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September is Suicide prevention and awareness month. It’s a time to raise awareness, understand the warning signs and remove the stigma around this topic and mental health in general.
Everyone is affected by suicide, not just the victims. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 and the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. We lose over 800,000 people per year to suicide.
The pain of suicide is often unlike any other loss because people see it as a choice, rather than as a consequence of brain health problems.
46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition and for every suicide, there are an estimated 25 suicide attempts and millions of more people who thought about ending their life. No one is exempt from thoughts of suicide.
People of any age, gender, or ethnicity can struggle with thoughts of taking their own life. So when we are talking about suicide prevention and awareness we have to start talking about brain and brain health.
Treatment and Solutions
When we are talking about treatment and solutions, we have to start talking and educating ourselves on brain-based interventions and solutions to treating mental health conditions in hopes of saving people’s lives. My background as a licensed clinical mental health counselor and I’m also board certified in biofeedback and Neurofeedback, at my offices we look at brainwave patterns and brain activity in our approach when it comes to treating mental health conditions but also as a tool for mental fitness to stay sharp.
Let’s start with things that could potentially cause suicidal thoughts. Even though in some situations people may feel that an individual took their lives and no one saw it coming, things are normally leading up to that. Everyone struggles in life, but for some people, they find themselves in a deep depression, constantly overwhelmed and feeling and thinking their situation is hopeless and no way out, which can lead to a downward spiral. Which could lead to suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Two of the leading factors that contribute to suicide are isolation and feeling like a burden: Well talk about isolation…we are still coming through a pandemic year. In 2020, 44,834 died of suicide during the pandemic in the US and that number continues to rise in 2021.
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