WE ARE WHO WE ARE: September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so let’s look out for each other
By Lisa Sugarman
These days, it seems like every month (or week or day) we’re encouraged to honor, recognize or acknowledge a different cause. Whether it’s cancer or domestic violence or ALS or Pride, these days are critical in helping to rally support, push powerful stories out into the mainstream, and encourage a deeper understanding of the issues that affect our day-to-day health and wellness. And while I know that remembering all of these national awareness days can be a little exhausting, they’re way more important than we may realize.
Because these global reminders play a key role in unifying communities and inspiring advocacy and getting people thinking and talking about whatever cause is in the spotlight. And that can be some compelling chatter that helps create change.
That’s why, as we slide into September and into National Suicide Prevention Month, it’s important to all of us that we call attention to the fact that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 700,000 people worldwide die of suicide every year. That means, every 40 seconds someone takes their own life. And this is a statistic each of us needs to be paying attention to so that, together, we can bring that big, ugly number down.
Whether you’ve personally been touched by suicide or mental illness like me, or you know someone who has, it’s out there and it’s not going away anytime soon. And if you haven’t got a personal connection to this unique area of mental health, eventually you will. And once you do, you’ll instantly understand why having resources and support for people who are struggling should be one of our most important global priorities.
Look, there’s no sugarcoating it, these are crazy, volatile times. That’s because, more than any other time in humanity’s history, and for a multitude of reasons, people everywhere are struggling. And if you haven’t noticed, just look around and it’ll become abundantly clear that there are a lot of people out there who just aren’t OK. So, it feels like the world’s collective mental health has hit an all-time low, and that’s probably because it has.
The truth is, we’ve got an explosive social and political climate (and that’s putting it mildly), stress and uncertainty from economic instability, pressure from the demands of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, the constant bombardment of technology and things like environmental degradation, the intense and constant pressure to measure up (I mean, do you really need me to go on?). And all these stressors swirling around us are wearing away at our capacity to successfully manage our mental health.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14
On average, there are 123 suicides every day in this country. That’s 123 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends, coworkers and children lost every single day to suicide.
People are anxious and depressed and taking their lives in record numbers, and they need help. The problem is, they don’t always know where to turn to get the support and resources they need.
In fact, at this point, it’s reasonable to say that mental illness has become our new pandemic. But I believe that by providing people with accessible, reliable, easy-to-access mental health resources, we can roll those statistics back and help support people who are struggling and need help.
As a three-time survivor of suicide loss, a mental health advocate and a crisis counselor with The Trevor Project, I’ve seen the lifesaving impact of connecting people with the support and resources they need when they’re not ok. I’ve watched, first-hand, how putting someone in touch with mental health resources, counseling, therapy, medication or hospitalization can mean the difference between life and death for someone who’s hurting. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to create a destination where those who are struggling can find the resources they need so they never have to feel like suicide is their only option.
Click the photo above to go directly to my Mental Health Resources Hub.
So, it’s in the spirit of National Suicide Prevention Month that I’m sharing my Mental Health Resources & Toolkit Hub on lisasugarman.com so that everyone who needs resources, in any community, can find the help they need.
I’ve curated one of the most inclusive and comprehensive free mental health resources directories on the internet that puts help just a single click away for anyone in crisis or who needs help. Because when someone is struggling and feeling hopeless, they need accessible and vetted resources they can trust. And they need them right now.
But we don’t all need the same kinds of help.
Since we all have different cultural, social and historical factors that influence how our mental health is understood, experienced and treated within our own unique community, we can all benefit from more specialized resources that are geared to our individual communities. So, I’ve broken down my Mental Health Resources Hub into 16 different categories to ensure that everyone who needs help, from any population, is represented.
I’ve done the work to bring these resources together under one virtual roof so that the help and support and information you need is just a single click away.
You can find resources for the following: AAPI, BIPOC, Canadian, children and teens, crisis support, elderly, government, grief & loss, international, latinx, lgbtq+, mindfulness, online mental health, people with disabilities, suicide & mental health and veterans.
I couldn’t save the people I’ve lost like my father, which is why my goal is to help save as many other lives as possible by creating a platform that offers specialized resources to all communities rather than a generalized list of agencies that may not be helpful to everyone.
Visit lisasugarman.com/resources to bookmark and share my Mental Health Resources Hub. And if you or someone you know is struggling, please call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline by dialing 988 and a trained counselor will be there to help.
Lisa Sugarman is an author, a nationally syndicated columnist, a three-time survivor of suicide loss, a mental health advocate and a crisis counselor with The Trevor Project. She’s also a storyteller with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the host of “The Suicide Survivor Series” on YouTube. Lisa is also a Survivor of Suicide Loss Grief Group facilitator for Samaritans and she’s the author of “How To Raise Perfectly Imperfect Kids And Be OK With It,” “Untying Parent Anxiety” and “LIFE: It Is What It Is.” Her work has appeared on Healthline Parenthood, GrownAndFlown, TODAY Parents, Thrive Global, The Washington Post, LittleThings and More Content Now. Lisa lives and writes just north of Boston. Visit her online at lisasugarman.com.