Know How to Help Prevent Suicide

It can be a tough time for LGBTQ people, especially if spending time with family and friends come with a cost—hiding your sexuality, getting lectured on who you should or shouldn’t be, feeling disconnected from people.

To deal with the stress, some people emotionally withdrawal or self medicate with alcohol or drugs. Either of these can be dangerous because they can lead to isolation and eventually may lead to suicidal thinking.

When we are struggling, we need to reach out for help. If you’re thinking about suicide, it’s not clear where to turn to since we don’t really talk about suicide openly in our culture. Some people don’t want to admit they’re thinking of suicide because they feel like others will think that they’re a personal failure. We all experience times where life is overwhelming, stressful, and/or depressing and generally speaking it almost always helps to talk with somebody about how you are feeling. There are places you can contact that have well trained people that know how to listen to your struggles and connect you to resources.

• One of them is the Trevor Project which has a hotline (866-488-7386) for LGBTQ youth.
• They also have “Trevor Space” which is an on-line social network like Facebook for LGBTQ youth. It helps break the isolation and provide a safe space to get support and meet others facing similar situations.
•  There is also a national hotline for suicide prevention called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Sometimes we may be doing well, but a friend and family member may be struggling.  It’s important for us to reach out and talk to the person we are concerned about, especially if you are seeing suicide warning signs. A lot of us have been raised with the myth that talking about suicide will somehow make things worse or cause someone to think about suicide. Actually, talking openly and directly about suicide gives the person who is in distress “permission” to talk about suicide. It sends the message that you care and that you want to help.

Chances are they’ve not talked to anyone about their thoughts so it is often a huge relief to have someone ask directly and be willing to listen. If they are thinking of suicide, our job is to accept their feelings and listen. Tell them you care about them and want them to live and that you will help them find resources. Then you can pick up the phone and call The Trevor Project hotline (866-488-7386) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and the staff will help you.  If you see someone on Facebook who is posting about suicide or giving up on life, you can fill out a  report (type suicide into the “Help” page) and Facebook will contact the friend in distress and offer a hotline number or the option of “chatting” with a professional counselor via text.

There is help out there. Often talking about it and knowing that someone cares is enough to help someone move through a hard time and come to a more hopeful place. For more information go to:  www.indianacares.org

Colleen Carpenter

Director, Indiana Cares Youth Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Supportive Videos

100 Reasons to Stay from Lauren Taylor on Vimeo.