World Suicide Prevention Day 2022

[Image Description: "ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION, THERE ARE 130 SUICIDES PER DAY" in center-aligned white letters on a black letter board with wooden bordering standing on a flowered table cloth with a wall in the background. The image also has a black and white filter.]


This content was actually transcribed from one of my first vlogs and in honor of Suicide Prevention Week/Month, I decided to remake it into a blog post along with elaborating more about the issue.



CONTENT WARNING: I would like to mention that I am not a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist and I am sharing this content for educational purposes only. Social media should never be used as a substitute for mental nor medical health care. If you suspect that you or a loved one are experiencing any mental health concerns, it is okay to get help, and I highly recommend seeking help from a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and/or other mental health professional who is qualified to do so.


TRIGGER WARNING: If you are affected by suicide or experience suicidal thoughts, this blog post may be triggering. If you need support right now, please seek help from a therapist or other mental health professional or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you live in the USA or text "CONNECT" to the Crisis Text Line at 686868 if you live in Canada.










    Suicide is such a devastating issue, and the world needs more suicide prevention. I am always devastated by hearing the news about when anyone dies by suicide due to mental health struggles. I have heard about too many incidents about people completing suicide and this epidemic was enough many years ago. I really wish that there was something that I could do to make this growing issue to not have ever existed.

Related Links:

    There are not enough trainings --- not enough effective enough trainings --- to help teachers and administrators identify at-risk students. There is not enough awareness to help anyone who is struggling with their mental health. Sometimes there are no signs because people are afraid to show them and/or speak up to get help because they are afraid that no one will help them. The reason that they are afraid is because there are adults who are supposed to be considered trustworthy as part of their ethics, but in reality, not all but some of them are not willing to help students when they are experiencing mental health struggles. If we do not help individuals who are struggling with their mental health, this can worsen their overall mental health.

    One of the main issues in the education field is that not all but many teachers lack empathy for their students, especially when they are upset and express it by crying. When teachers who lack empathy see students crying, I have noticed that they will either yell at or talk down to them along with telling them to "stop crying" and never comfort them. These educators will do this no matter what the student is crying about or if it is something that they would not get upset over even when it is something that is valid for anyone to be upset about. It is valid for people of all ages and differences to cry. It may be "not that big of a deal" to you, but if they are crying, it is obviously a big deal to them. Instead of telling students to stop crying, teachers should be comforting them, teaching them how to problem-solve, and providing validation and reassurance. I realize that it is unhealthy to cry all day, but instead of telling people to "stop crying" if they have been crying for too long, continue to validate them along with providing reassurance, suggesting self-care techniques, and teaching problem-solving. It angers me when anyone tells anyone to "stop crying" especially when it is something that is common and valid to cry about. For example, school stress is valid to cry about since assignments can be stressful because of how time-consuming they are, how deep the content is sometimes, and school stress can be upsetting to that point, especially as any students get older and when there is lack of help when needed after students self-advocate for it. Teachers need to show more empathy for students of all ages and differences. Everyone expresses their emotions differently to all situations and all feelings should be validated, acknowledged, and respected at all times. Teachers lacking empathy can worsen their students' mental health to the point where they can be at risk for suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and/or depression.

Related Links:

    Teachers and administrators need to utilize more Social Emotional Learning (SEL) by reaching out to their students more frequently in order to help them with their mental health and making them feel emotionally safe in the classroom and school environment. As a future teacher, I will definitely do this. In the beginning of the school year, I will tell my students that if they are having any problems or feeling unhappy about anything that they can always talk to me no matter what they are upset about and I will do my best to do anything to help them. I will tell them that if they ever want to talk to me in private about anything that we can always arrange plans to do that as well. I will reassure them that everything personal that they tell me will always be kept confidential and only revealed to necessary parties when needed legally. I will let their families know that I tell their children all of this and more about how I use SEL in order to show them how much I care about their children and all other educators should do this too.

    To anyone else who is struggling with their mental health or who knows someone struggling with their mental health, it is okay to reach out for help or be the help because you could save a life. Here is the 24 hours, 7 days a week hotline to call and you can call now if you need to:

 
[Image Description: "988 SUICIDE & CRISIS LIFELINE" in center-aligned bolded white text in a navy blue square. There is also a slightly thick white border all along the middle of the square.]



If you or loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you are not alone and there is hope. If you or someone you know needs support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you live in the USA or text "CONNECT" to the Crisis Text Line at 686868 if you live in Canada.

You can also visit The Mighty's hotline resources page by clicking on this link: https://themighty.com/suicide-prevention-resources/






Did you enjoy and find this post helpful? If you want to see more content like this and my other content about teaching and advocating for the disability community, please follow me on Instagram and like my Facebook page if you have not already by clicking on the hyperlinks below:




Give feedback! Questions? Compliments? Suggestions? Let me know in the comments section below and/or email me at ehoffbuddyclub@gmail.com !

If you repost to your own page or story, please tag me in the caption and the post and keep my logo visible. Thank you💕










TRIGGER WARNING: If you are triggered by bright colors due to visual sensory differences, opening the first cited link below may be triggering.


                                                                    Citations

1. "Suicide statistics." AFSP.org. (17 Feb. 2022). https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration & Vibrant Mental Health. "988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline." (2022). 10 September 2022. https://988lifeline.org/

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