of stress to the family as a whole.

By Amanda Kohl, MCHI

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT with Amanda Kohl, MCHI: https://SouthTampaTherapyBOOKAPPT.as.me/AmandaKohlMHCI