By Kayla Thompson, Whitney’s Walk for Life Coordinator at the Hult Center for Healthy Living
There is a social stigma surrounding the topic of mental health. It can be scary, difficult to understand, and uncomfortable to discuss, which, unfortunately, has built up the stigma in today’s society. The consequences of this stigma have many negative results, including exclusion and discrimination, poor social support, and a lack of self-esteem. These negative results can lead individuals to avoid seeking treatment, which significantly impacts their quality of life or may possibly even motivate them to take their own life.
What can we do to help break down this stigma surrounding mental health and fight suicide? Educate yourself on the facts, warning signs, and symptoms of a mental illness. Being equipped with this knowledge, knowing how to respond, and knowing how to get help may ultimately save a life.
The following are just some of the warning signs and symptoms that may be exhibited by adults, young adults, or adolescents experiencing a mental health issue:
- Confused thinking
- Prolonged depression
- Feelings of extreme highs and lows
- Social withdrawal
- Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Suicidal thoughts
- Substance abuse or increase in risky behaviors
Keep in mind, it is especially important to pay attention to sudden changes in thoughts and behaviors.
Approximately 90 percent of suicides in the United States are associated with one or more mental illnesses, so it is also very important to recognize the warning signs of suicide. These signs may include:
- Talking about wanting to die or kill themselves
- Displaying extreme mood swings
- Withdrawing or isolating themselves
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Talking about being a burden to others
- Talking about feeling trapped, hopeless, or having no reason to live
- Looking for ways to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a weapon
The truth of the matter is that in Illinois, death by suicide averages 2.9 deaths each day and 16.7 attempts per day. Teenagers ages 15–19 have the highest suicide attempt rate in Illinois for all age groups. Females attempt suicide 45 percent more often than males; however, males successfully complete a suicide 4.4 times more than females.
More shocking statistics indicate that nationwide, a person dies by suicide every 17 minutes. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youths, teenagers, and young adults ages 15–24. That’s why educating yourself on the symptoms of a mental health illness and the warning signs of suicide is so crucial. Please join in the fight to break down the stigma surrounding mental health! Continue to educate yourself and your loved ones on these signs and ultimately help us diminish these statistics.
At the Hult Center for Healthy Living, we are battling the stigma and joining the fight against suicide by providing these youth suicide prevention programs:
Youth Mental Health Matters is an educational program designed to create awareness and decrease the stigma of mental illness by providing sixth through ninth grade students in Peoria District 150 with education on a variety of mental health issues. Students are provided with a “safety net” by being directly linked to an outreach counselor that they can see up to five times at no cost. The program is provided to District 150 at no cost thanks in part to a grant from the Heart of Illinois United Way and proceeds from Whitney’s Walk for Life. Topics included are anger management, conflict resolution, suicide prevention, stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image, eating disorders, and cyber-bullying.
Signs of Suicide (SOS) programming provides depression awareness and suicide prevention that can be implemented in one or more classroom periods. This program utilizes a variety of engaging activities to teach youth how to identify symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts in themselves or their friends and to respond effectively by seeking help from a trusted adult. The program’s primary objectives are to teach youth that depression is a treatable illness and to equip them to respond to potential suicide risk in a friend or family member using the ACT technique (acknowledge, care, and tell) in the face of a mental health emergency.
For more information on youth suicide prevention, call the Hult Center at 309-692-6650.
Sources upon request.
Photo credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz/iStock