September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Lake Behavioral Hospital is an ally to those who are suffering from mental health disorders. Lake Behavioral Hospital is actively seeking to help those who are looking for depression treatment and ensuring they receive the care needed to overcome this temporary mental illness.  

 

“How are social media & suicide connected?”

Suicide rates for teens rose between 2010 and 2015 after they had declined for nearly two decades, according to data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the study doesn’t answer the question, there is a logical connection to social media that can be made. Recent teen suicides have been blamed on cyberbullying, and social media posts depicting “perfect” lives may be taking a toll on teens’ mental health, researchers say.

Because of this. our focus turns to social media, and how to recognize potential suicide warning signs from someone who is in need of mental health care.

“What if someone is posting suicidal messages on social media?”

 

Knowing how to get help for a friend posting suicidal messages on social media can save a life. Many social media sites have a process to report suicidal content and provide mental health resources for the person posting the message. In addition, many of the social media sites use their analytic capabilities to identify and help report suicidal posts. Each offers different options on how to respond if you see concerning posts about suicide. For example:

 

• Facebook has multiple suicide prevention & awareness pages dedicated to helping those showing suicide warning signs.
• Instagram uses automated tools in the app to provide mental health resources for teens and adults that are suffering from suicidal thoughts.
• Snapchat implements a similar functionality, providing its users’ multiple mental health care help pages focusing on suicide prevention & awareness.
• Tumblr provides its users with free and confidential counseling mental health hotline numbers they can call in a mental health emergency.
• Twitter has an informative and insightful page regarding mental health and how to recognize the signs of someone experiencing suicidal thoughts.
• YouTube’s Safety Center has a forum that not only provides mental health resources written by Google but by the YouTube community as well.

 

If you see messages or live streaming suicidal behavior on social media, call 911 or contact the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273–TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Deaf and hard-of-hearing

individuals can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1–800–799–4889. All calls are confidential. This service is available to everyone. People—even strangers—have saved lives by being vigilant.”

 

Lake Behavioral Hospital is a proponent for Suicide Awareness and Prevention.  We have the resources to help you or a loved one who is suffering.  If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call today to speak with a licensed clinician at (855) 990-1900.

 

 

Remember, “You are not alone. It is not your fault. You matter.”

Suicide Prevention and Awareness

September is Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, providing us with the time to come together to address this difficult topic. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States, with 44,965 Americans dying by suicide each year and 123 suicides per day. However, the stigma surrounding mental health leads to underreporting, which is why it is so important to increase awareness surrounding this issue. Mental health conditions and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or background and suicide is often a result of an untreated mental health condition.  At Lake Behavioral Hospital we feel that by coming together and having honest conversations surrounding mental health and suicide we can continue to work towards real change.

To discover your local chapter of AFPS, please visit https://afsp.org/our-work/chapters/.

Lake Behavioral Hospital is a proponent for Suicide Awareness and Prevention.  We have the resources to help you or a loved one who is suffering.  If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call to speak with a licensed clinician at (855) 990-1900.

Remember, “You are not alone. It is not your fault. You matter.”